Add parallel Print Page Options

[Adonai] says:

“If a man divorces his wife,
and she leaves him and marries another man,
then if the first one marries her again,
that land will be completely defiled.
But you prostituted yourself to many lovers,
yet you want to return to me?” says Adonai.
“Raise your eyes to the bare hills, take a look:
where have you not had sex?
You sat by the roadsides waiting for them
like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land
with your prostitution and wickedness.
For this reason the showers have been withheld,
there has been no rain in the spring;
still you maintain a whore’s brazen look
and refuse to be ashamed.
Didn’t you just now cry to me,
‘My father, you are my friend from my youth’? —
[thinking,] ‘He won’t bear a grudge forever, will he?
He wouldn’t maintain it right to the end.’
You say this, but you keep doing evil things,
you just do whatever you want.”

In the days of Yoshiyahu the king, Adonai asked me, “Have you seen the things that backsliding Isra’el has been doing? She goes up on every bare hill and under every green tree and prostitutes herself there. I said that after she had done all these things, she would return to me; but she hasn’t returned. Meanwhile, her unfaithful sister Y’hudah has been watching. I saw that even though backsliding Isra’el had committed adultery, so that I had sent her away and given her a divorce document, unfaithful Y’hudah her sister was not moved to fear — instead she too went and prostituted herself. The ease with which Isra’el prostituted herself defiled the land, as she committed adultery with stones and with logs. 10 Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Y’hudah has not returned to me wholeheartedly; she only makes a pretense of it,” said Adonai.

11 Then Adonai said to me, “Backsliding Isra’el has proved herself more righteous than unfaithful Y’hudah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north:

‘“Return, backsliding Isra’el,” says Adonai.
“I will not frown on you, for I am merciful,” says Adonai.
“I will not bear a grudge forever.
13 Only acknowledge your guilt,
that you have committed crimes
against Adonai your God,
that you were promiscuous with strangers
under every green tree,
and that you have not paid attention
to my voice,” says Adonai.
14 “Return, backsliding children,” says Adonai;
“for I am your master.
I will take you, one from a city,
two from a family, and bring you to Tziyon.
15 I will give you shepherds
after my own heart,
and they will feed you
with knowledge and understanding.

16 “‘“And,” says Adonai, “in those days, when your numbers have increased in the land, people will no longer talk about the ark for the covenant of Adonai — they won’t think about it, they won’t miss it, and they won’t make another one. 17 When that time comes, they will call Yerushalayim the throne of Adonai. All the nations will be gathered there to the name of Adonai, to Yerushalayim. No longer will they live according to their stubbornly evil hearts. 18 In those days, the house of Y’hudah will live together with the house of Isra’el; they will come together from the lands in the north to the land I gave your ancestors as their heritage.

19 “‘“I thought that I would like to put you among the sons [with inheritance rights] and give you a pleasant land, the best heritage of all the nations. I thought that you would call me ‘My father’ and never stop following me. 20 But like a faithless woman who betrays her husband, you, house of Isra’el, have betrayed me,” says Adonai.’”

21 A sound is heard on the heights,
the house of Isra’el crying, pleading for mercy,
because they have perverted their way
and forgotten Adonai their God.

22 “Return, backsliding children,
and I will heal your backsliding.”

“Here we are, we are coming to you,
for you are Adonai our God.
23 Indeed the hills have proved a delusion,
likewise the orgies on the mountains.
Truly the salvation of Isra’el
is in Adonai our God.
24 But from our youth the shameful thing [idolatry]
has devoured the fruit of our ancestors’ work,
their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,
let our disgrace cover us,
for we have sinned against Adonai our God,
both we and our ancestors,
from our youth until today;
we have not paid attention
to the voice of Adonai our God.”

“Isra’el, if you will return,” says Adonai,
“yes, return to me; and if you will banish
your abominations from my presence
without wandering astray again;
and if you will swear, ‘As Adonai lives,’
in truth, justice and righteousness;
then the nations will bless themselves by him,
and in him will they glory.”

For here is what Adonai says
to the people of Y’hudah and Yerushalayim:
“Break up your ground that hasn’t been plowed,
and do not sow among thorns.”

“People of Y’hudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim,
circumcise yourselves for Adonai,
remove the foreskins of your heart!
Otherwise my fury will lash out like fire,
burning so hot that no one can quench it,
because of how evil your actions are.

“Announce in Y’hudah, proclaim in Yerushalayim;
say: ‘Blow the shofar in the land!’
Shout the message aloud: ‘Assemble!
Let us go to the fortified cities!’
Set up a signal toward Tziyon,
head for cover without delay.
For I will bring disaster from the north,
yes, dire destruction.
A lion has risen from his lair,
a destroyer of nations has set out,
left his own place to ruin your land,
to demolish and depopulate your cities.”

