⁵ I will go to the people in power
    and talk with them.
Surely they know what their God requires,
    what the Lord wants them to do.”
But all of them have rejected the Lord's authority
    and refuse to obey him.
⁶ That is why lions from the forest will kill them;
    wolves from the desert will tear them to pieces,
    and leopards will prowl through their towns.
If those people go out, they will be torn apart
    because their sins are numerous
    and time after time they have turned from God.
⁷ The Lord asked, “Why should I forgive the sins of my people?
They have abandoned me
    and have worshiped gods that are not real.
I fed my people until they were full,
    but they committed adultery
    and spent their time with prostitutes.