We have rebelled and tried to deceive the Lord; we turned back from following our God. We stir up oppression and rebellion; we tell lies we concocted in our minds.

The Lord says, "I will put a curse on people who trust in mere human beings, who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, and whose hearts have turned away from the Lord.

"'But the Levites who went far from me, straying off from me after their idols when Israel went astray, will be responsible for their sin.

we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God.

Ye have caused

"Therefore, I have caused you to be ignored and belittled before all people to the extent to which you are not following after me and are showing partiality in your instruction."

The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they treated the Lord's offering with contempt.

The leaders of this nation were misleading people, and the people being led were destroyed.

Yet my people have forgotten me and offered sacrifices to worthless idols! This makes them stumble along in the way they live and leave the old reliable path of their fathers. They have left them to walk in bypaths, in roads that are not smooth and level.

Moreover, the Lord says, "Both the prophets and priests are godless. I have even found them doing evil in my temple!

"Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don't wash their hands when they eat."

One of the experts in religious law answered him, "Teacher, when you say these things you insult us too."

and if you are convinced that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

Ye have corrupted

"My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me.

He must not profane his children among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.'"

Please remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, the covenant of the priesthood, and the Levites.

General references

"The Levites will call out to every Israelite with a loud voice:

Moreover, they will teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the ceremonially unclean and the clean.