23. But the people of Judah are stubborn. They are always planning ways to turn against me. They turned away from me and left me.
24. The people of Judah never say to themselves, ‘Let’s fear and respect the Lord our God. He gives us autumn and spring rains at just the right time. He makes sure that we have the harvest at just the right time.’
25. You don’t have these blessings because you have done wrong. Your sins have kept these good things away from you.
26. There are evil men among my people. They are like men who make nets for catching birds. They set their traps, but they catch people instead of birds.
27. Their houses are full of lies, like a cage full of birds. Their lies made them rich and powerful.
28. They have grown big and fat from the evil they have done. There is no end to the evil they do. They will not plead the case of children who have no parents. They will not help these orphans. They will not let the poor be judged fairly.
29. Should I punish the people of Judah for doing these things?” This message is from the Lord. “You know I should punish a nation such as this. I should give it the punishment it deserves.
30. “A terrible and shocking thing has happened in the land of Judah.