Jeremiah 5
1 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.
Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places of it, if ye can find a man, if there is any who does justly, who seeks truth, and I will pardon her.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”
And though they say, As Jehovah lives, surely they swear falsely.
3 O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
O Jehovah, do not thine eyes look upon truth? Thou have stricken them, but they were not grieved. Thou have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to return.
4 Then I said, “They are only the poor; they have played the fool, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.
Then I said, Surely these are poor, they are foolish, for they know not the way of Jehovah, nor the law of their God.
5 I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.” But they too, with one accord, had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.
I will go to the great men, and will speak to them, for they know the way of Jehovah, and the law of their God. But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
6 Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces. For their rebellious acts are many, and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.
Therefore a lion out of the forest shall kill them; a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them; a leopard shall watch against their cities. Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
7 “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes.
How can I pardon thee? Thy sons have forsaken me, and sworn by those who are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots' houses.
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
They were as fed horses roaming at large; everyone neighed after his neighbor's wife.
9 Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
Shall I not visit for these things? says Jehovah. And shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD.
Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy, but make not a full end. Take away her branches, for they are not Jehovah's.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me,”
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, says Jehovah.
12 They have lied about the LORD and said: “He will not do anything; harm will not come to us; we will not see sword or famine.
They have denied Jehovah, and said, It is not he. Neither shall evil come upon us, nor shall we see sword nor famine.
13 The prophets are but wind, for the word is not in them. So let their own predictions befall them.”
And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them.
14 Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.
Therefore thus says Jehovah, the God of hosts: Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.
Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, says Jehovah. It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou know not, nor understand what they say.
16 Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men.
Their quiver is an open sepulcher. They are all mighty men.
17 They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”
And they shall eat up thy harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat. They shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds. They shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees. They shall beat down thy fortified cities, wherein thou trust, with the sword.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.
But even in those days, says Jehovah, I will not make a full end with you.
19 And when the people ask, ‘For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ You are to tell them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.’”
And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Why has Jehovah our God done all these things to us? Then thou shall say to them, Just as ye have forsaken me, and served foreign gods in your land, so ye shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:
Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
21 “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, who have eyes, and see not, who have ears, and hear not:
22 Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
Do ye not fear me? says Jehovah. Will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it? And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet they cannot prevail, though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.
But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart. They have revolted and gone.
24 They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’
Neither do they say in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season, who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
25 Your iniquities have diverted these from you; your sins have deprived you of My bounty.
Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good from you.
26 For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.
For among my people are found wicked men. They watch as fowlers lie in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.
27 Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich.
As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore they have become great, and grown rich.
28 They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.
They have grown fat. They shine. Yea, they overflow in deeds of wickedness. They do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper. And they do not judge the right of the needy.
29 Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
Shall I not visit for these things? says Jehovah. Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30 A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land.
An astonishing and horrible thing has come to pass in the land.
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means. And my people love to have it so. And what will ye do in the end thereof?
