¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they ^(A)played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so. ¹⁸ And when the Lord raised up judges for them, ^(B)the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; ^(C)for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. ¹⁹ And it came to pass, ^(D)when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

²⁰ Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has ^(E)transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice,

⁷ For ^(A)so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had ^(B)feared other gods, ⁸ and ^(C)had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. ⁹ Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves ^[a]high places in all their cities, ^(D)from watchtower to fortified city. ^10 (E)They set up for themselves sacred pillars and ^(F)wooden images^{[b] (G)}on every high hill and under every green tree. ¹¹ There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, ¹² for they served idols, ^(H)of which the Lord had said to them, ^(I)“You shall not do this thing.”

¹³ Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His ^(J)prophets, ^(K)every seer, saying, ^(L)“Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ Nevertheless they would not hear, but ^(M)stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who ^(N)did not believe in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ And they ^(O)rejected His statutes ^(P)and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed ^(Q)idols, ^(R)became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should ^(S)not do like them. ¹⁶ So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, ^(T)made for themselves a molded image and two calves, ^(U)made a wooden image and worshiped all the ^(V)host of heaven, ^(W)and served Baal. ^17 (X)And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, ^(Y)practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and ^(Z)sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. ¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left ^(AA)but the tribe of Judah alone.

¹² because they ^(A)did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His covenant and all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; and they would neither hear nor do them.

Sins of Jerusalem

22 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Now, son of man, ^(A)will you judge, will you judge ^(B)the bloody city? Yes, show her all her abominations! ³ Then say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “The city sheds ^(C)blood in her own midst, that her time may come; and she makes idols within herself to defile herself. ⁴ You have become guilty by the blood which you have ^(D)shed, and have defiled yourself with the idols which you have made. You have caused your days to draw near, and have come to the end of your years; ^(E)therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all countries. ⁵ Those near and those far from you will mock you as ^[a]infamous and full of tumult.

⁶ “Look, ^(F)the princes of Israel: each one has used his ^[b]power to shed blood in you. ⁷ In you they have ^(G)made light of father and mother; in your midst they have ^(H)oppressed the stranger; in you they have mistreated the ^[c]fatherless and the widow. ⁸ You have despised My holy things and ^(I)profaned My Sabbaths. ⁹ In you are ^(J)men who slander to cause bloodshed; ^(K)in you are those who eat on the mountains; in your midst they commit lewdness. ¹⁰ In you men ^(L)uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they violate women who are ^(M)set apart during their impurity. ¹¹ One commits abomination ^(N)with his neighbor’s wife; ^(O)another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; and another in you violates his sister, his father’s ^(P)daughter. ¹² In you ^(Q)they take bribes to shed blood; ^(R)you take usury and increase; you have made profit from your neighbors by extortion, and ^(S)have forgotten Me,” says the Lord God.

¹³ “Behold, therefore, I ^(T)beat My fists at the dishonest profit which you have made, and at the bloodshed which has been in your midst.

Israel’s Wicked Leaders

²³ And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²⁴ “Son of man, say to her: ‘You are a land that is ^(A)not ^[a]cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.’ ^25 (B)The conspiracy of her ^[b]prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they ^(C)have devoured ^[c]people; ^(D)they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst. ^26 (E)Her priests have ^[d]violated My law and ^(F)profaned My holy things; they have not ^(G)distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. ²⁷ Her ^(H)princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy ^[e]people, and to get dishonest gain. ^28 (I)Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, ^(J)seeing false visions, and divining ^(K)lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord God,’ when the Lord had not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully ^(L)oppress the stranger.