So wrap yourselves in sackcloth,
lament and wail, for Adonai’s fierce anger
has not turned away from us.

“When that day comes,” says Adonai,
“the king’s heart will fail him,
likewise the princes’;
the cohanim will be appalled
and the prophets stupefied.”

10 Then I said, “Oh, Adonai Elohim! Surely you have sadly deceived this people and Yerushalayim by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our very throats!”

11 “At that time it will be said
of this people and of Yerushalayim:
‘A scorching wind from the desert heights
is sweeping down on my people.’
It is not coming to winnow or cleanse;
12 this wind of mine is too strong for that.
Now I will pass sentence on them.”

13 Here he comes, like the clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind,
his horses faster than eagles!
Woe to us, we are doomed!
14 Wash the evil from your heart, Yerushalayim,
so that you can be saved.
How long will you harbor within yourselves
your evil thoughts?
15 For a voice is announcing the news from Dan,
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Efrayim:

16 “Report it to the nations,
proclaim about Yerushalayim:
‘[Enemies] are coming from a distant country,
watching and shouting their war cry
against the cities of Y’hudah.’
17 Like guards in a field they surround her,
because she has rebelled against me,” says Adonai.
18 “Your own ways and your actions
have brought these things on yourselves.
This is your wickedness, so bitter!
It has reached your very heart.”

19 My guts! My guts! I’m writhing in pain!
My heart! It beats wildly — I can’t stay still! —
because I have heard the shofar sound;
it’s the call to war.
20 The news is disaster after disaster!
All the land is ruined!
My tents are suddenly destroyed,
my tent curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see that signal
and hear the shofar sound?

22 “It is because my people are foolish —
they do not know me; they are stupid children,
without understanding, wise when doing evil;
but they don’t know how to do good.”

23 I looked at the land — it was unformed and void —
and at the sky — it had no light.
24 I looked at the mountains, and they shook —
all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I looked, and there was no human being;
all the birds in the air had fled.
26 I looked, and the fertile fields were a desert,
all the land’s cities were razed to the ground
at the presence of Adonai,
before his burning anger.

27 For here is what Adonai says:

“The whole land will be desolate
(although I will not destroy it completely).
28 Because of this, the land will mourn
and the sky above be black;
for I have spoken, I have decided,
I will not change my mind, I will not turn back.”

29 At the noise of the horsemen and archers,
the entire city flees —
some plunge into thickets; others climb rocks;
all cities are deserted; no one lives there.
30 And you, who are doomed to be plundered,
what do you mean by putting on crimson,
decking yourselves with jewels and gold,
enlarging your eyes with eye make-up?
You beautify yourself in vain —
your lovers despise you, they seek your life!
31 For I have heard a sound like a woman in labor,
in anguish giving birth to her first child.
It is the sound of the daughter of Tziyon
gasping for breath as she spreads her hands:
“Woe to me! Everything in me
is so weary before the killers.”

“Roam the streets of Yerushalayim
look around, observe and ask in its open spaces:
if you can find anyone (if there is anyone!)
who acts with justice and seeks the truth,
I will pardon her.
And though they say, ‘As Adonai lives,’
the fact is that they are swearing falsely.”

Adonai, your eyes look for truth.
You struck them, but they weren’t affected;
you [nearly] destroyed them,
but they refused correction.
They made their faces harder than rock,
refusing to repent.

My reaction was, “These must be the poor,
the foolish, not knowing the way of Adonai
or the rulings of their God.
I will go to the prominent men,
and I will speak to them;
for they know the way of Adonai
and the rulings of their God.”
But these had completely broken the yoke
and torn the harness off.
This is why a forest lion kills them,
why a desert wolf can plunder them,
why a leopard guards their cities —
all who leave are torn to pieces —
because their crimes are many,
their backslidings keep increasing.

“Why should I forgive you?
Your people have abandoned me
and sworn by non-gods.
When I fed them to the full,
they committed adultery,
thronging to the brothels.
They have become like well-fed horses,
lusty stallions, each one neighing
after his neighbor’s wife.
Should I not punish for this?” asks Adonai.
“Should I not be avenged on a nation like this?”

10 Go through her rows [of vines], and destroy them
(but don’t destroy them completely):
strip away her branches,
they do not belong to Adonai.
11 “For the house of Isra’el
and the house of Y’hudah
have thoroughly betrayed me,” says Adonai.

12 They have denied Adonai,
they have said, “He won’t do anything,
calamity will not strike us,
we will see neither sword nor famine.
13 The prophets are merely wind,
they do not have the word;
the things that they are predicting
will happen only to them.”

