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.

Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and notice, and search in its broad places, if ye can find one man, if there be one that executeth justice, that searcheth for truth: and I will pardon it.

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

And though they say, “As the Lord liveth!” surely they only swear to a falsehood.

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, are not thy eyes [directed] to the truth? thou didst strike them, but they felt it not; thou didst make an end of them, [yet] they refused to accept correction: they made their faces harder than a rock, they 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.

Yet I myself thought, Oh these are but poor; they are foolish; for they knew not the way of the Lord, the ordinance 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 had better go unto the great men, and let me speak with them; for these surely know the way of the Lord, the ordinance of their God; but these altogether have broken the yoke, burst the bands.

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.

Therefore slayeth them the lion out of the forest, the wolf of the deserts wasteth them, the leopard lieth in wait against their cities: every one that cometh out thence shall be torn in pieces; because many are their transgressions, very numerous are their backslidings.

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 shall I for this pardon thee? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by those that are not gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's house.

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

As robust horses they rose by times in the morning: every one neighed after the wife of his neighbor.

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 for these things inflict punishment? saith the Lord: and shall on a nation such as this my soul not be avenged?

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 ye her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: remove her young shoots; for 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 Judah have dealt very treacherously 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, “He existeth not; nor will evil come over us; and the sword and famine shall we not see.

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

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

Therefore thus hath said the Lord the God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth to be a fire, and this people 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.

Lo, I will bring over you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is a most ancient nation, a nation whose language thou wilt not know, and thou wilt not understand what they speak.

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

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

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 consume thy harvest, and thy bread; they shall consume thy sons and thy daughters; they shall consume thy flocks and thy herds; they shall consume thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall depopulate thy fortified cities, those wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.

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

Nevertheless even in those days, saith the Lord, will I not make a full end of you.

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 it shall come to pass, when ye will say, For what reason hath the Lord our God done all these things unto us? that thou shalt say unto them, In the same manner 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 publish it in Judah, saying,

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

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

Do now hear this, O sottish people, who have no heart; who have eyes, and see not; who have 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 ye not fear me? saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand as a bound for the sea by an everlasting law, which it can never pass over? and though the waves thereof be upheaved, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.

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

But this people hath a stubborn and a rebellious heart: they have departed [from the right] and have gone their way.

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 now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, the early and the latter rain, in its season: the appointed weeks of the harvest doth he ever preserve for us.

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

Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden what is good 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 there are found among my people wicked men: they lie in wait, as he that layeth snares; they set a trap, they 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 coop is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore are they become great, and grown rich.

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 fat, they are stout; yea, they surpass even the deeds of the wicked: they pronounce no [just] sentence, the sentence of the fatherless, that they might prosper; and the cause of the needy do they not judge.

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 for these things inflict punishment? saith the Lord: or shall on a nation such as this my soul not be avenged?

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

An astonishing and horrible thing is committed 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 prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so; but what will ye do in the end thereof?