²³ The whole land will be a burning waste^(A) of salt^(B) and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,^(C) Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.^{(D) 24} All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land?^(E) Why this fierce, burning anger?”

²⁵ And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.^{(F) 26} They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. ²⁷ Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.^{(G) 28} In furious anger and in great wrath^(H) the Lord uprooted^(I) them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

¹⁷ And in that day I will become angry^(A) with them and forsake^(B) them; I will hide^(C) my face^(D) from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters^(E) and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’^{(F) 18} And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.