Jeremiah 5:20-31 - God Warns His People
20 Declare this to the house of Jacob, and make this heard in Judah:
21 Hear this, you stupid and senseless people! You have eyes, but you cannot see. You have ears, but you cannot hear.' 22 Do you not reverence (respect) me? Asks Jehovah. Do you not tremble [with awe] in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, a permanent barrier it cannot cross. Although the waves toss continuously, they cannot break through. Although they roar, they cannot cross it. 23 These people are stubborn and rebellious. They have turned aside and departed from me. 24 They do not say in their hearts, to themselves: 'We should respect Jehovah our God. He sends rain at the right time, the autumn rain and the spring rain. He makes sure that we have harvest seasons.' 25 Your wickedness has turned these things away. Your sins have kept good things away from you. 26 Wicked men are found among my people. They lie in ambush like bird catchers. They set traps and catch men. 27 Like cages filled with birds, their houses are filled with deceit. That is why they become powerful and rich. 28 They grow big and fat. Their evil deeds have no limits. They have no respect for the rights of others. They have no respect for the rights of orphans. But they still prosper. They do not defend the rights of the poor. 29 I will punish them for these things, declares Jehovah. I will punish these people!
30 Something horrible and disgusting is happening in the land. 31 Prophets prophesy falsehoods. Priests rule under the prophets' directions, and my people love this. But what will you do when the end comes?'