Study Desk

"But because the rest of you have forsaken the Lord and have forgotten his Temple, and because you have prepared feasts to honor the god of Fate and have offered mixed wine to the god of Destiny,

And yet you say, ‘I have done nothing wrong. Surely God isn't angry with me!' But now I will punish you severely because you claim you have not sinned.

She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution.

O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord , or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.

The earth will mourn and the heavens will be draped in black because of my decree against my people. I have made up my mind and will not change it."

Therefore, this is what the Lord God of Heaven's Armies says: "Because the people are talking like this, my messages will flame out of your mouth and burn the people like kindling wood.

Listen, all the earth! I will bring disaster on my people. It is the fruit of their own schemes, because they refuse to listen to me. They have rejected my word.

But don't be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the Lord 's Temple is here. They chant, "The Lord 's Temple is here! The Lord 's Temple is here!"

"‘Don't be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It's a lie!

"‘Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what I did there because of all the wickedness of my people, the Israelites.

"‘How can you say, "We are wise because we have the word of the Lord ," when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?

"Then the people will say, ‘Why should we wait here to die? Come, let's go to the fortified towns and die there. For the Lord our God has decreed our destruction and has given us a cup of poison to drink because we sinned against the Lord .

The Lord replies, "This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said.

Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair, ‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated! We must leave our land, because our homes have been torn down.'"

Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good."

but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.'"

How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered. The wild animals and birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, "The Lord doesn't see what's ahead for us!"

My people have planted wheat but are harvesting thorns. They have worn themselves out, but it has done them no good. They will harvest a crop of shame because of the fierce anger of the Lord ."

And if you still refuse to listen, I will weep alone because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears, because the Lord 's flock will be led away into exile.

You may ask yourself, "Why is all this happening to me?" It is because of your many sins! That is why you have been stripped and raped by invading armies.