God’s Charge Against Israel

4 Hear the word of the Lord,

You children of Israel,

For the Lord brings a acharge 1against the inhabitants of the land:

“There is no truth or mercy

Or bknowledge of God in the land.

2 By swearing and lying,

Killing and stealing and committing adultery,

They break all restraint,

With bloodshed 2upon bloodshed.

3 Therefore cthe land will mourn;

And deveryone who dwells there will waste away

With the beasts of the field

And the birds of the air;

Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

4 “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;

For your people are like those ewho contend with the priest.

5 Therefore you shall stumble fin the day;

The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;

And I will destroy your mother.

6 gMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priest for Me;

hBecause you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

7 “The more they increased,

The more they sinned against Me;

iI 3will change 4their glory into shame.

8 They eat up the sin of My people;

They set their 5heart on their iniquity.

9 And it shall be: jlike people, like priest.

So I will punish them for their ways,

And 6reward them for their deeds.

10 For kthey shall eat, but not have enough;

They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;

Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.