I have made up my mind not to spare this city, but to destroy it. It will be given over to the king of Babylonia, and he will burn it to the ground. I, the LORD, have spoken."

and set it on fire. They will burn it down, together with the houses where people have made me angry by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out wine offerings to other gods.

Even if you defeat the whole Babylonian army, so that only wounded men are left, lying in their tents, they would still get up and burn this city to the ground."

But if you do not surrender, then this city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will burn it down, and you will not escape from them."

Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned down the royal palace and the houses of the people and tore down the walls of Jerusalem.

He burned down the Temple, the palace, and the houses of all the important people in Jerusalem;

I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

I will scatter your people to every country and nation and will put an end to your evil actions.

The LORD said to me,

So now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling them that they are just as useless as that. I will bring them all together in Jerusalem

Yes, I will gather them in Jerusalem, build a fire under them, and melt them with my anger.

The LORD spoke to me again.

They will tear off your clothes and take your jewels.

I will put a stop to your lust and to the obscenities you have committed ever since you were in Egypt. You won't look at any more idols or think about Egypt any more."

Let the mob stone them and attack them with swords, kill their children, and burn down their houses.

Throughout the land I will put a stop to immorality, as a warning to every woman not to commit adultery as they did.

I will sprinkle clean water on you and make you clean from all your idols and everything else that has defiled you.

I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity.

By his power the Lord will judge and purify the nation and wash away the guilt of Jerusalem and the blood that has been shed there.

But Israel's sins will be forgiven only when the stones of pagan altars are ground up like chalk, and no more incense altars or symbols of the goddess Asherah are left.

I will destroy the cities in your land and tear down all your defenses.

I will destroy your idols and sacred stone pillars; no longer will you worship the things that you yourselves have made.

"When that time comes," says the LORD Almighty, "a fountain will be opened to purify the descendants of David and the people of Jerusalem from their sin and idolatry.

At that time I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and no one will remember them any more. I will get rid of anyone who claims to be a prophet and will take away the desire to worship idols.

and throughout the land two-thirds of the people will die.

And I will test the third that survives and will purify them as silver is purified by fire. I will test them as gold is tested. Then they will pray to me, and I will answer them. I will tell them that they are my people, and they will confess that I am their God."

The LORD Almighty says, "The day is coming when all proud and evil people will burn like straw. On that day they will burn up, and there will be nothing left of them.

He has his winnowing shovel with him to thresh out all the grain. He will gather his wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff in a fire that never goes out."

Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation; others will use wood or grass or straw.

And the quality of each person's work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone's work; the fire will test it and show its real quality.