ירמיהו, פרק י״ד, פסוק י״ג

In a desperate plea for mercy, Jeremiah stands as a defender of his people, crying out to God in deep sorrow to lessen their severe punishment. He opens his prayer with an exclamation of pure grief [מצודת ציון]. His central argument is that the people should not be held responsible for the impending destruction, as they are the tragic victims of severe deception by false prophets [אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Because these false leaders speak in God's name and guarantee absolute security, the masses innocently believe that their current behavior is fully acceptable to Him [מצודת דוד].

The people are not rebelling out of malice; in fact, without the influence of these impostors, they might very well have listened to the warnings of the true prophets [מלבי״ם]. Therefore, Jeremiah concludes that the punishment should be directed solely at the prophets who led the nation astray, arguing that the ordinary citizens cannot be blamed when they are constantly fed such reassuring lies [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אברבנאל].

The deception crafted by these prophets consists of three main promises. First, they assure the people that they will never face war or starvation. Second, they guarantee that God will provide a true, lasting, and completely stable peace [מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. Finally, they emphasize that this peace will remain firmly established in Jerusalem, offering an absolute promise that the nation will never suffer exile from their land [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל].