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.
12. My people ask their wooden idols for help.A piece of wood tells them what to do.A spirit of prostitution leads them astray.They commit adulteryby giving themselves to other gods.
13. They offer sacrifices on mountaintops,and they burn incense on the hillsunder oaks, poplars, and other trees.They think that these trees provide good shade.“That is why your daughters become prostitutes,and your daughters-in-law commit adultery.