14 Therefore Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot says:

“Because you people speak this way,
I will make my words fire in your mouth, [Yirmeyahu,]
and this people wood;
so that it will devour them.
15 I will bring on you, house of Isra’el,
a distant nation,” says Adonai,
“an enduring nation, an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know —
you will not understand what they are saying.
16 Their quiver is like an open grave,
they are all mighty warriors.
17 They will eat up your harvest and your bread,
they will eat up your sons and your daughters,
they will eat up your flocks and your herds,
they will eat up your vines and your fig trees;
with the sword they will beat down
your fortified cities, in which you trust.
18 But even in those days,” says Adonai,
“I will not completely destroy you.
19 And when your people ask, ‘Why has Adonai
our God done all these things to us?’
you are to give them this answer:
‘Just as you abandoned me
and served strange gods in your own land,
so likewise you will serve strangers
in a land that is not your own.’
20 Announce this in the house of Ya‘akov,
proclaim it in Y’hudah; say:
21 ‘Hear this, stupid, brainless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
22 Don’t you fear me? — says Adonai.
Won’t you tremble at my presence?
I made the shore the limit for the sea;
by eternal decree it cannot pass.
Its waves may toss, but to no avail;
although they roar, they cannot cross it.
23 But this people has a rebellious, defiant heart;
they have rebelled and gone!
24 They don’t say to themselves,
“Let’s fear Adonai our God,
who gives the fall and spring rains in season,
who reserves us the weeks assigned for harvest.”
25 Your crimes have overturned nature’s rules,
your sins have kept back good from you.’
26 “For among my people there are wicked men,
who, like fowlers, lie in wait and set traps
to catch their fellow human beings.
27 Their houses are as full of fraud
as a cage full of birds.
They grow rich and great, 28 sleek and bloated;
they excel in acts of wickedness
but do not plead on behalf of the orphan,
thus enabling his cause to succeed;
nor do they judge in favor of the poor.

29 “Should I not punish for this?” asks Adonai.
“Should I not be avenged on a nation like this?
30 A shocking and horrifying thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,
the cohanim obey the prophets,
and my people love it that way.
But what will you do at the end of it all?

“If a man divorces(A) his wife
    and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
    Would not the land be completely defiled?(B)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(C)
    would you now return to me?”(D)
declares the Lord.
“Look up to the barren heights(E) and see.
    Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside(F) you sat waiting for lovers,
    sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land(G)
    with your prostitution(H) and wickedness.
Therefore the showers have been withheld,(I)
    and no spring rains(J) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen(K) look of a prostitute;
    you refuse to blush with shame.(L)
Have you not just called to me:
    ‘My Father,(M) my friend from my youth,(N)
will you always be angry?(O)
    Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
    but you do all the evil you can.”

Unfaithful Israel

During the reign of King Josiah,(P) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(Q) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(R) and has committed adultery(S) there. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(T) Judah saw it.(U) I gave faithless Israel(V) her certificate of divorce(W) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(X) she also went out and committed adultery. Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(Y) and committed adultery(Z) with stone(AA) and wood.(AB) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(AC) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(AD)” declares the Lord.(AE)

11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(AF) than unfaithful(AG) Judah.(AH) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(AI)

“‘Return,(AJ) faithless(AK) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(AL) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry(AM) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(AN) your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(AO)
    under every spreading tree,(AP)
    and have not obeyed(AQ) me,’”
declares the Lord.

14 “Return,(AR) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(AS) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(AT) after my own heart,(AU) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(AV) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(AW) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(AX) of the Lord, and all nations(AY) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(AZ) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(BA) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(BB) and together(BC) they will come from a northern(BD) land to the land(BE) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

19 “I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,(BF)
    the most beautiful inheritance(BG) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(BH)
    and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
    so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(BI) to me,”
declares the Lord.

21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(BJ)
    the weeping(BK) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
    and have forgotten(BL) the Lord their God.

22 “Return,(BM) faithless people;
    I will cure(BN) you of backsliding.”(BO)

“Yes, we will come to you,
    for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(BP)
    and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
    is the salvation(BQ) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(BR) gods have consumed
    the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
    their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(BS)
    and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(BT) against the Lord our God,
    both we and our ancestors;(BU)
from our youth(BV) till this day
    we have not obeyed(BW) the Lord our God.”

“If you, Israel, will return,(BX)
    then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(BY) out of my sight
    and no longer go astray,
and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
    you swear,(BZ) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(CA)
then the nations will invoke blessings(CB) by him
    and in him they will boast.(CC)

This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground(CD)
    and do not sow among thorns.(CE)
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
    circumcise your hearts,(CF)
    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(CG) will flare up and burn like fire(CH)
    because of the evil(CI) you have done—
    burn with no one to quench(CJ) it.

Disaster From the North

“Announce in Judah and proclaim(CK) in Jerusalem and say:
    ‘Sound the trumpet(CL) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
    ‘Gather together!
    Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(CM)
Raise the signal(CN) to go to Zion!
    Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(CO) from the north,(CP)
    even terrible destruction.”

