Jeremiah 5

1 “Travel the streets of Jerusalem; and gaze, and consider, and seek, in its wide streets. If you can find a man exercising judgment and seeking faith, then I will be forgiving to them.

Go about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and consider, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can fins a man that executeth judgement, and seeketh faith: and I will be merciful unto it.

2 For even though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in this, too, they swear falsely.”

And though they say: The Lord liveth; this also they will swear falsely.

3 O Lord, your eyes look with favor upon faith. You have struck them, and they have not grieved. You have bruised them, and they have refused to accept discipline. They have hardened their faces more than rock, and they are not willing to return.

O Lord, thy eyes are upon truth: thou hast struck them, and they have not grieved: thou hast bruised them, and they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than the rock, and they have refused to return.

4 But I said: Perhaps these are the poor and the senseless, who are ignorant of the way of the Lord, of the judgment of their God.

But I said: Perhaps these are poor and foolish, that know not the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God.

5 Therefore, I will go to great men, and I will speak with them. For they have known the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God. And behold, these ones have broken the yoke all the more; they have torn apart the bonds.

I will go therefore to the great men, and I will speak to them: for they known the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God: and behold these have together broken the yoke more, and have burst the bonds.

6 For this reason, a lion from the forest has struck them down, a wolf toward evening has laid waste to them, a leopard lies in wait over their cities. All who go out from there will be taken. For their transgressions have been multiplied; their rebellions have been strengthened.

Wherefore a lion out of the wood hath slain them, a wolf in the evening, hath spoiled them, a leopard watcheth for their cities: every one that shall go out thence shall be taken, because their transgressions are multiplied, their rebellions are strengthened.

7 “Over which things am I able to be merciful to you? Your sons have forsaken me, and they swear by those who are not gods. I gave them everything, and they committed adultery, and they indulged themselves in the house of the harlot.

How can I be merciful to thee? thy children have forsaken me, and swear by them that are not gods: I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and rioted in the harlot’s house.

8 They have become like wild horses in heat; each one was neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

They are become as amorous horses and stallions, every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

9 Shall I not visit against these things, says the Lord? And shall my soul not take vengeance on a nation such as this?

Shall I not visit for these things, sayeth the Lord? and shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?

10 Scale its walls and tear them down. But do not be willing to bring about its very end. Take away its plantings, for they are not the Lord’s.

Scale down the walls thereof, and throw them down, but do not utterly destroy: take away the branches thereof, because they are not the Lord’s.

11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have greatly transgressed against me, says the Lord.

For the house of Israel, and the house of Juda have greatly transgressed against me, saith the Lord.

12 They have denied the Lord, and they have said, ‘It is not him,’ and, ‘Evil will not overwhelm us. We will not see famine and the sword.’

They have denied the Lord, and said, It is not he: and the evil shall not come upon us: we shall not see the sword and famine.

13 The prophets have spoken into the wind, and there was no answer with them. Therefore, these things will happen to them.”

The prophets have spoken in the wind, and there was no word of God in them: these things therefore shall befall them.

14 Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: “Since you have spoken this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth like fire and this people like wood, and it will devour them.

Thus saith the Lord the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold I will make my words in thy mouth as fire, and this people as wood, and it shall devour them.

15 Behold, O house of Israel, I will lead over you a far away nation, says the Lord, a robust nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you will not know, nor will you understand what they are saying.

Behold I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: a strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou shalt not know, nor understand what they say.

16 Their quiver is like an open sepulcher. They are all strong.

Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all valiant.

17 And they will consume your grain fields and your bread. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vineyards and your figs. And with the sword, they will crush your fortified cities, in which you have placed your trust.

And they shall eat up thy corn, and thy bread: they shall devour thy sons, and thy daughters: they shall eat up thy flocks, and thy herds: they shall eat thy vineyards, and thy figs: and with the sword they shall destroy thy strong cities, wherein thou trustest.

18 Yet truly, in those days, says the Lord, I will not bring the consummation over you.

Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not bring you to utter destruction.

19 And if they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ You shall say to them: ‘Just as you have abandoned me and have served a strange god in your own land, so will you serve strangers in a land not your own.’

And if you shall say: why hath the Lord our God done all these things to us? thou shalt say to them: As you have forsaken me, and served a strange god in your own land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not your own.

20 Announce this to the house of Jacob, and make it known in Judah, saying:

Declare ye this to the house of Jacob, and publish it in Juda, saying:

21 Listen, O foolish people who have no heart! You have eyes, but you do not see, and ears, but you do not hear.

Hear, O foolish people, and without understanding: who have eyes, and see not: and ears, and hear not.

22 So then, will you not fear me, says the Lord. And will you not have sorrow before my face? I have placed the shore as a limit for the sea, as an everlasting precept that it will not transgress. And its waves will crash, but they will not prevail; and its waves will swell, but they will not go across.

Will not you then fear me, saith the Lord: and will you not repent at my presence? I have set the sand a bound for the sea, an everlasting ordinance, which it shall not pass over: and the waves thereof shall toss themselves, and shall not prevail: they shall swell, and shall not pass over it.

23 But the heart of this people has become incredulous and provocative; they have turned away and departed.

But the heart of this people is become hard of belief and provoking, they are revolted and gone away.

24 And they have not said in their heart: ‘Let us dread the Lord our God, who gives us the timely and the late rains, in their proper time, who guards the full measure of the yearly harvest for us.’

And they have not said in their heart: let us fear the Lord our God, who giveth us the early and the latter rain in due season: who preserveth for us the fullness of the yearly harvest.

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

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

26 For the impious are found among my people; they lie in ambush like fowlers setting snares, for they set traps to catch men.

For among my people are found wicked men, that lie in wait as fowlers, setting snares and traps to catch men.

27 Just as a snare is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. As a result, they have become exalted and enriched.

As a net is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit: therefore are they become great and enriched.

28 They have grown stout and fat. And they have transgressed my words most wickedly. They have not judged the case of the widow; they have not given guidance to the case of the orphan; and they have not judged a judgment for the poor.

They are grown gross and fat: and have most wickedly transgressed my words. They have not judged the cause of the widow, they have not managed the cause of the fatherless, they have not judged the judgement of the poor.

29 Shall I not visit against these things, says the Lord? Or shall my soul not take vengeance on a nation of this kind?

Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? or shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?

30 Astonishing and wondrous things have been done upon the earth.

Astonishing and wonderful things have been done in the land.

31 The prophets have prophesied lies, and the priests have applauded with their hands, and my people have loved these things. So then, what shall be done at the very end?”

The prophets prophesied falsehood, and the priests clapped their hands: and my people loved such things: what then shall be done in the end thereof?