“‘ “You continue to steal and commit murder. You commit adultery. You tell lies in court. You burn incense to Baal. You worship other gods you didn’t know before.

你们偷盗，杀害，奸淫，起假誓，向巴力烧香，并随从素不认识的别神，

你们岂可偷盗，杀害，奸淫，起假誓，向巴力烧香，随从素不认识的别神，

你们岂可偷盗，杀害，奸淫，起假誓，向巴力烧香，随从素不认识的别神，

你们偷盗、谋杀、通奸、起假誓、向巴力献祭、拜素不认识的神明，

你们怎可偷盗、凶杀、奸淫、起假誓、向巴力烧香，跟从你们素不认识的别神，

你們偷盜，殺害，姦淫，起假誓，向巴力燒香，並隨從素不認識的別神，

你們豈可偷盜，殺害，姦淫，起假誓，向巴力燒香，隨從素不認識的別神，

你們豈可偷盜，殺害，姦淫，起假誓，向巴力燒香，隨從素不認識的別神，

你們偷盜、謀殺、通姦、起假誓、向巴力獻祭、拜素不認識的神明，

你們怎可偷盜、兇殺、姦淫、起假誓、向巴力燒香，跟從你們素不認識的別神，

怎麼啦！你們偷盜、兇殺、姦淫、起假誓、燻祭獻給巴力，隨從素不認識之別的神，

攘竊殺戮、行淫妄誓、焚香於巴力、從事素所未識之他神、

爾攘竊殺人、行淫妄誓、焚香以敬巴力、崇事素未識之上帝、

爾攘竊、殺人、行淫、妄誓、焚香以敬巴力、崇事素未識之他神、

“‘ Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known,

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known,

Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours,

“‘ Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known?

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, offer sacrifices to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known,

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know,

Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods that ye have not known,

“ Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known?

Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;

You steal. You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to other gods whom you have not previously known.

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known,

“ Do not put any other gods in place of me.

Do not treat outsiders or widows badly in this place. Do not take advantage of children whose fathers have died. Do not kill those who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. Do not worship other gods. That will only bring harm to you.

Judah, you have as many gods as you have towns. And in Jerusalem you have set up as many altars as there are streets. You are burning incense to that shameful god named Baal.’

The Lord who rules over all planted you. But now he has ordered your enemies to destroy you. The people of Israel and Judah have both done what is evil. They have made the Lord very angry by burning incense to Baal.

Why do you fight and argue among yourselves? Isn’t it because of your sinful desires? They fight within you.You want something, but you don’t have it. So you kill. You want what others have, but you can’t get what you want. So you argue and fight. You don’t have what you want, because you don’t ask God.When you do ask for something, you don’t receive it. That’s because you ask for the wrong reason. You want to spend your money on your sinful pleasures.You are not faithful to God. Don’t you know that to be a friend of the world is to hate God? So anyone who chooses to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

The result of sin’s control in our lives is clear. It includes sexual sins, impure acts and wild living.It includes worshiping statues of gods and worshiping evil powers. It also includes hatred and fighting, jealousy and fits of anger. Sinful desire is interested only in getting ahead. It stirs up trouble. It separates people into their own little groups.It wants what others have. It gets drunk and takes part in wild parties. It does many things of that kind. I warn you now as I did before. People who live like this will not receive God’s kingdom.

Outside the city are those who are impure. These people include those who practice witchcraft. Outside are also those who commit sexual sins and murder. Outside are those who worship statues of gods. And outside is everyone who loves and does what is false.

“ So I will come and put you on trial. I will be quick to bring charges against all of you,” says the Lord who rules over all.“ I will bring charges against you sinful people who do not have any respect for me. That includes those who practice evil magic. It includes those who commit adultery and those who tell lies in court. It includes those who cheat workers out of their pay. It includes those who treat widows badly. It also includes those who mistreat children whose fathers have died. And it includes those who take away the rights of outsiders in the courts.

