Because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the
children of Judah
His anger and fury were because of their sins, and so his carrying them captive: which they have done to provoke me to anger;
which was done, as if they had done it on purpose to provoke him; and which was done, not by a few, but by them all; not by the lower people only, but by men of every rank and order; as follows: they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets;
that is, their false prophets, as the Targum; yea, all the inhabitants of the land, both in city and country: and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
the "metropolis" of the nation; the seat of the kings of Judah; and where the temple was, the priests ministered, and the prophets taught, and the people came up to worship.