Then the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things you are doing mean for us?”

I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought after, you will never be found again, declares the sovereign Lord.”

Will you still say, “I am a god,” before the one who kills you – though you are a man and not a god – when you are in the power of those who wound you?

I will disturb many peoples, when I bring about your destruction among the nations, among countries you do not know.

None of the sins he has committed will be counted against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.

Yet you say, ‘The behavior of the Lord is not right.’ House of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his behavior.”

You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep!

I will save my sheep; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.

I will turn you into a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

When your people say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what these things mean?’

You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.

No priest may drink wine when he enters the inner court.

“‘This will be their inheritance: I am their inheritance, and you must give them no property in Israel; I am their property.

The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal.

The horn that was broken and in whose place there arose four others stands for four kingdoms that will arise from his nation, though they will not have his strength.

His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. He will be successful in what he undertakes. He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones.

I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, “Sir, what will happen after these things?”

Many will be purified, made clean, and refined, but the wicked will go on being wicked. None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will understand.

I will have no pity on her children, because they are children conceived in adultery.

Soon I will expose her lewd nakedness in front of her lovers, and no one will be able to rescue her from me!