A lion(CQ) has come out of his lair;(CR)
    a destroyer(CS) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
    to lay waste(CT) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(CU)
    without inhabitant.
So put on sackcloth,(CV)
    lament(CW) and wail,
for the fierce anger(CX) of the Lord
    has not turned away from us.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “the king and the officials will lose heart,(CY)
the priests will be horrified,
    and the prophets will be appalled.”(CZ)

10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(DA) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(DB) when the sword is at our throats!”

11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(DC) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(DD) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(DE) against them.”

13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(DF)
    his chariots(DG) come like a whirlwind,(DH)
his horses(DI) are swifter than eagles.(DJ)
    Woe to us! We are ruined!(DK)
14 Jerusalem, wash(DL) the evil from your heart and be saved.(DM)
    How long(DN) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(DO)
    proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(DP)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
    proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(DQ)
    raising a war cry(DR) against the cities of Judah.(DS)
17 They surround(DT) her like men guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled(DU) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(DV)
    have brought this on you.(DW)
This is your punishment.
    How bitter(DX) it is!
    How it pierces to the heart!”

19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(DY)
    I writhe in pain.(DZ)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
    My heart pounds(EA) within me,
    I cannot keep silent.(EB)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(EC)
    I have heard the battle cry.(ED)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(EE)
    the whole land lies in ruins.(EF)
In an instant my tents(EG) are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(EH)
    and hear the sound of the trumpet?(EI)

22 “My people are fools;(EJ)
    they do not know me.(EK)
They are senseless children;
    they have no understanding.(EL)
They are skilled in doing evil;(EM)
    they know not how to do good.”(EN)

23 I looked at the earth,
    and it was formless and empty;(EO)
and at the heavens,
    and their light(EP) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
    and they were quaking;(EQ)
    all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
    every bird in the sky had flown away.(ER)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(ES)
    all its towns lay in ruins(ET)
    before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(EU)

27 This is what the Lord says:

“The whole land will be ruined,(EV)
    though I will not destroy(EW) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(EX)
    and the heavens above grow dark,(EY)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(EZ)
    I have decided and will not turn back.(FA)

29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(FB)
    every town takes to flight.(FC)
Some go into the thickets;
    some climb up among the rocks.(FD)
All the towns are deserted;(FE)
    no one lives in them.

30 What are you doing,(FF) you devastated one?
    Why dress yourself in scarlet
    and put on jewels(FG) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(FH)
    You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(FI) despise you;
    they want to kill you.(FJ)

31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(FK)
    a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(FL) gasping for breath,(FM)
    stretching out her hands(FN) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
    my life is given over to murderers.”(FO)

Not One Is Upright

“Go up and down(FP) the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,(FQ)
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(FR)
    who deals honestly(FS) and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive(FT) this city.
Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(FU)
    still they are swearing falsely.(FV)

Lord, do not your eyes(FW) look for truth?
    You struck(FX) them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.(FY)
They made their faces harder than stone(FZ)
    and refused to repent.(GA)
I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,(GB)
for they do not know(GC) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
So I will go to the leaders(GD)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.(GE)
Therefore a lion from the forest(GF) will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage(GG) them,
a leopard(GH) will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.(GI)

“Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn(GJ) by gods that are not gods.(GK)
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery(GL)
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(GM)
They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.(GN)
Should I not punish them for this?”(GO)
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(GP) myself
    on such a nation as this?

10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
    but do not destroy them completely.(GQ)
Strip off her branches,
    for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful(GR) to me,”
declares the Lord.

12 They have lied(GS) about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(GT)
    we will never see sword or famine.(GU)
13 The prophets(GV) are but wind(GW)
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”

14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:

“Because the people have spoken these words,
    I will make my words in your mouth(GX) a fire(GY)
    and these people the wood it consumes.(GZ)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
    “I am bringing a distant nation(HA) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
    a people whose language(HB) you do not know,
    whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(HC) are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(HD) your harvests and food,
    devour(HE) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(HF) your flocks and herds,
    devour your vines and fig trees.(HG)
With the sword(HH) they will destroy
    the fortified cities(HI) in which you trust.(HJ)

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(HK) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(HL) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(HM) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(HN) in a land not your own.’

20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim(HO) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(HP)
    who have eyes(HQ) but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:(HR)
22 Should you not fear(HS) me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble(HT) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(HU)
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar,(HV) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(HW) hearts;
    they have turned aside(HX) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear(HY) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(HZ) in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(IA)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.(IB)

26 “Among my people are the wicked(IC)
    who lie in wait(ID) like men who snare birds
    and like those who set traps(IE) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
    their houses are full of deceit;(IF)
they have become rich(IG) and powerful
28     and have grown fat(IH) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(II)
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(IJ)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(IK) myself
    on such a nation as this?

30 “A horrible(IL) and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(IM)
    the priests(IN) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?(IO)