1. Listen to the word of the Lord, you Israelites. The Lord has brought these charges against those who live in the land:“There is no faith, no love, and no knowledge of God in the land.
2. There is cursing, lying, murdering, stealing, and adultery.People break ⌊my laws⌋, and there is one murder after another.
3. That is why the land is drying up,and everyone who lives in it is passing away.Wild animals, birds, and fish are dying.
4. “No one should accuse other people or bring charges against them.My case is against you priests.
5. During the day you stumble,and during the night the prophets stumble with you.So I will destroy your mother, ⌊the nation of Israel⌋.
6. I will destroy my people because they are ignorant.You have refused to learn,so I will refuse to let you be my priests.You have forgotten the teachings of your God,so I will forget your children.
7. The more priests there are,the more they sin against me.So I will turn their glory into shame.
8. They feed on the sins of my people,and they want them to do wicked things.
9. So the priests will be punished like the people.I will punish them for their wicked waysand pay them back for what they have done.
10. “They will eat, but they’ll never be full.They will have sex with prostitutes, but they’ll never have children.They have abandoned the Lord.
11. Prostitutes, old wine, and new wine have robbed them of their senses.