17. You have brought this on yourselfby abandoning the Lord your Godwhen he led you on his way.
18. You won’t gain anything by going to Egyptto drink water from the Nile River.You won’t gain anything by going to Assyriato drink water from the Euphrates River.
19. Your own wickedness will correct you,and your unfaithful ways will punish you.You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for youif you abandon the Lord your God and do not fear me,”declares the Almighty Lord of Armies.
20. “Long ago you broke off your yoke, tore off your chains,and said that you wouldn’t be a slave.You lay down and acted like a prostituteon every high hill and under every large tree.
21. I planted you like a choice grapevine from the very best seed.Now you have turned against me and have become a wild vine.
22. Even if you wash with detergent and use a lot of soap,I would still see the stains from your wickedness,”declares the Almighty Lord.
23. “How can you say that you haven’t dishonored yourselvesand haven’t followed other gods—the Baals?Look how you’ve behaved in the valley.Acknowledge what you’ve done.You are like a young camel that swiftly runs here and there.
24. You are like a wild donkey that is used to the desert,sniffing the wind while in heat.All who look for you won’t get tired.They will find you during your monthly period.
25. Don’t run until your feet are bare and your throats are dry.But you say that it’s useless.You love foreign gods and follow them.
26. “As a thief feels ashamed when he’s caught,so the nation of Israel will feel ashamed.Their kings, princes, priests,and prophets will also feel ashamed.
27. You call wood your father.You call stone your mother.You’ve turned your backs, not your faces, to me.But when you’re in trouble, you ask me to come and rescue you.
28. Where are the gods that you made for yourselves?Let them come and rescue you when you’re in trouble.You have as many gods as you have cities, Judah!
29. “Why do you complain about me?All of you have rebelled against me,” declares the Lord.
30. “I have punished your children without results.They didn’t respond to correction.You killed my prophets like a raging lion.
31. “Consider the word of the Lord, people of this generation.Haven’t I been a desert, a land of thick darkness, for Israel?Why do my people say that they are free to wander aroundand no longer come to me?
32. A young woman can’t forget her jewelry or a bride her veils.Yet, my people have forgotten me for countless days.
33. You carefully planned ways to look for love.You taught your ways to wicked women.
34. You have the blood from poor and innocent peopleon your clothes.You didn’t kill them for breaking into your home.