This is what the LORD says:“ Because Judah has committed three covenant transgressions– make that four!– I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They rejected the LORD’s law; they did not obey his commands. Their false gods, to which their fathers were loyal, led them astray.

耶和华如此说：“犹大人三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他们的刑罚；因为他们厌弃耶和华的训诲，不遵守他的律例。他们列祖所随从虚假的偶像使他们走迷了。

耶和华如此说：“犹大三番四次犯罪，厌弃耶和华的训诲，不遵守他的律例；他们祖先所随从虚假的偶像使他们走迷了，我必不撤销对它的惩罚。

耶和华如此说：“犹大三番四次犯罪，厌弃耶和华的训诲，不遵守他的律例；他们祖先所随从虚假的偶像使他们走迷了，我必不撤销对它的惩罚。

耶和华说：“犹大人三番四次地犯罪，我必不收回对他们的惩罚，因为他们厌弃耶和华的训诲，不遵守我的律例。他们祖先祭拜的偶像使他们走入歧途。

“耶和华这样说：‘犹大三番四次犯罪，我必不收回惩罚他的命令；因为他弃绝耶和华的律法，不遵守他的典章；反被他们列祖跟从的偶像，使他们走错了路。

耶和華如此說：猶大人三番四次地犯罪，我必不免去他們的刑罰；因為他們厭棄耶和華的訓誨，不遵守他的律例。他們列祖所隨從虛假的偶像使他們走迷了。

耶和華如此說：「猶大三番四次犯罪，厭棄耶和華的訓誨，不遵守他的律例；他們祖先所隨從虛假的偶像使他們走迷了，我必不撤銷對它的懲罰。

耶和華如此說：「猶大三番四次犯罪，厭棄耶和華的訓誨，不遵守他的律例；他們祖先所隨從虛假的偶像使他們走迷了，我必不撤銷對它的懲罰。

耶和華說：「猶大人三番四次地犯罪，我必不收回對他們的懲罰，因為他們厭棄耶和華的訓誨，不遵守我的律例。他們祖先祭拜的偶像使他們走入歧途。

“耶和華這樣說：‘猶大三番四次犯罪，我必不收回懲罰他的命令；因為他棄絕耶和華的律法，不遵守他的典章；反被他們列祖跟從的偶像，使他們走錯了路。

永恆主這麼說：『猶大三番四次地悖逆，我必不收回成命，因為他們棄絕了永恆主的指教，不遵守他的律例；他們的偶像——虛謊——就是他們列祖所隨從的、使他們走迷了路了。

耶和華曰、猶大干罪、至三至四、我不挽回厥罰、以其棄耶和華之法律、不守其典章、厥祖所行之虛誕、使之迷惘、

耶和華又曰、猶大犯罪、至三至四、更藐視我法度、不守我禮儀、其祖奉事虛偽、彼亦昏迷於道、故我必罰其罪、

主如是云、猶大人犯罪、至三至四、更藐視主之律法、不守其律例、其祖崇事虛偽、彼亦為斯虛偽所迷、故我降罰以報之、必不挽回、

This is what the Lord says:“ For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed,

The Lord says,“ The people of Judah have sinned again and again. So I will judge them. They have refused to obey my law. They have not kept my rules. Other gods have led them astray. Their people of long ago worshiped those gods.

Thus says the Lord:“ For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.

This is what the Lord says:“ The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the Lord, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors.

The LORD says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the instruction of the LORD and have not kept his statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray.

This is what the Lord says:“ For three offenses of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke its punishment, Because they rejected the Law of the Lord And have not kept His statutes; Their lies also have led them astray, Those which their fathers followed.

Thus says the Lord:“ For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they have despised the law of the Lord, And have not kept His commandments. Their lies lead them astray, Lies which their fathers followed.

Thus saith Jehovah: For three transgressions of Judah, yea, for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have caused them to err, after which their fathers did walk.

The Lord says: I will not relent from punishing Judah for three crimes, even four, because they have rejected the instruction of the Lord and have not kept His statutes. The lies that their ancestors followed have led them astray.

Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away[ the punishment] thereof; because they have despised the law of the LORD, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:

Yahweh says:“ For three transgressions of Judah, yes, for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they have rejected Yahweh’s law, and have not kept his statutes, and their lies have led them astray, after which their fathers walked;

I did this because they did not observe my regulations, they rejected my statutes, they desecrated my Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.

I did this because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations( the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them.

The LORD also has a covenant lawsuit against Judah; he will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him according to his deeds.

For you say,“ We have made a treaty with death, with Sheol we have made an agreement. When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by it will not reach us. For we have made a lie our refuge, we have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word.”

What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things?

The leaders and the highly respected people are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail.The leaders of this nation were misleading people, and the people being led were destroyed.

Judah also failed to keep the commandments of the LORD their God; they followed Israel’s example.

We have behaved corruptly against you, not obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments that you commanded your servant Moses.

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

When the king heard the words of the law scroll, he tore his clothes.The king ordered Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant,“ Go, seek an oracle from the LORD for me and the people– for all Judah. Find out about the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the LORD’s fury has been ignited against us, because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this scroll by doing all that it instructs us to do.”So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shullam son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the supervisor of the wardrobe.( She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh district.) They stated their business,and she said to them:“ This is what the LORD God of Israel says:‘ Say this to the man who sent you to me:“ This is what the LORD says:‘ I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, the details of which are recorded in the scroll which the king of Judah has read.This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’”

Therefore, as flaming fire devours straw, and dry grass disintegrates in the flames, so their root will rot, and their flower will blow away like dust. For they have rejected the law of the LORD who commands armies, they have spurned the commands of the Holy One of Israel.So the LORD is furious with his people; he lifts his hand and strikes them. The mountains shake, and corpses lie like manure in the middle of the streets. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.

“ I have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins.”

“‘ If, however, you do not obey me and keep all these commandments–if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep all my commandments and you break my covenant–

“‘ But I said to their children in the wilderness,“ Do not follow the practices of your fathers; do not observe their regulations, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

Then I said,“ LORD, you give me strength and protect me. You are the one I can run to for safety when I am in trouble. Nations from all over the earth will come to you and say,‘ Our ancestors had nothing but false gods– worthless idols that could not help them at all.Can people make their own gods? No, what they make are not gods at all.”

Your wise men will be put to shame. They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what wisdom do they really have?

Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to the gods called Baal, as their fathers taught them to do.

They see delusion and their omens are a lie. They say,“ the LORD declares,” though the LORD has not sent them; yet they expect their word to be confirmed.Have you not seen a false vision and announced a lying omen when you say,“ the LORD declares,” although I myself never spoke?“‘ Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says: Because you have spoken false words and forecast delusion, look, I am against you, declares the sovereign LORD.My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens. They will not be included in the council of my people, nor be written in the registry of the house of Israel, nor enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the sovereign LORD.“‘ This is because they have led my people astray saying,“ All is well,” when things are not well. When anyone builds a wall without mortar, they coat it with whitewash.Tell the ones who coat it with whitewash that it will fall. When there is a deluge of rain, hailstones will fall and a violent wind will break out.When the wall has collapsed, people will ask you,“ Where is the whitewash you coated it with?”“‘ Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says: In my rage I will make a violent wind break out. In my anger there will be a deluge of rain and hailstones in destructive fury.I will break down the wall you coated with whitewash and knock it to the ground so that its foundation is exposed. When it falls you will be destroyed beneath it, and you will know that I am the LORD.I will vent my rage against the wall, and against those who coated it with whitewash. Then I will say to you,“ The wall is no more and those who whitewashed it are no more–those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,” declares the sovereign LORD.’

