“There is no truth or mercy
Or ^(B)knowledge of God in the land.
² By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed ^[b]upon bloodshed.
³ Therefore ^(C)the land will mourn;
And ^(D)everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.

⁴ “Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those ^(E)who contend with the priest.
⁵ Therefore you shall stumble ^(F)in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
^6 (G)My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
^(H)Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.

⁷ “The more they increased,
The more they sinned against Me;
^(I)I^[c] will change ^[d]their glory into shame.
⁸ They eat up the sin of My people;
They set their ^[e]heart on their iniquity.
⁹ And it shall be: ^(J)like people, like priest.
So I will punish them for their ways,
And ^[f]reward them for their deeds.
¹⁰ For ^(K)they shall eat, but not have enough;
They shall commit harlotry, but not increase;
Because they have ceased obeying the Lord.