And when prophets would come along and show them from God's Word, they would refuse to hear. If we can convince ourselves through our doctrine that repentance isn't necessary, then we can feel guilt-free when we don't repent. But God sees all this. Dumb' animals know how to behave. Sparrows know when to build nests and raise their young.
Cranes know when it's time to fly south for winter, and back north for summer.
The bears know when to hibernate. You don't need to teach a kitten how to lick itself and groom itself clean. Scribes were the ones who copied the Scriptures. If they only have perVersions, and not God's Word, they don't have the means to be saved. And after enough years of this, they now no longer even pretend to follow God's Word.