4 “Jeremiah, say this to the people of Judah: ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘You know if a man falls down, he gets up again. And if a man goes the wrong way, he turns around and comes back.
5 The people of Judah went the wrong way. But why do the people of Jerusalem continue going the wrong way? They believe their own lies. They refuse to turn around and come back.
6 I have listened to them very carefully, but they don’t say what is right. They are not sorry for their sins. They don’t think about the evil they have done. They do things without thinking. They are like horses running into a battle.
7 Even the birds in the sky know the right time to do things. The storks, doves, swifts, and thrushes know when it is time to fly to a new home. But my people don’t know what the Lord wants them to do.
8 “‘You keep saying, “We have the Lord’S teachings. So we are wise!” But this is not true, because the scribes have lied with their pens.
9 These “wise people” refused to listen to the Lord’S teachings. So they are not really wise at all. These “wise people” were trapped. They became shocked and ashamed.
10 So I will give their wives to other men. I will give their fields to new owners. All the people of Israel want more and more money. All of them, from the least important to the most important, are like that. Even the prophets and priests tell lies.