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.

“Rush about through the streets of Jerusalem; search in her city squares, too. Then look and think about this: If you can find a man or anyone who is acting justly and trying to act faithfully, then I will forgive Jerusalem.

2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”

Although they say, 'As Yahweh lives,' yet they are swearing 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.

Yahweh, do your eyes not look for faithfulness? You struck the people, but they do not feel pain. You have completely defeated them, but they still refuse to receive discipline. They make their faces harder than rock, for they refuse to repent.

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.

So I said, “Surely these are only poor people. They are foolish, for they do not know Yahweh's ways, nor their God's decrees.

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 important people and declare God's messages to them, for they at least know Yahweh's ways, the decrees of their God.” But they all broke their yoke together; they all tore apart the chains that bound them to God.

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.

So a lion from a thicket will attack them. A wolf from the Arabah will ruin them. A lurking panther will come against their cities. Anyone who goes outside his city will be torn apart. For their transgressions increase. Their acts of faithlessness are unlimited.

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.

Why should I pardon these people? Your sons have abandoned me and have made oaths by what are not gods. I fed them fully, but they committed adultery and walked in great numbers to the houses of prostitutes.

8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

They were horses in heat. They roamed about wanting to mate. Each man neighed to 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?

So should I not punish them—this is Yahweh's declaration— and should I not avenge myself on a nation that is like 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 up onto her vineyards' terraces and destroy. But do not bring complete destruction to them. Trim their vines, since those vines do not come from Yahweh.

11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me,”

For the houses of Israel and Judah have completely betrayed me—this is Yahweh's declaration.

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 spoken falsely about Yahweh and they said, “He will do nothing; no harm will come upon us, and we will not see sword or famine.

13 The prophets are but wind, for the word is not in them. So let their own predictions befall them.”

The prophets will become wind, the word is not in them, so let what they say 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.

So Yahweh, the God of hosts says this, “Because you have said this, see, I am about to place my word in your mouth. It will be like a fire, and this people will be like wood! For it will consume 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.

Behold! I am about to bring a nation against you from far away, house of Israel—this is Yahweh's declaration— it is a lasting nation, an ancient nation! It is a nation whose language you do not know, nor will you understand what they say.

16 Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men.

Its quiver is like an open tomb. They are all soldiers.

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.”

So your harvest will be consumed, your sons and daughters also, and your food. They will eat your flocks and cattle; they will eat the fruit from your vines and fig trees. They will beat down with a sword your fortified cities that you trusted in.

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.

But even in those days—this is Yahweh's declaration—I do not intend to destroy you completely.

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.’”

When you, Israel and Judah, say, 'Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?' then you, Jeremiah, will say to them, 'Just as you abandoned Yahweh and served foreign gods in your land, so you must also serve strangers in a land that is not your own.'

20 Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:

Report this to the house of Jacob and let it be heard in Judah. Say,

21 “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

'Hear this, you foolish people who have no understanding; who have eyes but you cannot see, and you have ears but you cannot hear.

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 you not fear me—this is Yahweh's declaration—or tremble before my face? I have placed a border of sand against the sea, an ongoing decree that it does not violate— even though the sea rises and falls, still it does not violate it. Even though its waves roar, they do not cross it.

23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.

But this people has a stubborn heart. It turns away in rebellion and goes away.

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.’

For they do not say in their hearts, “Let us fear Yahweh our God, the one who brings the rain —the early rain and the late rains—in their right time, keeping the fixed weeks of the harvest for us.”

25 Your iniquities have diverted these from you; your sins have deprived you of My bounty.

Your iniquities kept these things from happening. Your sins have stopped good from coming to you.

26 For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.

For wicked men are found with my people. They watch as someone crouches to capture birds; they set a trap and catch people.

27 Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich.

Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit. So they grow large and become 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 become fat; they shine with well-being. They crossed over all bounds of wickedness. They do not plead the cause of the people, or the cause of the orphan. They prosper even though they have not given justice to 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?

Should I not punish them for these things—this is Yahweh's declaration— and will I not take vengeance for myself on a nation like this?

30 A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land.

Atrocities and horrors have occurred 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 with deceit, and the priests rule with their own power. My people love it this way, but what will happen in the end?'”