⁵He said, “Levites, listen to me! Set yourselves apart to the Lord. Set apart the temple of the Lord. He’s the God of your people. Remove anything that is ‘unclean’ from the temple. ⁶Our people weren’t faithful. They did what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They deserted him. They turned their faces away from the place where he lives. They turned their backs on him. ⁷They also shut the doors of the temple porch. They put the lamps out. They didn’t burn incense at the temple. They didn’t sacrifice burnt offerings to the God of Israel there.

⁸“So the Lord has become angry with Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them look so bad that everyone is shocked when they see them. They laugh at them. You can see it with your own eyes. ⁹That’s why our people have been killed with swords. That’s why our sons and daughters and wives have become prisoners.

¹⁰“So I’m planning to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel. Then he’ll turn his burning anger away from us.

¹¹“My sons, don’t fail to obey the Lord. He has chosen you to stand in front of him and work for him. He wants you to serve him and burn incense to him.”

Read in Logos