IfI goout to the country,Behold,those slainwith the sword!Or ifI enterthe city,Behold,diseasesof famine!For bothprophetand priestHave gone rovingaboutin the landthat they do not know.'"
You whowere fullof noise,You boisteroustown,you exultantcity;Your slainwere not slainwith the sword,Nordid they diein battle.
And thesealsoreelwith wineand staggerfrom strongdrink:The priestand the prophetreelwith strongdrink,They are confusedby wine,they staggerfrom strongdrink;They reelwhile having visions,They totter[when rendering] judgment.
"The priestsdid not say,'Whereis the LORD?'And those who handlethe lawdid not knowMe; The rulersalso transgressedagainst Me, And the prophetsprophesiedby BaalAnd walkedafterthings that did not profit.
"I did not send[these] prophets,But they ran.I did not speakto them, But they prophesied.
The prophetsprophesyfalsely,And the priestsruleon their [own] authority;And My peopleloveit so!But whatwill you doat the endof it?
"For from the leastof them even to the greatestof them, Everyoneis greedyfor gain,And from the propheteven to the priestEveryonedealsfalsely.
Do not goout into the fieldAnd do not walkon the road,For the enemyhas a sword,Terroris on everyside.
"ThereforeI will givetheir wivesto others,Their fieldsto newowners;Becausefrom the leasteven to the greatestEveryoneis greedyfor gain;From the propheteven to the priestEveryonepracticesdeceit.
"See,O LORD,for I am in distress;My spiritis greatlytroubled;My heartis overturnedwithinme, For I have been veryrebellious.In the streetthe swordslays;In the houseit is like death.
"Arise,cryaloudin the nightAt the beginningof the night watches;Pourout your heartlike waterBeforethe presenceof the Lord;Liftup your handsto Him For the lifeof your littleonesWho are faintbecause of hungerAt the headof everystreet."
Betterare those slainwith the swordThanthose slainwith hunger;For they pineaway,being strickenFor lack of the fruitsof the field.
The swordis outsideand the plagueand the famineare within.He whois in the fieldwill dieby the sword;famineand the plaguewill also consumethose in the city.
"But I gaveyou alsocleannessof teethin allyour citiesAnd lackof breadin allyour places,Yet you have not returnedto Me," declaresthe LORD.
Her leaderspronouncejudgmentfor a bribe,Her priestsinstructfor a priceAnd her prophetsdivinefor money.Yet they leanon the LORDsaying,"Is not the LORDin our midst?Calamitywill not comeupon us."
"The LORDwill bringyou and your king,whomyou setoveryou, to a nationwhichneitheryou noryour fathershave known,and thereyou shall serveothergods,woodand stone.
"Moreover, the LORDwill scatteryou among allpeoples,from one endof the earthto the other endof the earth;and thereyou shall serveothergods,woodand stone,whichyou or your fathershave not known.
and in [their] greedthey will exploityou with false words;their judgmentfrom long agois not idle,and their destructionis not asleep.
