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 its broad places, if ye can find a man, if there is [any] that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

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

And though they say, 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 thy eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; 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.

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.

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 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.

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 from the forest shall slay them, [and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] 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.

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

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

They were [as] fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor'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 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 upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; 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 shall it be done to 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 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] a mighty 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] as an open sepulcher, 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, [which] thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees: they shall impoverish with the sword thy fortified cities, in which thou hast trusted.

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

Nevertheless 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, Why doeth the LORD our God all these [things] to us? then shalt thou answer 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 people, and without understanding; 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.

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 by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though its waves 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 have a revolting and a rebellious heart; they have 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 rain, both the former and the latter, in its season: he reserveth to 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 withheld good [things] 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 lay wait, as he that setteth snares; 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 have become great, and have grown 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 have become fat, they shine: yes, they surpass 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.

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 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:

A wonderful 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 falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?