Is not your piety your confidence, and your blameless ways your hope?

Make me understand your ways, O Lord! Teach me your paths!

Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.

Make the path for your feet level, so that all your ways may be established.

So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us! We do not want to know your ways.

Whatever you decide on a matter, it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.

Then I will teach rebels your merciful ways, and sinners will turn to you.

For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.

Is it of any special benefit to the Almighty that you should be righteous, or is it any gain to him that you make your ways blameless?

“My, how good you have become at chasing after your lovers! Why, you could even teach prostitutes a thing or two!

Have you not copied their behavior and practiced their abominable deeds? In a short time you became even more depraved in all your conduct than they were!

My eye will not pity you; I will not spare you. For I will hold you responsible for your behavior, and you will suffer the consequences of your abominable practices. Then you will know that I am the Lord!

Then you will remember your conduct, and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my covenant with you.

You will feel your way along at noon like the blind person does in darkness and you will not succeed in anything you do; you will be constantly oppressed and continually robbed, with no one to save you.

You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the Lord’s holy day with respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.

However, you must confess that you have done wrong, and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You must confess that you have given yourself to foreign gods under every green tree, and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.