“This is what the sovereign Lord says: This is Jerusalem; I placed her in the center of the nations with countries all around her.

“Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: I – even I – am against you, and I will execute judgment among you while the nations watch.

Violence has grown into a staff that supports wickedness. Not one of them will be left – not from their crowd, not from their wealth, not from their prominence.

The time has come; the day has struck! The customer should not rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for divine wrath comes against their whole crowd.

Therefore I will act with fury! My eye will not pity them nor will I spare them. When they have shouted in my ears, I will not listen to them.”

He said to them, “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with corpses. Go!” So they went out and struck people down throughout the city.

You will die by the sword; I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

This city will not be a cooking pot for you, and you will not be meat within it; I will judge you at the border of Israel.

Then the cherubim spread their wings with their wheels alongside them while the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them.

“Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel, ‘The days pass slowly, and every vision fails’?

“Son of man, of all the woody branches among the trees of the forest, what happens to the wood of the vine?

No! It is thrown in the fire for fuel; when the fire has burned up both ends of it and it is charred in the middle, will it be useful for anything?

At the head of every street you erected your pavilion and you disgraced your beauty when you spread your legs to every passerby and multiplied your promiscuity.

I will punish you as an adulteress and murderer deserves. I will avenge your bloody deeds with furious rage.

“‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you according to what you have done when you despised your oath by breaking your covenant.

In a good field, by abundant waters, it was planted to grow branches, bear fruit, and become a beautiful vine.

He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note – he gave his promise and did all these things – he will not escape!

He broke down their strongholds and devastated their cities. The land and everything in it was frightened at the sound of his roaring.

“‘For testing will come, and what will happen when the scepter, which the sword despises, is no more? declares the sovereign Lord.’

Her prophets coat their messages with whitewash. They see false visions and announce lying omens for them, saying, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says,’ when the Lord has not spoken.