And so the LORD says, "I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble, and then you will not walk so proudly any more.

When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will sing this song of despair about your experience: We are completely ruined! The LORD has taken our land away And given it to those who took us captive."

prophets speak nothing but lies; priests rule as the prophets command, and my people offer no objections. But what will they do when it all comes to an end?"

They cry for help, but no one saves them; they call to the LORD, but he does not answer.

Then you will call for wisdom, but I will not answer. You may look for me everywhere, but you will not find me.

If you do not obey the law, God will find your prayers too hateful to hear.

"When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood.

You will all be disgraced---you that say that a tree is your father and that a rock is your mother. This will happen because you turned away from me instead of turning to me. But when you are in trouble, you ask me to come and save you.

"Where are the gods that you made for yourselves? When you are in trouble, let them save you---if they can! Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities.

They will feel all the force of my anger. I will not spare them or show them any mercy. They will shout prayers to me as loud as they can, but I will not listen to them."

Because they did not listen when I spoke, I did not answer when they prayed.

When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!'

The master of the house will get up and close the door; then when you stand outside and begin to knock on the door and say, 'Open the door for us, sir!' he will answer you, 'I don't know where you come from!'

We know that God does not listen to sinners; he does listen to people who respect him and do what he wants them to do.

For God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful; but mercy triumphs over judgment.

When that happens, I will become angry with them; I will abandon them, and they will be destroyed. Many terrible disasters will come upon them, and then they will realize that these things are happening to them because I, their God, am no longer with them.

And I will refuse to help them then, because they have done evil and worshiped other gods.

"When the LORD saw this, he was angry and rejected his sons and daughters.

'I will no longer help them,' he said; 'then I will see what happens to them, those stubborn, unfaithful people.

Don't think that the LORD is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help!

You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.

The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good---they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs!

You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go,

The people say, "Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness,

We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.

We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies.

There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime." The LORD has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice.

Some will fight against the Babylonians, who will fill the houses with the corpses of those whom I am going to strike down in my anger and fury. I have turned away from this city because of the evil things that its people have done.

But evil people are doomed; what they have done to others will now be done to them.

Other people are selfish and reject what is right, in order to follow what is wrong; on them God will pour out his anger and fury.

There will be suffering and pain for all those who do what is evil, for the Jews first and also for the Gentiles.