Jeremiah 14:1-9

1 Drought, Famine, Sword
This is the word of the Lord to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

2 “Judah mourns,
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.

3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.

4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.

5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.

6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights
and pant like jackals;
their eyesight fails
for lack of pasture.”

7 Although our sins testify against us,
O Lord, do something for the sake of your name.
For our backsliding is great;
we have sinned against you.

8 O Hope of Israel,
its Savior in times of distress,
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?

9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?
You are among us, O Lord,
and we bear your name;
do not forsake us!