In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, Baruch son of Neriah wrote in a book the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet. Jeremiah said,

Baruch, the Lord, the God of Israel, says,

You said, Alas. The Lord has added sorrow to my pain, and I am weary from groaning, unable to rest.

Tell him this: This is what the Lord says: I will demolish what I have built. I will uproot what I have planted. I do this all over the place.

Do you plan big things for yourself? Don’t plot. I will bring disaster upon all flesh. But wherever you go, I will make your life a plunder. This is what the Lord has said.