Jeremiah 5

1 “Go to and fro in streets of Jerusalem, And see now and know, And seek in her broad places, If you find a man, If there is one doing judgment, Seeking steadfastness—Then I am propitious to her.

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.

2 And if they say, YHWH lives, Surely they swear to a falsehood.”

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

3 YHWH, Your eyes, are they not on steadfastness? You have struck them, and they have not grieved, You have consumed them, They have refused to receive instruction, They made their faces harder than a rock, They have refused to turn back.

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.

4 And I said, “Surely these [are] poor, They have been foolish, For they have not known the way of YHWH, The judgment of their God.

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.

5 I go to the great, and I speak with them, For they have known the way of YHWH, The judgment of their God.” Surely they have broken the yoke together, They have drawn away the bands.

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.

6 Therefore a lion out of the forest has struck them, A wolf of the deserts spoils them, A leopard is watching over their cities, Everyone who is going out of them is torn, For their transgressions have been many, Their backslidings have been mighty.

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.

7 “I am not propitious to you for this, Your sons have forsaken Me, And are satisfied by [those who are] not gods, I satisfy them, and they commit adultery, And at the house of a harlot They gather themselves together.

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.

8 Fed horses—they have been early risers, They each neigh to the wife of his neighbor.

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

9 Do I not lay a charge for these?” A declaration of YHWH, “And on a nation such as this, Does My soul not avenge itself?

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

10 Go up on her walls, and destroy, And I do not make a completion, Turn her branches aside, For they [are] not YHWH’s,

Go up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end; take away her battlements, for they are not Jehovah's.

11 For the house of Israel has dealt treacherously against Me, And the house of Judah,” A declaration of YHWH.

For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith Jehovah.

12 They have lied against YHWH, And they say, “[It is] not He, Nor does evil come in against us, Indeed, we do not see sword and famine.

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

13 And the prophets become wind, And the word is not in them, Thus it is done to them.”

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

14 Therefore, thus said YHWH, God of Hosts: “Because of your speaking this word, Behold, I am making My words become fire in your mouth, And this people wood, And it has devoured them.

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.

15 Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel,” A declaration of YHWH, “It [is] a strong nation, It [is] an ancient nation, A nation whose tongue you do not know, Nor understand what it speaks.

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.

16 Its quiver [is] as an open tomb, All of them—mighty ones.

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

17 And it has consumed your harvest and your bread, They consume your sons, and your daughters, It consumes your flock, and your herd, It consumes your vine and your fig tree, It makes your fortified cities poor, In which you are trusting—by the sword.

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.

18 And even in those days,” A declaration of YHWH, “I do not make you a completion.

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

19 And it has come to pass, when you say, Why has our God YHWH done all these [things] to us? That you have said to them, As you have forsaken Me, And serve the gods of a foreigner in your land, So you serve strangers in a land [that is] not yours.

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.

20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, And sound it in Judah, saying,

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

21 Now hear this, O people, foolish and without heart, They have eyes, and they do not see, They have ears, and they do not hear.

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

22 Do you not fear Me?” A declaration of YHWH; “Are you not pained from My presence? Who has made sand the border of the sea, A perpetual limit, and it does not pass over it, They shake themselves, and they are not able, Indeed, its billows have sounded, and they do not pass over.

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?

23 And this people has an apostatizing and rebelling heart, They have turned aside, and they go on.

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

24 And they have not said in their heart, Now let us fear our God YHWH, who is giving rain, The autumn rain and the spring rain, in its season, He keeps the appointed weeks of harvest for us.

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.

25 Your iniquities have turned these away, And your sins have kept the good from you.

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

26 For the wicked have been found among My people. He watches like one who sets snares, They have set up a trap—they capture men.

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

27 As a cage full of birds, So their houses are full of deceit, Therefore they have been great, and are rich.

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

28 They have been fat, they have shone, Indeed, they have surpassed the acts of the evil, They have not judged judgment, The judgment of the fatherless—and they prosper, And they have not judged the judgment of the needy.

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.

29 Do I not inspect for these,” A declaration of YHWH, “On a nation such as this, Does My soul not avenge itself?

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

30 An astonishing and horrible thing has been in the land:

An appalling and horrible thing is committed in the land:

31 The prophets have prophesied falsely, And the priests bear rule by their means, And My people have loved [it] so, And what do they do at its latter end?”

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?