“I brought you into the fruitful landTo eat its fruit and its good things.But you came and defiled My land,And My inheritance you made an abomination.

“The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’And those who handle the law did not know Me;The rulers also transgressed against Me,And the prophets prophesied by BaalAnd walked after things that did not profit.

“Also on your skirts is foundThe lifeblood of the innocent poor;You did not find them breaking in.But in spite of all these things,

‘Will He be angry forever?Will He be indignant to the end?’Behold, you have spokenAnd have done evil things,And you have had your way.”

I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the Lord,“Then you should return to Me.And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,And will not waver,

“Your ways and your deedsHave brought these things to you.This is your evil. How bitter!How it has touched your heart!”

It shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

And now, because you have done all these things,” declares the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you but you did not answer,

For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight,” declares the Lord, “they have set their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.

“Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord.“On a nation such as thisShall I not avenge Myself?

but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

“For even your brothers and the household of your father,Even they have dealt treacherously with you,Even they have cried aloud after you.Do not believe them, although they may say nice things to you.”

“If you say in your heart,‘Why have these things happened to me?’Because of the magnitude of your iniquityYour skirts have been removedAnd your heels have been exposed.

Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain?Or can the heavens grant showers?Is it not You, O Lord our God?Therefore we hope in You,For You are the one who has done all these things.

O Lord, my strength and my stronghold,And my refuge in the day of distress,To You the nations will comeFrom the ends of the earth and say,“Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood,Futility and things of no profit.”

When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,

I will also give over all the wealth of this city, all its produce and all its costly things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away and bring them to Babylon.

When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat in the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.

‘Why do you cry out over your injury?Your pain is incurable.Because your iniquity is greatAnd your sins are numerous,I have done these things to you.

But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.

‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the Lord, ‘but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.’”