Study Desk

This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: "^(C1)Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you live in this place.

"^(C1)Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, '^(F1)This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.'

"For ^(C1)if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly ^(C2)practice justice between a person and his neighbor,

if you do not oppress the stranger, the ^(F1)(C1)orphan, or the widow, and do not shed ^(C2)innocent blood in this place, nor ^(C3)follow other gods to your own ruin,

then I will let you ^(C1)live in this place, in the ^(C2)land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

"Behold, you are trusting in ^(C1)deceptive words to no avail.

"Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, ^(F1)(C1)offer sacrifices to Baal, and follow ^(C2)other gods that you have not known,

then ^(C1)come and stand before Me in ^(C2)this house which is called by My name, and say, 'We are saved!'—so that you may do all these abominations?

"Has ^(C1)this house, which is called by My name, become a ^(C2)den of robbers in your sight? Behold, ^(C3)I Myself have seen it," declares the LORD.

"But go now to My place which was in ^(C1)Shiloh, where I ^(C2)made My name dwell at the beginning, and ^(C3)see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.

"And now, because you have done all these things," declares the LORD, "and I spoke to you, ^(C1)speaking again and again, but you did not listen, and I ^(C2)called you but you did not answer,

therefore I will do to the ^(C1)house which is called by My name, ^(C2)in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, just as I ^(C3)did to Shiloh.

"I will ^(C1)hurl you out of My sight, just as I have hurled out all your brothers, all the ^(F1)descendants of ^(C2)Ephraim.

"As for you, ^(C1)do not pray for this people, and do not lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not plead with Me; for I am not listening to you.

"Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

"The ^(F1)children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make sacrificial cakes for the queen of heaven; and they ^(C1)pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to ^(C2)provoke Me to anger.

"^(C1)Are they provoking Me?" declares the LORD. "Is it not themselves instead, to their ^(F1)own ^(C2)shame?"

Therefore this is what the Lord ^(F1)GOD says: "Behold, My ^(C1)anger and My wrath will be poured out on this place, on human and animal life, and on the ^(C2)trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; and it will burn and not be quenched."