I wish I had somewhere to go in the desert where a traveler could stay! Then I could leave my people. I could get away from them. All of them commit adultery by worshiping other gods. They aren’t faithful to the Lord.“ They get ready to use their tongues like bows,” announces the Lord.“ Their mouths shoot out lies like arrows. They tell lies to gain power in the land. They go from one sin to another. They do not pay any attention to me.Be on guard against your friends. Do not trust the members of your own family. Every one of them cheats. Every friend tells lies.One friend cheats another. No one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues how to lie. They wear themselves out sinning.Jeremiah, you live among people who tell lies. When they lie, they refuse to pay any attention to me,” announces the Lord.So the Lord who rules over all says,“ I will put them through the fire to test them. What else can I do? My people are so sinful!Their tongues are like deadly arrows. They tell lies. With their mouths all of them speak kindly to their neighbors. But in their hearts they set traps for them.Shouldn’t I punish them for this?” announces the Lord.“ Shouldn’t I pay back the nation that does these things?”

Don’t you know that people who do wrong will not receive God’s kingdom? Don’t be fooled. Those who commit sexual sins will not receive the kingdom. Neither will those who worship statues of gods or commit adultery. Neither will men who sleep with other men.Neither will thieves or those who always want more and more. Neither will those who are often drunk or tell lies or cheat. People who live like that will not receive God’s kingdom.

But his father will die because of his own sin. He got rich by cheating others. He robbed his relatives. He also did what was wrong among his people.

He said to me,“ A curse sent by the Lord is written on it. It is going out over the whole land. Every thief will be driven out of the land. That is what it says on one side of the scroll. Everyone who lies when promising to tell the truth will also be driven out. That is what it says on the other side.The Lord who rules over all announces,‘ I will send the curse out. It will enter the house of the thief. It will also enter the house of anyone who lies when making a promise in my name. It will remain in that house and destroy it completely. It will pull down its beams and stones.’ ”

War came to the city gates. Then God chose new leaders. But no shields or spears were seen anywhere. There weren’t any among 40,000 men in Israel.

But here is what God says to a sinful person.“ What right do you have to speak the words of my laws? How dare you speak the words of my covenant!You hate my teaching. You turn your back on what I say.When you see a thief, you join him. You make friends with those who commit adultery.You use your mouth to speak evil. You use your tongue to spread lies.You are a witness against your brother. You always tell lies about your own mother’s son.When you did these things, I kept silent. So you thought I was just like you. But now I’m going to bring you to court. I will bring charges against you.

The people sacrificed to those false gods, not to God. They hadn’t known anything about those false gods. Those gods were new to them. Their people of long ago didn’t worship them.

These people are evil. They refuse to listen to what I say. They do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They chase after other gods. They serve them and worship them. So they will be like this belt. They will be completely useless.

We know that when God judges those who do evil things, he judges fairly.

People of Israel, listen to the Lord’ s message. He is bringing charges against you who live in Israel. He says,“ There is no faithfulness or love in the land. No one recognizes me as God.People curse one another. They tell lies and commit murder. They steal and commit adultery. They break all my laws. They keep spilling the blood of other people.That is why the land is drying up. All those who live in it are getting weaker and weaker. The wild animals and the birds in the sky are dying. So are the fish in the ocean.

Suppose you call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law. You brag that you know God.You know what God wants. You agree with what is best because the law teaches you.You think you know so much more than the people you teach. You think you’re helping blind people. You think you are a light for those in the dark.You think you can make foolish people wise. You act like you’re teaching little children. You think that the law gives you all knowledge and truth.You claim to teach others, but you don’t even teach yourself! You preach against stealing. But you steal!You say that people should not commit adultery. But you commit adultery! You hate statues of gods. But you rob temples!You brag about the law. But when you break it, you rob God of his honor!It is written,“ The Gentiles say evil things against God’s name because of you.”( Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:22)Circumcision has value if you obey the law. But if you break the law, it is just as if you hadn’t been circumcised.And sometimes those who aren’t circumcised do what the law requires. Won’t God accept them as if they had been circumcised?Many are not circumcised physically, but they obey the law. They will prove that you are guilty. You are breaking the law, even though you have the written law and are circumcised.A person is not a Jew if they are a Jew only on the outside. And circumcision is more than just something done to the outside of a man’s body.No, a person is a Jew only if they are a Jew on the inside. And true circumcision means that the heart has been circumcised by the Holy Spirit. The person whose heart has been circumcised does more than obey the written law. The praise that matters for that kind of person does not come from other people. It comes from God.

