Jeremias 5

1 Løb om i Jerusalems Gader, mærk jer, hvad I ser, og søg paa dets Torve, om I kan finde nogen, om der er en, som øver Ret, lægger Vind paa Sandhed, saa jeg kan tilgive dem.

“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.

2 Siger de: »Saa sandt HERREN lever«, sværger de falsk.

Though they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’ surely they swear falsely.”

3 HERRE, dine Øjne ser jo efter Sandhed. Du slog dem, de ømmed sig ikke; du lagde dem øde, de vilde ej tage ved Lære, gjorde Ansigtet haardere end Flint, vilde ej vende om.

O LORD, 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.

4 Da tænkte jeg: »Det er kun Smaafolk, Daarer er de, thi de kender ej HERRENS Vej, deres Guds Ret;

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

5 jeg vil vende mig til de store og tale med dem, de kender da HERRENS Vej, deres Guds Ret!« Men alle havde sønderbrudt Aaget, sprængt deres Baand.

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

6 Derfor skal en Løve fra Skoven slaa dem, en Ulv fra Ødemarken hærge dem, en Panter lure ved Byerne; enhver, som gaar derfra, rives sønder; thi talrige er deres Synder, mange deres Frafald.

Therefore 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 Hvor kan jeg vel tilgive dig? Dine Sønner forlod mig og svor ved Guder, som ikke er Guder. Naar jeg mætted dem, horede de, slog sig ned i Skøgens Hus;

“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.

8 de blev fede, gejle Hingste, de vrinsker hver efter Næstens Hustru.

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

9 Skal jeg ikke hjemsøge sligt? saa lyder det fra HERREN, skal ikke min Sjæl tage Hævn over sligt et Folk?

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

10 Stig op paa dets Mure, læg øde, men ikke helt! Ryk Rankerne op, thi HERREN tilhører de ikke.

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

11 Thi svigefulde er de imod mig, Israels Hus og Judas Hus, saa lyder det fra HERREN.

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

12 De fornægter HERREN og siger: »Det betyder intet! Ulykke kommer ej over os, vi skal ikke se Sværd og Hunger;

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

13 Profeterne bliver til Vind, Guds Ord er ej i dem; gid Ordet maa ramme dem selv!«

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

14 Derfor, saa siger HERREN, Hærskarers Gud: Fordi I siger dette Ord, se, derfor gør jeg mine Ord i din Mund til Ild og dette Folk til Brænde, som Ild skal fortære.

Therefore the LORD, the God of Hosts 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.

15 Se, jeg bringer over eder et Folk fra det fjerne, Israels Hus, saa lyder det fra HERREN, et Folk, som er stærkt, et Folk fra Fortids Dage, et Folk, hvis Maal du ej kender, hvis Tale du ikke fatter;

Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says the LORD. “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.

16 som en aaben Grav er dets Kogger, de er alle Kæmper;

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

17 det skal æde dit Korn og dit Brød, det skal æde dine Sønner og Døtre, det skal æde dit Smaakvæg og Hornkvæg, det skal æde din Vinstok og dit Figentræ; med Sværd skal de lægge dine Fæstninger øde, dem, som du stoler paa.

They 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 Men selv i de Dage, lyder det fra HERREN, vil jeg ikke udslette eder.

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

19 Og naar de siger: »Hvorfor har HERREN vor Gud gjort os alt det?« sig saa til dem: »Som I forlod mig og tjente fremmede Guder i eders Land, saaledes skal I tjene fremmede i et Land, der ikke er eders.«

It will happen when you say, ‘Why has the LORD 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 Forkynd dette i Jakobs Hus og kundgør det i Juda:

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

21 Hør dette, du taabelige Folk, som er uden Forstand, som har Øjne, men ikke ser, og Ører, men ikke hører:

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

22 Vil I ikke frygte mig, lyder det fra HERREN, eller bæve for mit Aasyn? Jeg, som gjorde Sandet til Havets Grænse, et evigt Skel, som det ikke kan overskride; selv om det bruser, evner det intet; om end dets Bølger larmer, kan de ikke overskride det.

Don’t you fear me?’ says the LORD; ‘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 Dette Folk har et trodsigt og genstridigt Hjerte, de faldt fra og gik bort.

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

24 De siger ikke i deres Hjerte: »Lad os frygte HERREN vor Gud, som giver os Regn, Tidligregn og Sildigregn, til rette Tid og sikrer os Ugerne, da der skal høstes.«

They don’t say in their heart, ‘Let’s now fear the LORD 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 Eders Misgerninger bragte dem i Ulave, eders Synder unddrog eder det gode.

“Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good from you.

26 Thi der findes gudløse i mit Folk; de ligger paa Lur, som Fuglefængere dukker de sig; de sætter Fælder, de fanger Mennesker.

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

27 Som et Bur er fuldt af Fugle, saaledes er deres Huse fulde af Svig; derfor blev de store og rige.

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

28 De er tykke og fede; og saa strømmer de over med onde Ord; de hævder ikke den faderløses Ret, at det maatte gaa dem vel, og hjælper ikke de fattige til deres Ret.

They 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 defend the rights of the needy.

29 Skulde jeg ikke hjemsøge sligt? lyder det fra HERREN; skulde min Sjæl da ikke tage Hævn over sligt et Folk?

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

30 Gyselige, grufulde Ting gaar i Svang i Landet;

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

31 Profeterne profeterer Løgn, Præsterne skraber til sig, og mit Folk vil have det saa. Men hvad vil I gøre, naar Enden kommer?

The 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?