5 Forget their sins, and think only of your own power and glory.
6 You are the Lord our God, and we will praise you.
7 You have made us fear you, so that we would pray to you. We are here as captives, yet we will praise you and turn from the sinful ways of our ancestors.
8 They sinned against you, and you have punished us by scattering us here among the nations, where we have been insulted and cursed.
9 Listen carefully, people of Israel, so you can learn about wisdom and the commands that lead to life.
10 You have lived in this enemy land so long that you are now much older. You are unfit to worship the Lord and are unclean, like a dead body.
11 In fact, you are almost dead yourselves! Don't you know why these things are happening to you?