Through the Bible – Day 345

₂Accuse! Accuse your mother!

She is no longer my wife,

and now I, the LORD,

am not her husband.

Beg her to give up prostitution

and stop being unfaithful,

₃or I will strip her naked

like the day she was born.

I will make her barren

like a desert,

and she will die of thirst.

₄You children are the result

of her unfaithfulness,

and I'll show you no pity.

₅Your mother was unfaithful.

She was disgraceful and said,

“I'll run after my lovers.

Everything comes from them—

my food and drink,

my linen and wool,

my olive oil and wine.”

₆I, the LORD, will build

a fence of thorns

to block her path.

₇She will run after her lovers,

but not catch them;

she will search,

but not find them.

Then she will say, “I'll return

to my first husband.

Life was better then.”

₈She didn't know that her grain,

wine, and olive oil

were gifts from me,

as were the gold and silver

she used in worshipping Baal.

₉So I'll hold back the harvest

of grain and grapes.

I'll take back

my wool and my linen

that cover her body.

₁₀Then I'll strip her naked

in the sight of her lovers.

No one can rescue her.

₁₁I'll stop Israel's celebrations—

no more New Moon Festivals,

Sabbaths, or other feasts.

₁₂She said, “My lovers gave me

vineyards and fig trees

as payment for sex.”

Now I, the LORD, will ruin

her vineyards and fig trees;

they will become clumps of weeds

eaten by wild animals.

₁₃I'll punish her for the days

she worshipped Baal

and burnt incense to him.

I'll punish her for the times

she forgot about me

and wore jewellery and rings

to attract her lovers.

I, the LORD, have spoken!

₁₄Israel, I, the LORD,

will lure you into the desert

and speak gently to you.

₁₅I will return your vineyards,

and then Trouble Valley

will become Hopeful Valley.

You will say “Yes” to me

as you did in your youth,

when leaving Egypt.

₁Israel, listen

as the LORD accuses

everyone in the land!

No one is faithful or loyal

or truly cares about God.

₂Cursing, dishonesty, murder,

robbery, unfaithfulness—

these happen all the time.

Violence is everywhere.

₃And so your land is a desert.

Every living creature is dying—

people and wild animals,

birds and fish.

₄Don't accuse just anyone!

Not everyone is at fault.

My case is against you,

the priests.

₅You and the prophets

will stumble day and night;

I'll silence your mothers.

₆You priests have rejected me,

and my people are destroyed

by refusing to obey.

Now I'll reject you and forget

your children, because you

have forgotten my Law.

₇By adding more of you priests,

you multiply the number

of people who sin.

Now I'll change your pride

into shame.

₈You encourage others to sin,

so you can stuff yourselves

on their sin offerings.

₉That's why I will punish

the people for their deeds,

just as I will punish

you priests.

₁₀Their food won't satisfy,

and having sex at pagan shrines

won't produce children.

My people have rebelled

₁₁and have been unfaithful

to me, their LORD.

My people, you are foolish

because of too much pleasure

and too much wine.

₁₂You expect wooden idols

and other objects of wood

to give you advice.

Lusting for sex at pagan shrines

has made you unfaithful

to me, your God.

₁₃You offer sacrifices

on mountaintops and hills,

under oak trees, and wherever

good shade is found.

Your own daughters

and daughters-in-law

sell themselves for sex.

₁₄But I won't punish them.

You men are to blame,

because you go to prostitutes

and offer sacrifices with them

at pagan shrines.

Your own foolishness

will lead to your ruin.

₁₅Israel, you are unfaithful,

but don't lead Judah to sin.

Stop worshipping at Gilgal

or at sinful Bethel.

And stop making promises

in my name— the name

of the living LORD.

₁₆You are nothing more

than a stubborn cow—

so stubborn that I, the LORD,

cannot feed you like lambs

in an open pasture.

₁₇You people of Israel

are charmed by idols.

Leave them alone!

₁₈You get drunk, then sleep

with prostitutes;

you would rather be vulgar

than lead a decent life.

₁₉And so you will be swept away

in a whirlwind

for sacrificing to idols.