3 The survivors of this evil nation will prefer death to life, wherever I have scattered them, declares the Lord of heavenly forces.
4 Say to them, The Lord proclaims:When people fall down, don’t they get up?When they turn aside, don’t they turn back?
5 Why then does this people, rebellious Jerusalem,persistently turn away from me?They cling to deceitand refuse to return.
6 I have listened carefullybut haven’t heard a word of truth from them.No one regrets their wrongdoing;no one says, "What have I done?"Everyone turns to their own course,like a stallion dashing into the thick of battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky knows the seasons,and the dove, swallow, and cranereturn in due time.But my people don’t know the Lord’s ways.
8 How can you say, "We are wise;we possess the Lord’s Instruction,"when the lying pen of the scribes has surely distorted it?
9 The wise will be shamed and shockedwhen they are caught.Look, they have rejected the Lord’s word;what kind of wisdom is that?