“‘Wicked scoundrels are
Found among my people.
They take over
The goods of others.
They lurk
Like fowlers,
They set a trap.
They catch human beings.
Like a cage full of birds,
Their houses are full of treachery.
Therefore they have become great.
They have become rich.
They have grown fat.
They have become sleek.
They know no limits
In their deeds of wickedness.
They do not judge
With justice
The cause of the orphans,
To make them prosper.
They do not defend
The rights of the needy.
Shall I not punish them for these things?’
Says Yahweh.
‘Shall I not bring retribution
On a nation such as this?’”
Yahweh, via Jeremiah, justifies his stance against the Israelites. This time he cites the wicked scoundrels in the land among his own people. They actually take the goods of others like robbers. They are like bird trappers, but they set their traps for their fellow humans. They are full of tricks that have made them great, rich, fat, and sleek. They have no limits to their wickedness. When they judge, they judge without justice, especially in the cases of orphans and the needy. Why shouldn’t Yahweh punish them? Why shouldn’t he bring retribution on this whole nation?
