Jeremiah — Chapter 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.

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

3O 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.

4Then 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.

5I 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.

6Therefore 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.

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.

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

9Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

10Go 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.

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

12They 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.

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

14Therefore 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.

15Behold, 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.

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

17They 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.”

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

19And 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.’”

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

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

22Do 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.

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

24They 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.’

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

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

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

28They 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.

29Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

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

31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?

1Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

2And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.

3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

4Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

7How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.

8They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.

9Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’S.

11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD.

12They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

13And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

14Wherefore thus saith the LORD 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.

15Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

16Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.

17And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.

18Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.

19And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

20Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

21Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

22Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which 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 can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

23But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

24Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

25Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

26For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

27As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.

28They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

29Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

31The 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?

1Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that doeth justly, that seeketh truth; and I will pardon her.

2And though they say, As Jehovah liveth; surely they swear falsely.

3O Jehovah, do not thine eyes look upon truth? thou hast stricken them, but they were not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

4Then I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, nor the law of their God:

5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto 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.

6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, [and] their backslidings are increased.

7How can I pardon thee? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots` houses.

8They were as fed horses roaming at large; every one neighed after his neighbor`s wife.

9Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah; and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her branches; for they are not Jehovah`s.

11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith Jehovah.

12They have denied Jehovah, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

13and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

14Wherefore thus saith 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.

15Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

16Their quiver is an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.

17And 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 trustest, with the sword.

18But even in those days, saith Jehovah, I will not make a full end with you.

19And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah our God done all these things unto us? then shalt thou say unto them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served foreign gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

20Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

21Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; that have eyes, and see not; that have ears, and hear not:

22Fear ye not me? saith 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 can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.

23But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

24Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; that preserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

25Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good from you.

26For among my people are found wicked men: they watch, as fowlers lie in wait; they set a trap, they catch men.

27As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxed rich.

28They are waxed fat, they shine: yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

29Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah; shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30A wonderful and horrible thing is come to pass in the land:

31the 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?

1The Lord said, “Go up and down through the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and see for yourselves. Search through its public squares. See if any of you can find a single person who deals honestly and tries to be truthful. If you can, then I will not punish this city.

2These people make promises in the name of the Lord. But the fact is, what they swear to is really a lie.”

3Lord, I know you look for faithfulness. But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse. Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected. They have become as hardheaded as a rock. They refuse to change their ways.

4I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way. They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands. They do not know what their God requires of them.

5I will go to the leaders and speak with them. Surely they know what the Lord demands. Surely they know what their God requires of them.” Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority and refuse to submit to him.

6So like a lion from the thicket, their enemies will kill them. Like a wolf from the rift valley, they will destroy them. Like a leopard, they will lie in wait outside their cities and totally destroy anyone who ventures out. For they have rebelled so much and done so many unfaithful things.

7The Lord asked, “How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem? Your people have rejected me and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all. Even though I supplied all their needs, they were like an unfaithful wife to me. They went flocking to the houses of prostitutes.

8They are like lusty, well-fed stallions. Each of them lusts after his neighbor’s wife.

9I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord. “I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!”

10The Lord commanded the enemy, “March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them. But do not destroy them completely. Strip off their branches for these people do not belong to the Lord.

11For the nations of Israel and Judah have been very unfaithful to me,” says the Lord.

12“These people have denied what the Lord says. They have said, ‘That is not so! No harm will come to us. We will not experience war and famine.

13The prophets will prove to be full of wind. The Lord has not spoken through them. So, let what they say happen to them.’”

14Because of that, the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies said to me: “Because these people have spoken like this, I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire. And I will make this people like wood, which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.”

15The Lord says, “Listen, nation of Israel! I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you. It will be a nation that was founded long ago and has lasted for a long time. It will be a nation whose language you will not know. Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.

16All its soldiers are strong and mighty. Their arrows will send you to your grave.

17They will eat up your crops and your food. They will kill off your sons and your daughters. They will eat up your sheep and your cattle. They will destroy your vines and your fig trees. Their weapons will batter down the fortified cities you trust in.

18“Yet even then I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord.

19“So then, Jeremiah, when your people ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ tell them, ‘It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. So you must serve foreigners in a land that does not belong to you.’

20“Proclaim this message among the descendants of Jacob. Make it known throughout Judah.

21Tell them: ‘Hear this, you foolish people who have no understanding, who have eyes but do not discern, who have ears but do not perceive:

22“You should fear me!” says the Lord. “You should tremble in awe before me! I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea, a permanent barrier that it can never cross. Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail. They may roar, but they can never cross beyond that boundary.”

23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone their own way.

24They do not say to themselves, “Let us revere the Lord our God. It is he who gives us the autumn rains and the spring rains at the proper time. It is he who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.”

25Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming. Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’

26Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people. They lie in wait like bird catchers hiding in ambush. They set deadly traps to catch people.

27Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught, their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit. That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful.

28That is how they have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to the evil things they do. They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it. They do not defend the rights of the poor.

29I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord. “I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!

30Something horrible and shocking is going on in the land of Judah:

31The prophets prophesy lies. The priests exercise power by their own authority. And my people love to have it this way. But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!

1“Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in its wide places, if you can find a man, if there is anyone who does justly, who seeks truth, then I will pardon her.

2Though they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ surely they swear falsely.”

3O Yahweh, don’t your eyes look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to return.

4Then I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they don’t know the way of Yahweh, nor the law of their God.

5I will go to the great men, and will speak to them; for they know the way of Yahweh, and the law of their God.” But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

6Therefore a lion out of the forest will kill them, a wolf of the evenings will destroy them, a leopard will watch against their cities. Everyone who goes out there will be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, and their backsliding has increased.

7“How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and sworn by what are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the prostitutes’ houses.

8They were as fed horses roaming at large. Everyone neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

9Shouldn’t I punish them for these things?” says Yahweh. “Shouldn’t my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10“Go up on her walls, and destroy; but don’t make a full end. Take away her branches, for they are not Yahweh’s.

11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me,” says Yahweh.

12They have denied Yahweh, and said, “It is not he. Evil will won’t come on us. We won’t see sword or famine.

13The prophets will become wind, and the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them.”

14Therefore Yahweh, the God of Armies says, “Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it will devour them.

15Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you don’t know and don’t understand what they say.

16Their quiver is an open tomb. They are all mighty men.

17They will eat up your harvest and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat. They will eat up your flocks and your herds. They will eat up your vines and your fig trees. They will beat down your fortified cities in which you trust with the sword.

18“But even in those days,” says Yahweh, “I will not make a full end of you.

19It will happen, when you say, ‘Why has Yahweh our God done all these things to us?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have forsaken me, and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

20“Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

21‘Hear this now, foolish people without understanding; who have eyes, and don’t see; who have ears, and don’t hear:

22Don’t you fear me?’ says Yahweh ‘Won’t you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can’t pass it? Though its waves toss themselves, yet they can’t prevail. Though they roar, they still can’t pass over it.’

23“But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart. They have revolted and gone.

24They don’t say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear Yahweh 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 turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good from you.

26For among my people are found wicked men. They watch, as fowlers lie in wait. They set a trap. They catch men.

27As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore they have become great, and grew rich.

28They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they don’t judge the right of the needy.

29“Shouldn’t I punish for these things?” says Yahweh. “Shouldn’t my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30“An astonishing and horrible thing has happened in the land.

31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will you do in the end of it?