2. “Son of man, will you judge the city of murderers? Will you tell her about all the terrible things she has done?
3. You must say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: The city is full of murderers, so her time of punishment will come. She made filthy idols for herself, and those idols made her filthy!
4. “‘People of Jerusalem, you killed many people. You made filthy idols. You are guilty, and the time has come to punish you. Your end has come. Other nations will make fun of you and laugh at you.
5. People far and near will make fun of you. You have ruined your name. You are filled with confusion.
6. “‘Look, all the leaders in Israel are using their strength just to kill other people.
7. And the people in Jerusalem don’t respect their parents. There in the city, they abuse the foreigners. They cheat orphans and widows in that place.
8. You hate all that I consider holy. You treat my special days of rest as if they are not important.
9. In Jerusalem, people tell lies in order to kill innocent people. They go to the mountains to worship false gods and then come back to Jerusalem to eat their fellowship meals. “‘In Jerusalem, people commit many sexual sins.
10. There men commit sexual sins with their father’s wife. There the men rape women—even during their monthly time of bleeding.
11. One man commits a terrible sin against his own neighbor’s wife. Another man has sex with his daughter-in-law and makes her unclean. Another man rapes his father’s daughter—his very own sister.
12. There men accept bribes to kill people. You lend money and charge interest on the loans. You cheat your neighbors just to make a little money. You have even forgotten me.’ This is what the Lord GOD said.
13. “‘Now look! I will slam my hand down and stop you! I will punish you for cheating and killing people.
14. Will you be brave then? Will you be strong at the time I come to punish you? I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do what I said!
15. I will scatter you among the nations. I will force you to go to many countries. I will completely destroy the filthy things in this city.
16. But Jerusalem, you will become unclean. And the other nations will see all these things happen. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”