Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORDhath a controversywith the inhabitants of the land, becausethere is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land.
Thereforeshall the landmourn, and every one thatdwelleththereinshalllanguish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea alsoshall be takenaway.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: becausethouhastrejectedknowledge, I willalsorejectthee, thatthoushalt be no priest to me: seeingthouhastforgotten the law of thy God, I willalsoforget thy children.
My people ask counsel at theirstocks, and theirstaffdeclarethuntothem: for the spirit of whoredomshathcausedthem to err, and theyhavegone a whoringfromundertheir God.
Theysacrificeupon the tops of the mountains, and burnincenseupon the hills, underoaks and poplars and elms, because the shadowthereof is good: thereforeyourdaughtersshallcommitwhoredom, and yourspousesshallcommitadultery.
I will not punishyourdaughterswhentheycommitwhoredom, nor yourspouseswhentheycommitadultery: for themselves are separatedwithwhores, and theysacrificewithharlots: therefore the peoplethatdoth not understandshallfall.