The word of the LORD came to me:“ Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her abominable practicesand say,‘ This is what the sovereign LORD says to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.As for your birth, on the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water; you were certainly not rubbed down with salt, nor wrapped with blankets.No eye took pity on you to do even one of these things for you to spare you; you were thrown out into the open field because you were detested on the day you were born.“‘ I passed by you and saw you kicking around helplessly in your blood. I said to you as you lay there in your blood,“ Live!” I said to you as you lay there in your blood,“ Live!”I made you plentiful like sprouts in a field; you grew tall and came of age so that you could wear jewelry. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, but you were still naked and bare.“‘ Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the sovereign LORD, and you became mine.“‘ Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil.I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty.Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you, declares the sovereign LORD.“‘ But you trusted in your beauty and capitalized on your fame by becoming a prostitute. You offered your sexual favors to every man who passed by so that your beauty became his.You took some of your clothing and made for yourself decorated high places; you engaged in prostitution on them. You went to him to become his.You also took your beautiful jewelry, made of my gold and my silver I had given to you, and made for yourself male images and engaged in prostitution with them.You took your embroidered clothing and used it to cover them; you offered my olive oil and my incense to them.As for my food that I gave you– the fine flour, olive oil, and honey I fed you– you placed it before them as a soothing aroma. That is exactly what happened, declares the sovereign LORD.“‘ You took your sons and your daughters whom you bore to me and you sacrificed them as food for the idols to eat. As if your prostitution not enough,you slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.And with all your abominable practices and prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth when you were naked and bare, kicking around in your blood.“‘ After all of your evil–“ Woe! Woe to you!” declares the sovereign LORD–you built yourself a chamber and put up a pavilion in every public square.At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced your beauty when you spread your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity.You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your sexually aroused neighbors, multiplying your promiscuity and provoking me to anger.So see here, I have stretched out my hand against you and cut off your rations. I have delivered you into the power of those who hate you, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed by your obscene conduct.You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians because your sexual desires were insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them and yet you were still not satisfied.Then you multiplied your promiscuity to the land of merchants, Babylonia, but you were not satisfied there either.“‘ How sick is your heart, declares the sovereign LORD, when you perform all of these acts, the deeds of a bold prostitute.When you built your chamber at the head of every street and put up your pavilion in every public square, you were not like a prostitute, because you scoffed at payment.“‘ Adulterous wife, who prefers strangers instead of her own husband!All prostitutes receive payment, but instead you give gifts to every one of your lovers. You bribe them to come to you from all around for your sexual favors!You were different from other prostitutes because no one solicited you. When you gave payment and no payment was given to you, you became the opposite!“‘ Therefore O prostitute, hear the word of the LORD:This is what the sovereign LORD says: Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness was uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children you have given to them,therefore, take note: I am about to gather all your lovers whom you enjoyed, both all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around, and I will expose your nakedness to them, and they will see all your nakedness.I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves. I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage.I will give you into their hands and they will destroy your chambers and tear down your pavilions. They will strip you of your clothing and take your beautiful jewelry and leave you naked and bare.They will summon a mob who will stone you and hack you in pieces with their swords.They will burn down your houses and execute judgments on you in front of many women. Thus I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer give gifts to your clients.I will exhaust my rage on you, and then my fury will turn from you. I will calm down and no longer be angry.“‘ Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, declares the sovereign LORD. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?“‘ Observe– everyone who quotes proverbs will quote this proverb about you:“ Like mother, like daughter.”You are the daughter of your mother, who detested her husband and her sons, and you are the sister of your sisters who detested their husbands and their sons. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.Your older sister was Samaria, who lived north of you with her daughters, and your younger sister, who lived south of you, was Sodom with her daughters.Have you not copied their behavior and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were!As surely as I live, declares the sovereign LORD, your sister Sodom and her daughters never behaved as wickedly as you and your daughters have behaved.“‘ See here– this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had majesty, abundance of food, and enjoyed carefree ease, but they did not help the poor and needy.They were haughty and practiced abominable deeds before me. Therefore when I saw it I removed them.Samaria has not committed half the sins you have; you have done more abominable deeds than they did. You have made your sisters appear righteous with all the abominable things you have done.So now, bear your disgrace, because you have given your sisters reason to justify their behavior. Because the sins you have committed were more abominable than those of your sisters; they have become more righteous than you. So now, be ashamed and bear the disgrace of making your sisters appear righteous.“‘ I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters( along with your fortunes among them),so that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all you have done in consoling them.As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters will be restored to their former status, Samaria and her daughters will be restored to their former status, and you and your daughters will be restored to your former status.In your days of majesty, was not Sodom your sister a byword in your mouth,before your evil was exposed? Now you have become an object of scorn to the daughters of Aram and all those around her and to the daughters of the Philistines– those all around you who despise you.You must bear your punishment for your obscene conduct and your abominable practices, declares the LORD.“‘ For this is what the sovereign LORD says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant.Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish a lasting covenant with you.Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you.I will establish my covenant with you, and then you will know that I am the LORD.Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent when I make atonement for all you have done, declares the sovereign LORD.’”

