For the vineyard of the Lord of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah, the plant he delighted in. He expected justice but saw injustice; he expected righteousness but heard cries of despair.
Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who mowed your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Armies.
The next day he appeared while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying, “Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other? ”
Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings,
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom to them.
‘This is what the Lord God says: You have gone too far, , princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression and do what is just and right. Put an end to your evictions of my people.’ This is the declaration of the Lord God.
This is another thing you do. You are covering the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, because he no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.