17. Dost thou not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18. The sons gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods that they may provoke me to anger.
19. Shall they provoke me to anger? said the Lord: do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?
20. Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, my anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man and upon beast and upon the trees of the field and upon the fruit of the ground, and it shall burn and shall not be quenched.
21. Thus hath the Lord of the hosts, the God of Israel said: Add your burnt offerings upon your sacrifices and eat flesh.
22. For I did not speak unto your fathers, nor command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23. But this thing I commanded them, saying, Hear my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the way that I have commanded you that it may be well unto you.
24. But they did not hearken, nor incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels in the imagination of their evil heart and went backward, and not forward
25. since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day. I have even sent unto you all my slaves, the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them;
26. yet they did not hearken unto me, nor incline their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers.
27. Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt even call unto them; but they will not answer thee.
28. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, This is the nation that did not hear the voice of the Lord their God, nor receive chastisement; the faith is lost and was cut off from their mouth.
29. Cut off thine hair, O Jerusalem, and cast it away and take up a lamentation on high places; for the Lord has cast off and forsaken the nation of his wrath.