Jeremiah 5

1 Run you to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, that seeks the truth; and I will pardon it.

Run ye about in the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and know, and seek in her broad places, if ye can find [one], if there is any one that does judgment, and seeks faithfulness; and I will pardon them, saith the Lord.

2 And though they say, The LORD lives; surely they swear falsely.

The Lord lives, they say; do they not therefore swear falsely?

3 O LORD, are not your eyes on the truth? you have stricken them, but they have not grieved; you have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

O Lord, thine eyes are upon faithfulness: thou hast scourged them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them; but they would not receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; and they would not return.

4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

Then I said, It may be they are poor; for they are weak, for they know not the way of the Lord, or the judgment of God.

5 I will get me to the great men, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

I will go to the rich men, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of God: but, behold, with one consent they have broken the yoke, they have burst the bonds.

6 Why a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goes out there shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

Therefore has a lion out of the forest smitten them, and a wolf has destroyed them even to [their] houses, and a leopard has watched against their cities: all that go forth from them shall be hunted: for they have multiplied their ungodliness, they have strengthened themselves in their revoltings.

7 How shall I pardon you for this? your children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.

In what [way] shall I forgive thee for these things? Thy sons have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: and I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and lodged in harlots' houses.

8 They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

They became as wanton horses: they neighed each one after his neighbour's wife.

9 Shall I not visit for these things? says the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged 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 you up on her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD’s.

Go up upon her battlements, and break [them] down; but make not a full end: leave her buttresses: for they are the Lord's.

11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, says the LORD.

For the house of Israel have indeed dealt treacherously against me, saith the Lord: the house of Juda also

12 They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come on us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

have lied to their Lord, and they have said, These things are not so; no evils shall come upon us; and we shall not see sword or famine.

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

Our prophets became wind, and the word of the Lord was not in them.

14 Why thus says the LORD God of hosts, Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Therefore thus saith the Lord Almighty, Because ye have spoken this word, behold, I have made my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

15 See, I will bring a nation on you from far, O house of Israel, says the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you know not, neither understand what they say.

Behold, I [will] bring upon you a nation from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord; a nation the sound of whose language one shall not understand.

16 Their quiver is as an open sepulcher, they are all mighty men.

[They are] all mighty men:

17 And they shall eat up your harvest, and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat: they shall eat up your flocks and your herds: they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees: they shall impoverish your fenced cities, wherein you trusted, with the sword.

and they shall devour your harvest, and your bread; and shall devour your sons, and your daughters; and they shall devour your sheep, and your calves, and devour your vineyards, and your fig-plantations, and your olive yards: and they shall utterly destroy your strong cities, wherein ye trusted, with the sword.

18 Nevertheless in those days, says the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.

And it shall come to pass in those days, saith the Lord thy God, that I will not utterly destroy you.

19 And it shall come to pass, when you shall say, Why does the LORD our God all these things to us? then shall you answer them, Like as you have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore has the Lord our God done all these things to us? that thou shalt say to them, Because ye 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,

Proclaim these things to the house of Jacob, and let them be heard in the house of Juda.

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

Hear ye now these things, O foolish and senseless people; who have eyes, and see not; and have ears, and hear not:

22 Fear you not me? says the LORD: will you 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?

will ye not be afraid of me? saith the Lord; and will ye not fear before me, who have set the sand for a bound to the sea, [as] a perpetual ordinance, and it shall not pass it: yea, it shall rage, but not prevail; and its waves shall roar, but not pass over it.

23 But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

But this people has a disobedient and rebellious heart; and they have turned aside and gone back:

24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that gives rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

and they have not said in their heart, Let us fear now the Lord our God, who gives us the early and latter rain, according to the season of the fulfillment of the ordinance of harvest, and has preserved [it] for us.

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

Your transgressions have turned away these things, and your sins have removed good things from you.

26 For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that sets snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

For among my people were found ungodly men; and they have set snares to destroy men, and have caught [them].

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

As a snare which has been set is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore have they grown great, and become rich:

28 They are waxen fat, they shine: yes, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

and they have transgressed [the rule of] judgment; they have not judged the cause of the orphan, nor have they judged the cause of the widow.

29 Shall I not visit for these things? says the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged 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?

30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

Shocking and horrible deeds have been done on the land;

31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will you do in the end thereof?

the prophets utter unrighteous prophecies, and the priests have clapped their hands: and my people has loved [to have it] thus: and what will ye do for the future.