Jeremiah 5

1 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.

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

And though they say: 'As the LORD liveth', surely they swear falsely.

3 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.

O LORD, are not Thine eyes upon truth? Thou hast stricken them, but they were not affected; 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 But I said: Perhaps these are poor and foolish, that know not the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God.

And I said: 'Surely these are poor, they are foolish, for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the ordinance of their God;

5 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.

I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of the LORD, and the ordinance of their God.' But these had altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bands.

6 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.

Wherefore a lion out of the forest doth slay them, a wolf of the deserts doth spoil them, a leopard watcheth over their cities, every one that goeth out thence is torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, their backslidings are increased.

7 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.

Wherefore should I pardon thee? The children have forsaken Me, and sworn by no-gods; and when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots' houses.

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

They are become as well-fed horses, lusty stallions; every one neigheth after his neighbour's wife.

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

Shall I not punish for these things? saith the LORD; and shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10 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.

Go ye up into her rows, and destroy, but make not a full end; take away her shoots; for they are not the LORD'S.

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

For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against Me, saith the LORD.

12 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.

They have belied the LORD, and said: 'It is not He, neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine;

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

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

14 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.

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 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.

Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD; it is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

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

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

17 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.

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 batter thy fortified cities, wherein thou trusteth, with the sword.

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

But even in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.

19 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.

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

Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, and announce it in Judah, saying:

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

Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, that have eyes, and see not, that have ears, and hear not:

22 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.

Fear ye not Me? saith the LORD; Will ye not tremble at My presence? Who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, an everlasting ordinance, which it cannot pass; and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.

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

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted, and gone.

24 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.

Neither say they in their heart: 'Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth the former rain, and the latter in due season; that keepeth for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.'

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

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

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

For among My people are found wicked men; they pry, as fowlers lie in wait; they set a trap, they catch men.

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

As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they are become great, and waxen rich;

28 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.

They are waxen fat, they are become sleek; yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they might make it to prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

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

Shall I not punish for these things? saith the LORD; Shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30 Astonishing and wonderful things have been done in the land.

An appalling and horrible thing is come to pass in the land:

31 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?

The prophets prophesy in the service of falsehood, and the priests bear rule at their beck; and My people love to have it so; What then will ye do in the end thereof?