Jeremiah 5

1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broadways thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be [any] that doeth justice, that seeketh fidelity; and I will pardon it.

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 And if they say, [As] Jehovah liveth! surely they swear falsely.

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

3 Jehovah, are not thine eyes upon fidelity? Thou hast smitten them, but they are not sore; thou hast consumed them, they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused 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 And I said, Surely these are the wretched ones, they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, 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 I will go unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of Jehovah, the judgment of their God; but these have altogether broken the yoke, have burst 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 Therefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the evenings shall waste them; the leopard lurketh against their cities, every one that goeth out thence is torn in pieces: for their transgressions are multiplied, their backslidings are increased.

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 Wherefore should I pardon thee? Thy children have forsaken me, and swear by them that are not God. I have satiated them, and they have committed adultery, and they troop to the harlots' house.

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 [As] well fed horses, they roam about, every one neigheth after his neighbour's wife.

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

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

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

10 Go up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end; take away her battlements, for they are not Jehovah'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 dealt very treacherously against me, saith Jehovah.

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

12 They have denied Jehovah, and say, He is not; and evil shall not come upon us, nor shall we see sword nor famine;

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

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

14 Therefore 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.

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

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 as an open sepulchre; they are all mighty men.

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

17 And they shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread, they shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds, they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall destroy with the sword thy strong cities, wherein thou trustedst.

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

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

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

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

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

21 Hear now this, O foolish and heartless people, who have eyes and see not; who have ears, and hear not.

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

22 Will ye not fear me? saith Jehovah. Will ye not tremble at my presence, who have set the sand a bound for the sea by a perpetual decree, and it shall not pass it? and its waves toss themselves, but they do not prevail; and they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

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 this people hath a stubborn and a rebellious heart; they have turned aside and are gone.

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

24 And they say not in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah our God, that giveth rain, both the early and the latter, in its season; who preserveth unto us the appointed weeks of harvest.

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 away these things, and your sins have withholden from you what is good.

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

26 For among my people are found wicked [men]: they lay wait, as fowlers stoop down; they set a trap, they catch men.

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

27 As a cage full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and have enriched themselves.

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

28 They are become fat, they shine, yea, they surpass in deeds of wickedness; they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, and they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not adjudge.

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

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

30 An appalling and horrible thing is committed in the land:

Astonishing and wonderful things have been done in the land.

31 the prophets prophesy falsehood, and the priests rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so. But what will ye do in the end thereof?

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?