Jeremiah 5
1 "Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places of it, if you can find a man, if there are any who does justly, who seeks truth; and I will pardon her.
Run you about in the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and know, and seek in her broad places, if you can find [one], if there is any one that does judgment, and seeks faithfulness; and I will pardon them, says the Lord.
2 Though they say, 'As YHWH lives;' surely they swear falsely."
The Lord lives, they say; do they not therefore swear falsely?
3 YHWH, do your eyes not look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were 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, your eyes are upon faithfulness: you have scourged them, but they have not grieved; you have consumed them; but they would not receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; and they would not return.
4 Then I said, "Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they do not know the way of YHWH, nor the law 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 go to the great men, and will speak to them; for they know the way of YHWH, and the law of their God." But these with one accord have 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 Therefore a lion out of the forest shall kill them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; everyone who goes out there shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, and their backsliding is increased.
Therefore has a lion out of the forest struck 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 can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and sworn by what are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the prostitutes' houses.
In what [way] shall I forgive you for these things? Your 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 roaming at large: everyone neighed after his neighbor's wife.
They became as wanton horses: they neighed each one after his neighbor's wife.
9 Shouldn't I punish them for these things?" says YHWH; "and shouldn't my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
Shall I not visit for these things? says the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this.
10 "Go up on her walls, and destroy; but do not make a full end. Take away her branches; for they are not YHWH'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 YHWH.
For the house of Israel have indeed dealt treacherously against me, says the Lord: the house of Juda also
12 They have denied YHWH, 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 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 Therefore thus says YHWH, the God of hosts, "Because you speak this word, look, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Therefore thus says the Lord Almighty, Because you have spoken this word, behold, I have made my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Look, I will bring a nation on you from far, house of Israel," says YHWH. "It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, neither understand what they say.
Behold, I [will] bring upon you a nation from far, O house of Israel, says the Lord; a nation the sound of whose language one shall not understand.
16 Their quiver is an open tomb, they are all mighty men.
[They are] all mighty men:
17 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 beat down your fortified cities, in which you trust, 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 you trusted, with the sword.
18 "But even in those days," says YHWH, "I will not make a full end with you.
And it shall come to pass in those days, says the Lord your God, that I will not utterly destroy you.
19 It will happen, when you say, 'Why has YHWH our God done all these things to us?' Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says YHWH, Just like you have forsaken me, and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'
And it shall come to pass, when you shall say, Therefore has the Lord our God done all these things to us? that you shall say to them, Because you served strange gods in your land, so shall you 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, foolish people, and without understanding; who have eyes, and do not see; who have ears, and do not hear:
Hear you now these things, O foolish and senseless people; who have eyes, and see not; and have ears, and hear not:
22 Do you not fear me?' says YHWH 'Won't you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can't pass it? And though its waves toss themselves, yet they can't prevail; though they roar, yet they can't pass over it.'
will you not be afraid of me? says the Lord; and will you 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: yes, 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 have revolted and gone.
But this people has a disobedient and rebellious heart; and they have turned aside and gone back:
24 Neither do they say in their heart, 'Let us now fear YHWH our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; who preserves 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 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 watch, as fowlers lie in wait. 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 have become great, and grew 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 have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they do not judge the right of the needy.
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 punish for these things?" says YHWH. "Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
Shall I not visit for these things? says the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30 "An astonishing and horrible thing has happened in the land.
Shocking and horrible deeds have been done on the land;
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will you do in the end of it?
the prophets utter unrighteous prophecies, and the priests have clapped their hands: and my people has loved [to have it] thus: and what will you do for the future.
