9 When she saw God punish you in anger, she said:Listen to me, you nearby towns. God has made me very sad,
10 because I have watched my children Israel being dragged away to foreign nations. The eternal God has done this to punish them!
11 I was very happy raising my children, but now I cry and mourn while they are taken from me.
12 Please don't be happy about my sadness. I am a widow and a deserted city—all of my children have been forced to leave because they rejected God's Law.
13 They ignored and refused to obey his teachings. His laws would have helped them live right, yet my children simply refused to obey.
14 Come and see how the eternal God has punished my children by leading them away as captives!
15 God brought a cruel and foreign nation here, and it had no pity on anyone, whether young or old.