Jeremiah 5:19-31

19And it shall come about 1when 2they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will 3serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

20“Declare this in the house of Jacob And proclaim it in Judah, saying,21‘Now hear this, you foolish and 4senseless people, Who have 5eyes but do not see, Who have ears but do not hear.22Do you not 6fear Me?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have 7placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it. Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; Though they roar, they will not cross over it.23But this people has a 8stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.24They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who 9gives rain in its season, Both 10the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The 11appointed weeks of the harvest.”25Your 12wrongdoings have turned these away, And your sins have kept good away from you.26For wicked people are found among My people, They 13watch like fowlers 14lying in wait; They set a trap, They catch people.27Like a cage full of birds, So their houses are full of 15deceit; Therefore they have become great and rich.28They are 16fat, they are sleek, They also 17excel in deeds of wickedness; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the 1819orphan, so that they may be successful; And they do not 20defend the rights of the poor.2921Shall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the Lord, ‘Or shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?’

30“An appalling and 22horrible thing Has happened in the land:31The 23prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule 24on their own authority; And My people 25love it this way! But what will you do 26when the end comes?