The Israelites again did evil in the LORD’s sight. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtars, as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and did not worship him.

Don’t be like your fathers and brothers who were unfaithful to the LORD God of their ancestors, provoking him to destroy them, as you can see.

Hear this, you peoples of the earth:‘ Take note! I am about to bring disaster on these people. It will come as punishment for their scheming. For they have paid no attention to what I have said, and they have rejected my law.

“ Nonetheless they grew disobedient and rebelled against you; they disregarded your law. They killed your prophets who had solemnly admonished them in order to cause them to return to you. They committed atrocious blasphemies.

I have appointed a time to reap judgment for you also, O Judah! Whenever I want to restore the fortunes of my people,

This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies( although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.

The LORD says,“ Watch out! The time is soon coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the flesh.That is, I will punish the Egyptians, the Judeans, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples. I will do so because none of the people of those nations are really circumcised in the Lord’ s sight. Moreover, none of the people of Israel are circumcised when it comes to their hearts.”

You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths!

All the leaders of the priests and people became more unfaithful and committed the same horrible sins practiced by the nations. They defiled the LORD’s temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.The LORD God of their ancestors continually warned them through his messengers, for he felt compassion for his people and his dwelling place.But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his warnings, and ridiculed his prophets. Finally the LORD got very angry at his people and there was no one who could prevent his judgment.He brought against them the king of the Babylonians, who slaughtered their young men in their temple. He did not spare young men or women, or even the old and aging. God handed everyone over to him.

The LORD says,“ I saw the prophets of Samaria doing something that was disgusting. They prophesied in the name of the god Baal and led my people Israel astray.But I see the prophets of Jerusalem doing something just as shocking. They are unfaithful to me and continually prophesy lies. So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil, with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom, and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.So then I, the LORD who rules over all, have something to say concerning the prophets of Jerusalem:‘ I will make these prophets eat the bitter food of suffering and drink the poison water of judgment. For the prophets of Jerusalem are the reason that ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’”

“ Her sister Oholibah watched this, but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister.She lusted after the Assyrians– governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men.I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path.But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red,wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians whose native land is Chaldea.When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.The Babylonians crawled into bed with her. They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she became disgusted with them.When she lustfully exposed her nakedness, I was disgusted with her, just as I had been disgusted with her sister.Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt.She lusted after their genitals– as large as those of donkeys, and their seminal emission was as strong as that of stallions.This is how you assessed the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled your nipples and squeezed your young breasts.

And you have acted even more wickedly than your ancestors! Each one of you has followed the stubborn inclinations of your own wicked heart and not obeyed me.

He feeds on ashes; his deceived mind misleads him. He cannot rescue himself, nor does he say,‘ Is this not a false god I hold in my right hand?’

The LORD says,“ I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying,‘ I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds.How long will they go on plotting to make my people forget who I am through the dreams they tell one another? That is just as bad as what their ancestors did when they forgot who I am by worshiping the god Baal.Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like straw cannot compare to what is like grain! I, the LORD, affirm it!My message is like a fire that purges dross! It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces! I, the LORD, so affirm it!So I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me.I, the LORD, AFFIRM that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare,‘ The LORD declares….’I, the LORD, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. I, the LORD, affirm it!”

