So the Lord and King says,“ You people have reminded everyone of how guilty you are. You have done it by refusing to obey me or any other authority. Everything you do clearly shows how sinful you are. So you will be taken away as prisoners.”

主耶和华如此说：“因你们的过犯显露，使你们的罪孽被记念，以致你们的罪恶在行为上都彰显出来；又因你们被记念，就被捉住。

于是，主耶和华如此说：“因你们的过犯显露，你们的罪孽被记得，以致你们的罪恶在你们一切的行为上都彰显出来；你们既被记得，就被掳在掌中。

于是，主耶和华如此说：“因你们的过犯显露，你们的罪孽被记得，以致你们的罪恶在你们一切的行为上都彰显出来；你们既被记得，就被掳在掌中。

“主耶和华说，‘因为你们的过犯昭然若揭，你们的罪恶表露无遗，因此，你们必遭掳掠。

因此，主耶和华这样说：‘你们的过犯显露，你们的罪在你们的一切行为上给人看见；以致你们的罪孽被想起。你们既被想起，就要被人用手掳去。

主耶和華如此說：「因你們的過犯顯露，使你們的罪孽被記念，以致你們的罪惡在行為上都彰顯出來；又因你們被記念，就被捉住。

於是，主耶和華如此說：「因你們的過犯顯露，你們的罪孽被記得，以致你們的罪惡在你們一切的行為上都彰顯出來；你們既被記得，就被擄在掌中。

於是，主耶和華如此說：「因你們的過犯顯露，你們的罪孽被記得，以致你們的罪惡在你們一切的行為上都彰顯出來；你們既被記得，就被擄在掌中。

「主耶和華說，『因為你們的過犯昭然若揭，你們的罪惡表露無遺，因此，你們必遭擄掠。

因此，主耶和華這樣說：‘你們的過犯顯露，你們的罪在你們的一切行為上給人看見；以致你們的罪孽被想起。你們既被想起，就要被人用手擄去。

『因此主永恆主這麼說：你們既使你們的罪孽被記起了；這就是說：你們的過犯既露現出來，以致你們的罪在你們一切的行為上都給人看見——你們既使人記起了，那麼、你們就會被人下手捉住了。

主耶和華曰、因爾使罪見憶、愆尤昭彰、諸行顯爾之惡、爾既見憶、必為其手所獲、

主耶和華曰、巴比倫王知爾背約、厥罪昭彰、所為不善、故為敵所取。

主天主如是云、爾曹使爾之愆被憶、爾曹之尤被露、凡爾曹所為、昭彰爾罪、爾曹既被憶、故為其手所執、

“ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:‘ Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do— because you have done this, you will be taken captive.

“ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins appear— because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

“ Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Again and again you remind me of your sin and your guilt. You don’t even try to hide it! In everything you do, your sins are obvious for all to see. So now the time of your punishment has come!

“ Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions— since you have done this, you will be captured by them.

“ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:‘ Because you have made your guilt known, in that your offenses are uncovered, so that in all your deeds your sins are seen— because you have come to mind, you will be seized by the hand.

“ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:‘ Because you have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear— because you have come to remembrance, you shall be taken in hand.

Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

“ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Because you have drawn attention to your guilt, exposing your transgressions, so that your sins are revealed in all your actions, since you have done this, you will be captured by them.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have made your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins do appear; because,[ I say], that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.

“ Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says:‘ Because you have brought up your own guilt by uncovering your transgressions and revealing your sins through all your actions, for this reason you will be taken by force.

“ Therefore the Lord Yahweh says:‘ Because you have caused your iniquity to be remembered, in that your transgressions are uncovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because you have come to memory, you will be taken with the hand.

People curse one another. They tell lies and commit murder. They steal and commit adultery. They break all my laws. They keep spilling the blood of other people.

I saw the Lord standing next to the altar in the temple. He said to me,“ Strike the tops of the temple pillars. Then the heavy stones at the base of the entrance will shake. Bring everything down on the heads of everyone there. I will kill with my swords those who are left alive. None of the Israelites will escape. None will get away.They might dig down deep. But my powerful hand will take them out of there. They might climb up to the heavens. But I will bring them down from there.They might hide on top of Mount Carmel. But I will hunt them down and grab them. They might hide from me at the bottom of the ocean. But even there I will command the serpent to bite them.

