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

And though they say: 'As the LORD 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.

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 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 poor, they are foolish, for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the ordinance 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 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 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.

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

They are become as well-fed horses, lusty stallions; 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 punish for these things? saith the LORD; 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 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 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 the LORD.

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 belied the LORD, and said: 'It is not He, neither shall evil come upon us; neither 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 be it 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.

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 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.

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

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

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

But even in those days, saith the LORD, 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 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 this in the house of Jacob, And sound it in Judah, saying,

Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, and announce 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 people, and without understanding, that have eyes, and see not, that 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.

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

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

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 away, And your sins have kept the good from you.

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

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 pry, as fowlers lie in wait; 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 is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they are become great, and waxen rich;

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 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 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 punish for these things? saith the LORD; 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 come to pass 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 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?