Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the land<n id="1" /> through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> asked,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem?<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Your people<n id="3" /> have rejected mep> <p class="poetry">and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Even though I supplied all their needs,<n id="5" /> they were like an unfaithful wife to me.<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">They went flocking<n id="7" /> to the houses of prostitutes.<n id="8" />p>

You steal.<n id="1" /> You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to<n id="2" /> other gods whom you have not previously known.

<p class="poetry"><v id="(9:1)" /> I wish I had a lodging place in the desertp> <p class="poetry">where I could spend some time like a weary traveler.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Then I would desert my peoplep> <p class="poetry">and walk away from themp> <p class="poetry">because they are all unfaithful to God,p> <p class="poetry">a congregation<n id="2" /> of people that has been disloyal to him.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">For the land is full of people unfaithful to him.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They live wicked lives and they misuse their power.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">So the land is dried up<n id="3" /> because it is under his curse.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">The pastures in the wilderness are withered.p>

She also saw<n id="1" /> that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods.<n id="2" /> Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this,<n id="3" /> she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods.<n id="4" />

<p class="poetry">But I see the prophets of Jerusalem<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">doing something just as shocking.p> <p class="poetry">They are unfaithful to mep> <p class="poetry">and continually prophesy lies.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil,p> <p class="poetry">with the result that they do not stop their evildoing.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom,p> <p class="poetry">and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah.<n id="4" />p>

This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful<n id="1" /> in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors&#8217; wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority.<n id="2" /> They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,&#8217; says the <sc>Lordsc>.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>