False prophets prevailed in Judah in the days before the Babylonian attack, and the people eagerly listened to the false prophets. The Lord wanted Jeremiah to join in His sadness,

“Therefore you shall say this word to them:
‘Let my eyes flow with tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
For the virgin daughter of my people
Has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow.
If I go out to the field,
Then behold, those slain with the sword!
And if I enter the city,
Then behold, those sick from famine!
Yes, both prophet and priest go about in a land they do not know.’”
(Jeremiah 14.17–18)

People do not realize the consequences for failing to hear God’s word and to hear falsehood instead. Otherwise, they would listen to God and ignore false prophets. For turning to falsehood, Judah suffered the Babylonian captivity, and these things have been written that the rest of the world might know that we need to hear God’s word.