Jeremiah stood, staring out the window before him. It was not a pleasant sight to see through the open space, but then again, was Jerusalem a pleasant place to see at all any more?
The street beside his small house was bustling with activity. A stream of people flowed in both ways down the broad street, their torn, drab garments hanging loosely on their bodies as was becoming even more sadly common as the year dragged on. Their feet kicked up dust that swirled in the air, making it difficult to see. An occasional ox-pulled cart rolled through the crowd, the beasts of burden making all kinds of noises to show their own frustration, mirrored by that of their drivers as they were forced to move ever so slowly through the growing crowd.
He could smell the scent of animal dung from the stable beside his house, mixed with that of breakfast being cooked in the homes across the street. It made a strange smell altogether, wonderful yet rancid at the same time, something unique; the smell of the city that was his home.
It was a sharp contrast to the rolling plains that surrounded the city of Anathoth where he had grown up; where it always smelled of fresh green grass. It had been a small place, barely earning the title of ‘city’. The majority of the population had been priests. He had trained to become a priest himself, and even succeeded before he was called to Jerusalem. That had been a simple life. This was yet another sharp contrast to his present position. However, that was the past, and it was behind him. The future rested on his shoulders, not the past. Therefore, he had to focus on the present.
Pushing both memories of the past and thoughts of the present out of his mind, Jeremiah refocused his attention on the busy street. The dust cleared just enough for him to spot a beggar on the street corner, crying out for the passerby to show mercy and drop a coin at his feet. He watched the beggar for a while as the man came in and out of view due to the swirling sand and dirt that erupted into the air under every man’s footstep. The beggar’s ragged clothes must not have been washed in months, and they hung loosely on his old and frail body, as if the man had lost a lot of weight in a short period of time; the man's body was in the same condition. He was far from handsome, with his gap-toothed smile and matted gray hair that resembled an untidy bird's nest.
Suddenly, several boys pushed through the crowd and began kicking the man, beating him and calling him names, spitting on his ragged form. All the while, the boys laughed joyously as if they were playing a game. It sickened Jeremiah to see the Lord’s chosen people acting in such a way. Had Jehovah’s Satans gone too far this time in their testing of Israel’s faith? Was Jerusalem past redemption? No, surely not, he was foolish to think such a thing could be true.
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