I will destroy those who bow down on their roofs to worship all the stars. I will destroy those who make promises not only in my name but also in the name of Molek.

That’s because of the evil things their people did. They made me very angry. They burned incense to other gods. And they worshiped them. They and you and your people of long ago never knew those gods.

“ But suppose he has a mean son who harms other people. The son commits murder. Or he does some other things that are wrong.Suppose he does these things even though his father never did.“ Suppose the son eats at the mountain temples. And he sleeps with another man’s wife.He treats poor and needy people badly. He steals. He does not pay back what he owes. He worships statues of gods. He does other things I hate.He charges interest when he lends money to poor people. He makes money from them. Will a man like that live? He will not! He must be put to death. And what happens to him will be his own fault. He did many things I hate.

Elijah went there and stood in front of the people. He said,“ How long will it take you to make up your minds? If the Lord is the one and only God, worship him. But if Baal is the one and only God, worship him.” The people didn’t say anything.

People of Israel, the Lord’ s arm is not too weak to save you. His ears aren’t too deaf to hear your cry for help.But your sins have separated you from your God. They have caused him to turn his face away from you. So he won’t listen to you.Your hands and fingers are stained with blood. You are guilty of committing murder. Your mouth has told lies. Your tongue says evil things.People aren’t fair when they present cases in court. They aren’t honest when they state their case. They depend on weak arguments. They tell lies. They plan to make trouble. Then they carry it out.The plans they make are like the eggs of poisonous snakes. Anyone who eats those eggs will die. When one of them is broken, a snake comes out.Those people weave their evil plans together like a spider’s web. But the webs they make can’t be used as clothes. They can’t cover themselves with what they make. Their acts are evil. They do things to harm others.They are always in a hurry to sin. They run quickly to murder those who aren’t guilty. They love to think up evil plans. They leave a trail of harmful actions.They don’t know how to live at peace with others. What they do isn’t fair. They lead twisted lives. No one who lives like that will enjoy peace and rest.

But others will be thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Those who are afraid and those who do not believe will be there. Murderers and those who make themselves impure will join them. Those who commit sexual sins and those who practice witchcraft will go there. Those who worship statues of gods and all who tell lies will be there too. The lake of fire is the second death.”

Here is what you can be sure of. Those who give themselves over to sexual sins are lost. So are people whose lives are impure. The same is true of those who always want more and more. People who do these things might as well worship statues of gods. No one who does them will receive a share in the kingdom of Christ and of God.Don’t let anyone fool you with worthless words. People who say things like that aren’t obeying God. He is angry with them.So don’t go along with people like that.

People will love themselves. They will love money. They will brag and be proud. They will tear others down. They will not obey their parents. They won’t be thankful or holy.They won’t love others. They won’t forgive others. They will tell lies about people. They will be out of control. They will be wild. They will hate what is good.They will turn against their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think they are better than others. They will love what pleases them instead of loving God.They will act as if they were serving God. But what they do will show that they have turned their backs on God’s power. Have nothing to do with these people.

The Spirit of the Lord has filled me with power. He helps me do what is fair. He makes me brave. Now I’m prepared to tell Jacob’s people what they’ve done wrong. I’m ready to tell Israel they’ve sinned.Listen to me, you leaders of Jacob’s people! Pay attention, you rulers of Israel! You hate to do what is fair. You twist everything that is right.You build up Zion by spilling the blood of others. You build Jerusalem by doing what is evil.Your judges take money from people who want special favors. Your priests teach only if they get paid for it. Your prophets won’t tell fortunes unless they receive money. But you still look for the Lord’ s help. You say,“ The Lord is with us. No trouble will come on us.”So because of what you have done, Zion will be plowed up like a field. Jerusalem will be turned into a pile of trash. The temple hill will be covered with bushes and weeds.

The armies of Babylon are now attacking this city. They will come in and set it on fire. They will burn it down. They will burn down the houses where the people made me very angry. They burned incense on their roofs to the god named Baal. And they poured out drink offerings to other gods.

So tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ You eat meat that still has blood in it. You worship your statues of gods. You commit murder. So should you still possess the land?You depend on your swords. You do things I hate. Each one of you sleeps with your neighbor’s wife. So should you still possess the land?” ’