“ What right do my beloved people have to come to my Temple, when they have done so many immoral things? Can their vows and sacrifices prevent their destruction? They actually rejoice in doing evil!

我所亲爱的，既行许多淫乱，圣肉也离了你，你在我殿中做什么呢？你作恶就喜乐。

我所亲爱的既多设恶谋，还能在我殿中做什么呢？你因作恶就喜乐，圣肉要离开你。

我所亲爱的既多设恶谋，还能在我殿中做什么呢？你因作恶就喜乐，圣肉要离开你。

我所爱的子民既然罪恶滔天，还在我殿里做什么？难道祭肉可以为他们消灾免祸吗？他们以作恶为乐。

“我所爱的既然行了罪大恶极的事，还有什么资格在我的殿里呢？难道祭肉可以消除你的灾祸，使你得着欢乐吗？”

我所親愛的，既行許多淫亂，聖肉也離了你，你在我殿中做甚麼呢？你作惡就喜樂。

我所親愛的既多設惡謀，還能在我殿中做甚麼呢？你因作惡就喜樂，聖肉要離開你。

我所親愛的既多設惡謀，還能在我殿中做甚麼呢？你因作惡就喜樂，聖肉要離開你。

我所愛的子民既然罪惡滔天，還在我殿裡做什麼？難道祭肉可以為他們消災免禍嗎？他們以作惡為樂。

“我所愛的既然行了罪大惡極的事，還有甚麼資格在我的殿裡呢？難道祭肉可以消除你的災禍，使你得著歡樂嗎？”

我所愛的人既行了罪大惡極的事，還有甚麼資格在我的殿呢？難道許願或祝聖的肉能使你脫離你的壞事麼？那時你能歡躍麼？

我所愛者、爾既多行淫亂、在我聖室何為、聖胙豈能除爾罪惡、致爾得脫乎、

我之選民、樂與眾同惡、尚入我殿、以獻聖胙、亦奚以為。

昔我所悅者、而今既多行邪惡、在我殿何為、所獻之聖胙、豈能除爾所樂作之惡乎、

“ What is my beloved doing in my temple as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice.”

“ I love the people of Judah. But they are working out their evil plans along with many others. So what are they doing in my temple? Can meat that is offered to me keep me from punishing you? When you do evil things, you get a lot of pleasure from them.”

What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult?

What right does my beloved have to be in my house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can holy meat prevent your disaster so you can celebrate?

What right has My beloved in My house When she has carried out many evil schemes? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice?”

“ What has My beloved to do in My house, Having done lewd deeds with many? And the holy flesh has passed from you. When you do evil, then you rejoice.

What hath my beloved to do in my house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

What right does My beloved have to be in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can holy meat prevent your disaster so you can rejoice?

What hath my beloved to do in mine house,[ seeing] she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

The LORD says to the people of Judah,“ What right do you have to be in my temple, my beloved people? Many of you have done wicked things. Can your acts of treachery be so easily canceled by sacred offerings that you take joy in doing evil even while you make them?

What has my beloved to do in my house, since she has behaved lewdly with many, and the holy flesh has passed from you? When you do evil, then you rejoice.”

They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.

Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.

Then the Lord said to me,“ Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight!

But God says to the wicked:“ Why bother reciting my decrees and pretending to obey my covenant?

“ Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says:“ I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness.

“‘ Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie!Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours,and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant,“ We are safe!”— only to go right back to all those evils again?Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord, have spoken!

‘ If one of you is carrying some meat from a holy sacrifice in his robes and his robe happens to brush against some bread or stew, wine or olive oil, or any other kind of food, will it also become holy?’” The priests replied,“ No.”Then Haggai asked,“ If someone becomes ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person and then touches any of these foods, will the food be defiled?” And the priests answered,“ Yes.”Then Haggai responded,“ That is how it is with this people and this nation, says the Lord. Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin.

She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution.

Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.

“ Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother.They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts.The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.“ Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrian officers.They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, charioteers driving their horses.And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself.For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians slept with her, fondled her breasts, and used her as a prostitute.“ And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much.They stripped her, took away her children as their slaves, and then killed her. After she received her punishment, her reputation was known to every woman in the land.“ Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution.She fawned over all the Assyrian officers— those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms, those charioteers driving their horses— all of them attractive young men.I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.“ Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall— pictures of Babylonian military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms.Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her.So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love. After being defiled, however, she rejected them in disgust.“ In the same way, I became disgusted with Oholibah and rejected her, just as I had rejected her sister, because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts.Yet she turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt.She lusted after lovers with genitals as large as a donkey’s and emissions like those of a horse.And so, Oholibah, you relived your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed your breasts to be fondled.

“ But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding.

On every street corner you defiled your beauty, offering your body to every passerby in an endless stream of prostitution.Then you added lustful Egypt to your lovers, provoking my anger with your increasing promiscuity.That is why I struck you with my fist and reduced your boundaries. I handed you over to your enemies, the Philistines, and even they were shocked by your lewd conduct.You have prostituted yourself with the Assyrians, too. It seems you can never find enough new lovers! And after your prostitution there, you still were not satisfied.You added to your lovers by embracing Babylonia, the land of merchants, but you still weren’t satisfied.“ What a sick heart you have, says the Sovereign Lord, to do such things as these, acting like a shameless prostitute.You build your pagan shrines on every street corner and your altars to idols in every square. In fact, you have been worse than a prostitute, so eager for sin that you have not even demanded payment.Yes, you are an adulterous wife who takes in strangers instead of her own husband.Prostitutes charge for their services— but not you! You give gifts to your lovers, bribing them to come and have sex with you.So you are the opposite of other prostitutes. You pay your lovers instead of their paying you!

Then the Lord said to me,“ Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.”

The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable, especially when it is offered with wrong motives.

Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon

“ Return home, you wayward children,” says the Lord,“ for I am your master. I will bring you back to the land of Israel— one from this town and two from that family— from wherever you are scattered.

Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

“ What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord.“ I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings.I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.

“ I have abandoned my people, my special possession. I have surrendered my dearest ones to their enemies.

Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible.

It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed,“ Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!”

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but he delights in the prayers of the upright.

This is what the Lord says:“ Was your mother sent away because I divorced her? Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? No, you were sold because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins.

“ If a man divorces a woman and she goes and marries someone else, he will not take her back again, for that would surely corrupt the land. But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers, so why are you trying to come back to me?” says the Lord.“ Look at the shrines on every hilltop. Is there any place you have not been defiled by your adultery with other gods? You sit like a prostitute beside the road waiting for a customer. You sit alone like a nomad in the desert. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and your wickedness.