How we cite our quotes: (Chapter:Verse)
Quote #1
Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions. (NRSV 1:5)
Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. (KJV 1:5)
This is a pretty clear statement of cause and effect.
Quote #2
The Lord has rejected all my warriors in the midst of me; he proclaimed a time against me to crush my young men; the Lord has trodden as in a wine press the virgin daughter Judah. (NRSV 1:15)
The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress. (KJV 1:15)
Check out this amazing imagery. God seems like Godzilla in this description. It really conveys the destruction of the beauty and vitality of the city in its use of the images of the young men and women. The wrathful God of the Hebrew Scriptures does seem to mete out some pretty disproportionate punishment at times.
Quote #3
The Lord is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word. (NRSV 1:18)
The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity. (KJV 1:18)
Exactly. God is right. This is totally not overkill at all. The people deserved to be driven from their homes and murdered. Totally just. In Jewish tradition, when hearing about the death of someone, observant people will say, "Blessed is the divine judge." Even though it's a tragedy, it's acknowledged as something judged by God to be right, and some people find that comforting.