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 thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that doeth justly, that seeketh 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 the LORD liveth; 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 LORD, 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.

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 the LORD, nor the judgment 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 get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God. But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bands.

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.

Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, 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.

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 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.

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

They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’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? saith the LORD: 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 the LORD’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, saith the LORD.

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 the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither 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 unto 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.

Wherefore thus saith the LORD, 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, 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.

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

Their quiver is an open sepulchre, 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 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 beat down thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustest, 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, saith the LORD, 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, Wherefore hath the LORD our God done all these things unto us? then shalt thou say unto 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.

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; which have eyes, and see not; which 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.

Fear 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.

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

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are 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 say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; that reserveth unto 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 withholden 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 are become great, and waxen 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 are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness: they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they should prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

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? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

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

A wonderful and horrible thing is 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?