You build up Zion by spilling the blood of others. You build Jerusalem by doing what is evil.Your judges take money from people who want special favors. Your priests teach only if they get paid for it. Your prophets won’t tell fortunes unless they receive money. But you still look for the Lord’ s help. You say,“ The Lord is with us. No trouble will come on us.”So because of what you have done, Zion will be plowed up like a field. Jerusalem will be turned into a pile of trash. The temple hill will be covered with bushes and weeds.

“ The blood Jerusalem’s people spilled is inside its walls. They poured it out on a bare rock. They did not pour it on the ground. If they had, dust would have covered it up.

“ Son of man, speak to the land. Tell it,‘ You have not been washed clean with rain. That’s because I am angry with you.’Ezekiel, the princes of the land are like a roaring lion that tears its food apart. They eat people up. They take treasures and other valuable things. They cause many women in the land to become widows.Its priests break my law. They treat things set apart to me as if they were not holy. They treat holy and common things as if they were the same. They teach that there is no difference between things that are‘ clean’ and things that are not. They refuse to keep my Sabbath days. So they treat me as if I were not holy.The officials in the land are like wolves that tear their food apart. They spill blood and kill people to get rich.The prophets cover up these acts for them. The visions of these prophets are false. They use magic to try to find out what is going to happen. But their magic tricks are lies. They say,‘ The Lord and King says.’ But I have not spoken to them.The people of the land get rich by cheating others. They steal. They crush those who are poor and in need. They treat outsiders badly. They refuse to be fair to them.“ I looked for someone among them who would stand up for Jerusalem. I tried to find someone who would pray to me for the land. Then I would not have to destroy it. But I could not find anyone who would pray for it.So I will pour out my anger on its people. I will destroy them because of my great anger against them. And anything that happens to them will be their own fault,” announces the Lord and King.

The blood of those you have killed is on your clothes. You have destroyed poor people who were not guilty. You did not catch them in the act of breaking in. In spite of all this,

The look on their faces is a witness against them. They show off their sin, just as the people of Sodom did. They don’t even try to hide it. How terrible it will be for them! They have brought trouble on themselves.

You used some of your clothes to make high places colorful. That is where people worshiped other gods. You were a prostitute there. You went to your lover and he took your beauty.I had given you fine jewelry. It was made out of gold and silver. You used it to make for yourself statues of male gods. You worshiped those gods. You were not faithful to me.You put your beautiful clothes on them. You offered my oil and incense to them.You also offered them food. It was made out of olive oil, honey and the finest flour. I had given it to you to eat. You offered it as sweet- smelling incense to them. That is what you did,” announces the Lord and King.“‘ “Then you took your sons and daughters who belonged to me. And you sacrificed them as food to other gods. Wasn’t it enough for you to be a prostitute?You killed my children. You sacrificed them to other gods.You did not remember the days when you were young. At that time you were completely naked. You were kicking around in your blood. But now you have done evil things. I hate them. You have worshiped other gods. You have not been faithful to me.

“‘ Watch out, you mighty man! The Lord is about to grab you. He is about to throw you away.He will roll you up tightly like a ball. He will throw you into a very large country. There you will die. And that’s where the chariots you were so proud of will be. Those chariots will then bring nothing but shame on your master’s family!

A hunter uses tricks to fill his cage with birds. And my people have filled their houses with a lot of goods. They have become rich and powerful.They have grown fat and heavy. There is no limit to the evil things they do. In court they do not seek justice. They don’t protect the rights of children whose fathers have died. They do not stand up for poor people.

