People are so stupid and know so little. Goldsmiths are made ashamed by their idols, because those statues are only false gods. They have no breath in them.
The priests didn’t ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ The people who know the teachings didn’t know me. The leaders turned against me. The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal and worshiped useless idols.
This is what the Lord says: “Write this down in the record about Jehoiachin: He is a man without children, a man who will not be successful in his lifetime. And none of his descendants will be successful; none will sit on the throne of David or rule in Judah.”
The enemy will steal their camels and their large herds of cattle as war prizes. I will scatter the people who cut their hair short to every part of the earth, and I will bring disaster on them from everywhere,” says the Lord.
“The people of Israel are like a flock of sheep that are scattered from being chased by lions. The first lion to eat them up was the king of Assyria. The last lion to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”
These wise teachers refused to listen to the word of the Lord, so they are not really wise at all. They will be ashamed. They will be shocked and trapped.
As a shepherd takes care of his scattered flock when it is found, I will take care of my sheep. I will save them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.
The Lord says, “I am angry at my shepherds, and I will punish the leaders. I, the Lord All-Powerful, care for my flock, the people of Judah. I will make them like my proud war horses.
“Sword, hit the shepherd. Attack the man who is my friend,” says the Lord All-Powerful. “Kill the shepherd, and the sheep will scatter, and I will punish the little ones.”