27
It is not me that you have betrayed; you have betrayed yourselves.
28
"The Lord Almighty says: I have pleaded with you as a father pleads with his sons, as a mother pleads with her daughters, or as a nursemaid pleads with her small children.
29
I begged you to be my people so that I could be your God, to be my children so that I could be your father.
30
I gathered you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But now what can I do with you? I will banish you from my sight;
31
and even when you offer sacrifices to me, I will turn away from you. Your religious festivals, your New Moon celebrations, or your circumcision ceremonies mean nothing to me.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.