Then the Lord said, “You have observed correctly. This means I am watching to make sure my threats are carried out.”

Then the Lord said, “This means destruction will break out from the north on all who live in the land.

They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you,” says the Lord.

Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants of Jacob, all you family groups from the nation of Israel.

“So, once more I will state my case against you,” says the Lord. “I will also state it against your children and grandchildren.

Be amazed at this, O heavens! Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,” says the Lord.

You have brought all this on yourself, Israel, by deserting the Lord your God when he was leading you along the right path.

Then the Lord said to me, “Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah.

But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel, like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband,” says the Lord.

Come back to me, you wayward people. I want to cure your waywardness. Say, ‘Here we are. We come to you because you are the Lord our God.

You must be truthful, honest and upright when you take an oath saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’ If you do, the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are and will make him the object of their boasting.”

They will surround Jerusalem like men guarding a field because they have rebelled against me,” says the Lord.

I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desert and that all of the cities had been laid in ruins. The Lord had brought this all about because of his blazing anger.

All this will happen because the Lord said, “The whole land will be desolate; however, I will not completely destroy it.

For the nations of Israel and Judah have been very unfaithful to me,” says the Lord.

Yet even then I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord.

But I am not really the one being troubled!” says the Lord. “Rather they are bringing trouble on themselves to their own shame!

The Lord said to the people of Judah, “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says: ‘You might as well go ahead and add the meat of your burnt offerings to that of the other sacrifices and eat it, too!

The Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘The Lord says, Do people not get back up when they fall down? Do they not turn around when they go the wrong way?

Your wise men will be put to shame. They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what wisdom do they really have?