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 ¹  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 ¹  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.” ¹ 

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 ¹  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 ¹  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. ¹ 

The priests will not eat any bird or animal that has died a natural death or was torn to pieces by a wild animal. ¹ 

When I say to the wicked, “You will certainly die,” ¹  and you do not warn him – you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked deed and wicked lifestyle so that he may live – that wicked person will die for his iniquity, ²  but I will hold you accountable for his death. ³ 

“When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle ¹  before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death.

“Son of man, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house. ¹  They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear, ²  because they are a rebellious house.

You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people ¹  who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!

so that the house of Israel will no longer go astray from me, nor continue to defile themselves by all their sins. They will be my people and I will be their God, ¹  declares the sovereign Lord.’”

“‘Because you did not remember the days of your youth and have enraged me with all these deeds, I hereby repay you for what you have done, ¹  declares the sovereign Lord. Have you not engaged in prostitution on top of all your other abominable practices?