1 Listen to this, people of Israel,you that are descended from Judah:You swear by the name of the Lordand claim to worship the God of Israel—but you don't mean a word you say.
2 And yet you are proud to saythat you are citizens of the holy cityand that you depend on Israel's God,whose name is the Lord Almighty.
3 The Lord says to Israel,“Long ago I predicted what would take place;then suddenly I made it happen.
4 I knew that you would prove to be stubborn,as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze.
5 And so I predicted your future long ago,announcing events before they took place,to keep you from claimingthat your idols and images made them happen.