¹⁷ We will certainly do everything we said we would:^(A) We will burn incense^(B) to the Queen of Heaven^(C) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials^(D) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.^(E) At that time we had plenty of food^(F) and were well off and suffered no harm.^(G)

¹⁸ The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven.^(A) They pour out drink offerings^(B) to other gods to arouse^(C) my anger.

²³ Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.

³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!^(A) There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food^(B) we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”^(C)

¹⁹ Their destiny^(A) is destruction, their god is their stomach,^(B) and their glory is in their shame.^(C) Their mind is set on earthly things.^(D)

⁸ “‘But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me;^(A) they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.^(B) So I said I would pour out my wrath on them and spend my anger against them in Egypt.^(C)

²⁵ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives^(A) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’^(B)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!^(C)