22 In that city, you will be like silver melting in a fire. Then you will know that I am the Lord, and that I poured out my anger on you.’”
23 The word of the Lord came to me. He said,
24 “Son of man, speak to Israel. Tell her that she is not pure. I am angry at that country, so that country has not received its rain.
25 The prophets in Jerusalem are making evil plans. They are like a lion—it roars when it begins to eat the animal it caught. They have destroyed many lives. They have taken many valuable things and made widows of many of the women in Jerusalem.
26 “The priests have really hurt my teachings. They don’t treat my holy things right—they don’t show they are important. They treat holy things the same as things that are not holy. They treat clean things like things that are unclean. They don’t teach the people about these things. They refuse to respect my special days of rest. They treat me as though I am not important.
27 “The leaders in Jerusalem are like a wolf eating the animal it has caught. They attack people and kill them just to get rich.
28 “The prophets don’t warn the people—they cover up the truth. They are like workers who don’t really repair a wall—they only put plaster over the holes. They only see lies. They do their magic to learn the future, but they only tell lies. They say, ‘This is what the Lord GOD said.’ But they are only lying—the Lord did not speak to them!