So God’s people became dirty with the sins of those other people.\par God’s people were unfaithful to their God\par and did the things those other people did.\par
I spoke to their children. I told them, “Don’t be like your parents. Don’t make yourself filthy with their filthy idols. Don’t follow their laws. Don’t obey their commands.
You must say, ‘The Lord my Master says this: The city is full of murderers. So her time of punishment will come! She made filthy idols for herself. And those idols made her filthy!
“Son of man, {\cf2\super [279]} the family of Israel lived in their own country. But they made that land filthy by the bad things they did. To me, they were like a woman that becomes unclean {\cf2\super [280]} because of her monthly time of bleeding.
Israel, don’t celebrate like the nations do! Don’t be happy! You acted like a prostitute {\cf2\super [84]} and left your God. You did your sexual sin {\cf2\super [85]} on every threshing floor. {\cf2\super [86]}
They must not offer any more sacrifices to their ‘goat idols’! They have chased after those other gods. In that way, they have acted like prostitutes. [308] These rules will continue forever!
You will be able to look at these tassels and remember all the commands that the Lord has given you. Then you will obey the commands. You will not do wrong by forgetting about the commands and doing the things that your own bodies and eyes want.