You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed– not by perishable things like silver or gold,

Consequently the one who rejects this is not rejecting human authority but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Then the LORD said to Moses,“ You are about to die, and then these people will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which they are going. They will reject me and break my covenant that I have made with them.At that time my anger will erupt against them and I will abandon them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses will overcome them so that they will say at that time,‘ Have not these disasters overcome us because our God is not among us?’But I will certainly hide myself at that time because of all the wickedness they will have done by turning to other gods.

Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying,‘ This is what the sovereign LORD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken.

Why have you shown contempt for the word of the LORD by doing evil in my sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife as your own! You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.So now the sword will never depart from your house. For you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own!’

“ Therefore say to the house of Israel,‘ This is what the sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves like your fathers and engage in prostitution with detestable idols?

we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards.We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, and to all the inhabitants of the land as well.“ You are righteous, O Lord, but we are humiliated this day– the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you.O LORD, we have been humiliated– our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors– because we have sinned against you.Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him.We have not obeyed the LORD our God by living according to his laws that he set before us through his servants the prophets.“ All Israel has broken your law and turned away by not obeying you. Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you.He has carried out his threats against us and our rulers who were over us by bringing great calamity on us– what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven!

Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah,“ Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie!So the LORD says,‘ I will most assuredly remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this very year because you have counseled rebellion against the LORD.’”

They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars. These are things they adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance, from which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground.

But Jeshurun became fat and kicked, you got fat, thick, and stuffed! Then he deserted the God who made him, and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.They made him jealous with other gods, they enraged him with abhorrent idols.They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known; to new gods who had recently come along, gods your ancestors had not known about.You have forgotten the Rock who fathered you, and put out of mind the God who gave you birth.But the LORD took note and despised them because his sons and daughters enraged him.He said,“ I will reject them, I will see what will happen to them; for they are a perverse generation, children who show no loyalty.They have made me jealous with false gods, enraging me with their worthless gods; so I will make them jealous with a people they do not recognize, with a nation slow to learn I will enrage them.For a fire has been kindled by my anger, and it burns to lowest Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and ignites the foundations of the mountains.I will increase their disasters, I will use up my arrows on them.They will be starved by famine, eaten by plague, and bitterly stung; I will send the teeth of wild animals against them, along with the poison of creatures that crawl in the dust.The sword will make people childless outside, and terror will do so inside; they will destroy both the young man and the virgin, the infant and the gray-haired man.“ I said,‘ I want to cut them in pieces. I want to make people forget they ever existed.But I fear the reaction of their enemies, for their adversaries would misunderstand and say,“ Our power is great, and the LORD has not done all this!”’

The Israelites did evil before the LORD by worshiping the Baals.They abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods– the gods of the nations who lived around them. They worshiped them and made the LORD angry.They abandoned the LORD and worshiped Baal and the Ashtars.The LORD was furious with Israel and handed them over to robbers who plundered them. He turned them over to their enemies who lived around them. They could not withstand their enemies’ attacks.Whenever they went out to fight, the LORD did them harm, just as he had warned and solemnly vowed he would do. They suffered greatly.The LORD raised up leaders who delivered them from these robbers.But they did not obey their leaders. Instead they prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned aside from the path their ancestors had walked. Their ancestors had obeyed the LORD’s commands, but they did not.When the LORD raised up leaders for them, the LORD was with each leader and delivered the people from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The LORD felt sorry for them when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them.When a leader died, the next generation would again act more wickedly than the previous one. They would follow after other gods, worshiping them and bowing down to them. They did not give up their practices or their stubborn ways.The LORD was furious with Israel. He said,“ This nation has violated the terms of the agreement I made with their ancestors by disobeying me.

I will be like a moth to Ephraim, like wood rot to the house of Judah.When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and begged its great king for help. But he will not be able to heal you! He cannot cure your wound!

And you solemnly admonished them in order to return them to your law, but they behaved presumptuously and did not obey your commandments. They sinned against your ordinances– those by which an individual, if he obeys them, will live. They boldly turned from you; they rebelled and did not obey.You prolonged your kindness with them for many years, and you solemnly admonished them by your Spirit through your prophets. Still they paid no attention, so you delivered them into the hands of the neighboring peoples.