1 Israel was like a spreading vine. They produced fruit for themselves. As they grew more fruit, they built more altars. As their land became richer, they made the sacred stones they worshiped more beautiful.
2 Their hearts are dishonest. So now they must pay for their sins. The Lord will tear their altars down. He'll destroy their sacred stones.
3 Then they'll say, "We don't have a king. That's because we didn't have any respect for the Lord. But suppose we did have a king. What could he do for us?"
4 They make a lot of promises. They make agreements among themselves. They take oaths they don't mean to keep. So court cases spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.