"O generation, see the word of the LORD! Have I been a wilderness to Israel, Or a land of darkness? Why do My people say, 'We are lords; We will come no more to You'?

" And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.

What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected [it] to bring forth [good] grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?

" But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; And you have been weary of Me, O Israel.

You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense.

Hear, O you mountains, the LORD's complaint, And you strong foundations of the earth; For the LORD has a complaint against His people, And He will contend with Israel.

"O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.

You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You [are] near in their mouth But far from their mind.

Therefore the LORD said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

"Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, [are] those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Get far away from the LORD; this land has been given to us as a possession.'

'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with [their] lips, But their heart is far from Me.

But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol [is] a worthless doctrine.

Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image [is] falsehood, And [there is] no breath in them.

They [are] futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.

Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? [Are] You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these.

They have provoked Me to jealousy by [what] is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by [those who are] not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.

"And do not turn aside; for [then you would go] after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they [are] nothing.

And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and [went] after the nations who [were] all around them, [concerning] whom the LORD had charged them that they should not do like them.

"Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy.

and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by the carved image; For his molded image [is] falsehood, And [there is] no breath in them.

They [are] futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.

Those who make them are like them; [So is] everyone who trusts in them.

Those who make an image, all of them [are] useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They [are] their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

because, although they knew God, they did not glorify [Him] as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.