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¹ Israel, listen
as the Lord accuses
    everyone in the land!
No one is faithful or loyal
    or truly cares about God.
² Cursing, dishonesty, murder,
    robbery, unfaithfulness—
these happen all the time.
    Violence is everywhere.
³ And so your land is a desert.
Every living creature is dying—
    people and wild animals,
    birds and fish.

⁴ Don't accuse just anyone!
    Not everyone is at fault.
My case is against you,
    the priests.^[a]
5 You and the prophets
will stumble day and night;
    I'll silence your mothers.
⁶ You priests have rejected me,
and my people are destroyed
    by refusing to obey.
Now I'll reject you and forget
your children,
because you
    have forgotten my Law.

⁷ By adding more of you priests,
you multiply the number
    of people who sin.
Now I'll change your pride
    into shame.
⁸ You encourage others to sin,
so you can stuff yourselves
    on their sin offerings.

⁹ That's why I will punish
    the people for their deeds,
just as I will punish
    you priests.
¹⁰ Their food won't satisfy,
and having sex at pagan shrines
    won't produce children.
My people have rebelled
¹¹ and have been unfaithful
    to me, their Lord.

My people, you are foolish
because of too much pleasure
    and too much wine.
¹² You expect wooden idols
and other objects of wood
    to give you advice.
Lusting for sex at pagan shrines
has made you unfaithful
    to me, your God.
¹³ You offer sacrifices
    on mountaintops and hills,
under oak trees, and wherever
    good shade is found.

Your own daughters
and daughters-in-law
    sell themselves for sex.
¹⁴ But I won't punish them.
    You men are to blame,
because you go to prostitutes
and offer sacrifices with them
    at pagan shrines.
Your own foolishness
    will lead to your ruin.
¹⁵ Israel, you are unfaithful,
    but don't lead Judah to sin.
Stop worshiping at Gilgal
    or at sinful Bethel.^[b]
And quit making promises
in my name—
the name
    of the living Lord.
¹⁶ You are nothing more
    than a stubborn cow—
so stubborn that I, the Lord,
cannot feed you like lambs
    in an open pasture.

¹⁷ You people of Israel^[c]
are charmed by^[d] idols.
    Leave them alone!
¹⁸ You get drunk, then sleep
    with prostitutes;
you would rather be vulgar
    than lead a decent life.^[e]
19 And so you will be swept away
in a whirlwind
    for sacrificing to idols.