¹⁸ Cursed are those who make use of ox-cords for pulling the evil thing, and the bands of a young ox for their sin!

¹⁴ And in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a shocking thing; they are untrue to their wives, walking in deceit, and they make strong the hands of evil-doers, so that a man may not be turned back from his evil-doing: they have all become like Sodom to me, and its people like Gomorrah.

¹⁰ For the land is full of men who are untrue to their wives; because of the curse the land is full of grief; the green fields of the waste land have become dry; and they are quick to do evil, their strength is for what is not right.

¹⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, Give ear, now, Hananiah; the Lord has not sent you; but you are making this people put their faith in what is false.

¹⁶ For this reason the Lord has said, See, I will send you away from off the face of the earth: this year death will overtake you, because you have said words against the Lord.

¹⁵ Then all the men who had knowledge that their wives were burning perfumes to other gods, and all the women who were present, a great meeting, answering Jeremiah, said,

¹⁶ As for the word which you have said to us in the name of the Lord, we will not give ear to you.

¹⁷ But we will certainly do every word which has gone out of our mouths, burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her as we did, we and our fathers and our kings and our rulers, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then we had food enough and did well and saw no evil.

¹⁸ But from the time when we gave up burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, we have been in need of all things, and have been wasted by the sword and by need of food.

¹⁹ And the women said, When we were burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes in her image and give her our drink offerings without the knowledge of our husbands?

¹⁰ Because, even because they have been guiding my people into error, saying, Peace; when there is no peace; and in the building of a division wall they put whitewash on it:

¹¹ Say to those who put whitewash on it, There will be an overflowing shower; and you, O ice-drops, will come raining down; and it will be broken in two by the storm-wind.

²² Because with your false words you have given pain to the heart of the upright man when I had not made him sad; in order to make strong the hands of the evil-doer so that he may not be turned from his evil way and get life:

¹² And it will come about at that time, that I will go searching through Jerusalem with lights; and I will send punishment on the men who have become like wine stored over-long, who say to themselves, The Lord will not do good and will not do evil.

² They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure.

⁹ For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

²⁴ In what secret place may a man take cover without my seeing him? says the Lord. Is there any place in heaven or earth where I am not? says the Lord.

⁵ Why do these people of Jerusalem go back, for ever turning away? they will not give up their deceit, they will not come back.

⁶ I took note and gave ear, but no one said what is right: no man had regret for his evil-doing, saying, What have I done? everyone goes off on his way like a horse rushing to the fight.

⁷ Truly, the stork in the heavens is conscious of her fixed times; the dove and the swallow and the crane keep to the times of their coming; but my people have no knowledge of the law of the Lord.

⁸ How is it that you say, We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us? But see, the false pen of the scribes has made it false.

⁹ The wise men are shamed, they are overcome with fear and taken: see, they have given up the word of the Lord; and what use is their wisdom to them?

³¹ The prophets give false words and the priests give decisions by their direction; and my people are glad to have it so: and what will you do in the end?

¹³ Then Micah said, Now I am certain that the Lord will do me good, seeing that the Levite has become my priest.

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give your opinion now, what are we to do?

²¹ And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's women who are here looking after his house; then all Israel will have the news that you are hated by your father, and the hands of your supporters will be strong.

²² So they put up the tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's women before the eyes of all Israel.

²³ In those days the opinions of Ahithophel were valued as highly as if through him a man might get direction from God; so were they valued by David as much as by Absalom.

¹¹ He says in his heart, God has no memory of me: his face is turned away; he will never see it.

¹ <To the chief music-maker. Of David.> The foolish man has said in his heart, God will not do anything. They are unclean, they have done evil works; there is not one who does good.

² For he takes comfort in the thought that his sin will not be uncovered and hated.

⁵ Your people are crushed by them, O Lord, your heritage is troubled,

⁶ They put to death the widow and the guest, they take the lives of children who have no father;

⁷ And they say, Jah will not see it, the God of Jacob will not give thought to it.

⁸ Give your mind to my words, you who are without wisdom among the people; you foolish men, when will you be wise?

⁹ Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed?

¹⁰ He who is the judge of the nations, will he not give men the reward of their acts, even he who gives knowledge to man?

¹¹ The Lord has knowledge of the thoughts of man, for they are only a breath.

¹⁵ Because you have said, We have made death our friend, and with the underworld we have made an agreement; when the overflowing waters come through they will not come near us; for we are looking to false words for help, taking cover in what is untrue:

⁴ No one puts forward an upright cause, or gives a true decision: their hope is in deceit, and their words are false; they are with child with sin, and give birth to evil.

⁵ They give birth to snake's eggs, and make spider's threads: whoever takes their eggs for food comes to his death, and the egg which is crushed becomes a poison-snake.

⁶ Their twisted threads will not make clothing, and their works will give them nothing for covering themselves: their works are works of sin, and violent acts are in their hands.

⁷ Their feet go quickly to evil, and they take delight in the death of the upright; their thoughts are thoughts of sin; wasting and destruction are in their ways.

⁸ They have no knowledge of the way of peace, and there is no sense of what is right in their behaviour: they have made for themselves ways which are not straight; whoever goes in them has no knowledge of peace.

⁵ And the man Micah had a house of gods; and he made an ephod and family gods and put one of his sons in the position of priest.