The look on their faces shows that they are guilty. They are like the people of Sodom; they don’t care who sees their sin. But it will be very bad for them. They will get what they deserve.
Then the Lord said, “What have you done? You killed your brother and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. Now his blood is shouting to me from the ground. So you will be cursed from this ground.
People worked in your fields, but you did not pay them. They are crying out against you. They harvested your crops. Now the Lord All-Powerful has heard their cries.
“We know that this is our fault. We are now suffering because of our sins. Lord, do something to help us for the good of your name. We admit that we have left you many times. We have sinned against you.
The vineyard that belongs to the Lord All-Powerful is the house of Israel. The grapevine, the plant he loves, is the man of Judah. The Lord hoped for justice, but there was only killing. He hoped for fairness, but there were only cries from people being treated badly.
I have even seen the prophets of Jerusalem doing sinful things. They are committing adultery and living a life of lies. They support their fellow prophets and never stop doing evil. They have become like Sodom; they are all like Gomorrah.”
Your older sister was Samaria. She lived to the north of you with her daughters. Your younger sister was Sodom. She lived to the south of you with her daughters.
Bring the sickle, because the harvest is ripe. Come, walk on the grapes, because the winepress is full. The barrels will be full and spilling over, because their evil is great.