Midrash su Sofonia 2:5

Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Azarya. Rabbi Yudan said: The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, because You acted with my neighbors with the attribute of justice, and with me with the attribute of mercy, I will run after You,’ as Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: What was not done to the Generation of the Flood was done to the Ten Tribes. Regarding the Generation of the Flood it is written: “Only evil the entire day” (Genesis 6:5), and regarding the Ten Tribes it is written: “Woe, the devisers of iniquity who perform evil on their beds” (Micah 2:1). That is at night; in the morning, from where is it derived? “In the morning light they perform it, for it is in their power” (Micah 2:1). From them, no remnant remained, but from these, a remnant remained;¹⁶²The Generation of the Flood sinned only during the day and there were no survivors, while the Ten Tribes sinned night and day, and there were survivors. by what merit? Rabbi Yitzḥak interpreted it to their credit, [as] Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] said: It was by the merit of, “behold a remnant remained in it, [who are brought forth]” (Ezekiel 14:22), “who bring forth” is not written here, but rather, “who are brought forth.” [This teaches that a remnant remained] in the merit of the righteous men and the righteous women, the prophets and the prophetesses, who would emerge from them.
Rabbi Ḥanina said: A statement was made regarding the coastal cities that was not stated regarding the Generation of the Flood: “Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Keretim” (Zephaniah 2:5)—a nation that is liable to be punished with karet. By whose merit were they rescued? It was by the merit of one God-fearing person whom they produced each and every year. Rabbi Levi interpreted it to their credit: “Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Keretim”—a nation that established [karat] a covenant,¹⁶³This is an allusion to the fact that some members of this nation converted and fulfilled the covenant of circumcision. This merit prevented the destruction of the nation at that time, but the punishment was only temporarily averted (Etz Yosef). as it is stated: “He established [vekharot] a covenant with him” (Nehemiah 9:8).
Rabbi Yehoshua bar Nehemiah said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: A statement was made regarding the tribes of Judah and Benjamin that was not stated regarding the Sodomites. Regarding the Sodomites it is written: “Their sin is very weighty” (Genesis 18:20), but regarding the tribes of Judah and Benjamin it is written: “He said to me: The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is very very great” (Ezekiel 9:9). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: We have another verse: “The iniquity of the daughter of my people exceeded [the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands seized it]” (Lamentations 4:6). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: One hand did not seize another, they did not extend their hands to perform mitzvot; but these extended their hands to perform mitzvot.¹⁶⁴Rabbi Tanḥuma explains why Sodom was overthrown in a moment whereas the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were not, despite the fact that their sins were greater than those of Sodom. The Sodomites did not extend their hands to assist one another or perform mitzvot, whereas the tribes of Judah and Benjamin did. “The hands of merciful women [cooked their children, they were food for them]" (Lamentations 4:10). Why [did they act] in such a way? It was because they provided “food [levarot] for them in the disaster of the daughter of my people” (Lamentations 4:10).¹⁶⁵The midrash interprets the verse in Lamentations to mean the starving people of Jerusalem would give the small amount of food they had to others in order to attempt to console [lehavrot] them for the loss of family members. The reference to cooking their children is understood allegorically in the sense that they deprived them of food in order to console others. Thus, the verse states that the merciful women deprived their own children of food. Why did they act in such a way? In order to attempt to console others.