Are they ashamed of their hateful actions? No. They do not feel any shame at all. They do not even know how to blush. So they will fall like others who have already fallen. They will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

“ Oholah was unfaithful to me even while she still belonged to me. She longed for her Assyrian lovers. They included soldierswho wore blue uniforms. They also included governors and commanders. All of them were young and handsome. They rode horses.She gave herself as a prostitute to all Assyria’s finest warriors. She made herself impure with the statues of the gods of everyone she longed for.She started being a prostitute in Egypt. And she never stopped. When she was young, men had sex with her. They kissed her virgin breasts. They used up all their sinful desires on her.“ So I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers. She longed for them.They stripped her naked. They took away her sons and daughters. And they killed her with their swords. Other women laughed when that happened. I was the one who had punished her.“ Her sister Oholibah saw it. But her evil desire for sexual sin was worse than her sister’s.She too longed for the men of Assyria. They included governors and commanders. They included soldiers who wore fancy uniforms. They also included men who rode horses. All of them were young and handsome.I saw that she too made herself impure. So both sisters did the same evil things.“ But Oholibah went even further with her sexual sins. She saw pictures of men drawn on a wall. They were figures of Babylonians drawn in red.They had belts around their waists. They wore flowing turbans on their heads. All of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers. They were from the land of the Chaldeans.As soon as she saw the pictures, she longed for the men. So she sent messengers to them in Babylon.Then the Babylonians came to her. They went to bed with her. They had sex with her. They made her impure when they had sex with her. After they did it, she became sick of them. So she turned away from them.She acted like a prostitute who had no shame at all. She openly showed her naked body. I became sick of what she was doing. So I turned away from her. I had also turned away from her sister.But Oholibah offered her body to her lovers again and again. She remembered the days when she was a young prostitute in Egypt.There she had longed for her lovers. Their private parts seemed as big as those of donkeys. And their flow of semen appeared to be as much as that of horses.So you wanted to return to the days when you were young. You longed for the time when you first became impure in Egypt. That was when you allowed your breasts to be kissed. And you permitted your young breasts to be touched.”

Are they ashamed of their hateful actions? No. They do not feel any shame at all. They do not even know how to blush. So they will fall like others who have already fallen. They will be brought down when I punish them,” says the Lord.

I wish I had somewhere to go in the desert where a traveler could stay! Then I could leave my people. I could get away from them. All of them commit adultery by worshiping other gods. They aren’t faithful to the Lord.“ They get ready to use their tongues like bows,” announces the Lord.“ Their mouths shoot out lies like arrows. They tell lies to gain power in the land. They go from one sin to another. They do not pay any attention to me.Be on guard against your friends. Do not trust the members of your own family. Every one of them cheats. Every friend tells lies.One friend cheats another. No one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues how to lie. They wear themselves out sinning.Jeremiah, you live among people who tell lies. When they lie, they refuse to pay any attention to me,” announces the Lord.So the Lord who rules over all says,“ I will put them through the fire to test them. What else can I do? My people are so sinful!

Suppose these people ask you,‘ Where should we go?’ Then tell them,‘ The Lord says,“‘ “Those I have appointed to die will die. Those I have appointed to be killed by swords will be killed by swords. Those I have appointed to die of hunger will die of hunger. Those I have appointed to be taken away as prisoners will be taken away.” ’

“ Look up at the bare hilltops. Is there any place where you have not worshiped other gods? You have been unfaithful to me like a wife committing adultery. By the side of the road you sat waiting for lovers. You sat there like someone who wanders in the desert. You have made the land impure. You are like a sinful prostitute.

Tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ Your city brings death on itself. You spill blood inside its walls. You make yourselves‘ unclean’ by making statues of gods.You are guilty of spilling blood. Your statues have made you‘ unclean.’ You have brought your days to a close. The end of your years has come. So the nations will make fun of you. All the countries will laugh at you.Those who are near you will tell jokes about you. So will those who are far away. Trouble fills the streets of your sinful city.“‘ “The princes of Israel are in your city. All of them use their power to spill blood.They have made fun of fathers and mothers alike. They have crushed outsiders. They have treated badly the children whose fathers have died. They have done the same thing to widows.You have looked down on the holy things that were set apart to me. You have misused my Sabbath days.You have spread lies about others so you can spill someone’s blood. You eat at the mountain temples. You commit impure acts.You bring shame on your fathers by having sex with their wives. You have sex with women during their monthly period. That is when they are‘ unclean.’One of you has sex with another man’s wife. I hate that sin. Another brings shame on his daughter- in- law by having sex with her. Still another has sex with his sister, even though she is his own father’s daughter.You accept money from people who want special favors. You do this to spill someone’s blood. You charge interest to poor people when you lend them money. You make money from them. You get rich by cheating your neighbors. And you have forgotten me,” announces the Lord and King.