Ἱερεμίας 5
1 περιδράμετε ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς Ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἴδετε καὶ γνῶτε καὶ ζητήσατε ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις αὐτῆς ἐὰν εὕρητε ἄνδρα εἰ ἔστιν ποιῶν κρίμα καὶ ζητῶν πίστιν καὶ ἵλεως ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς λέγει κύριος
Go everywhere through the streets of Jerusalem. Look and pay attention! Search all through her city squares to see if you can find even just one person who does what's right, anyone who is faithful, and I'll forgive the city.
2 ζῇ κύριος λέγουσιν διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπὶ ψεύδεσιν ὀμνύουσιν
They may make promises in my name, but they're not sincere.
3 κύριε οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου εἰς πίστιν ἐμαστίγωσας αὐτούς καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνεσαν συνετέλεσας αὐτούς καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν δέξασθαι παιδείαν ἐστερέωσαν τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ πέτραν καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησαν ἐπιστραφῆναι
Lord, aren't you always looking for faithfulness? You beat them, but they didn't care. You just about destroyed them, but they refused to accept your discipline. They were stubborn, hard as rock, and they wouldn't repent.
4 καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα ἴσως πτωχοί εἰσιν διότι οὐκ ἐδυνάσθησαν ὅτι οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὁδὸν κυρίου καὶ κρίσιν θεοῦ
Then I said to myself, “These people are only the poor—they're just fools who don't know any better. They certainly don't know what the Lord wants, God's right way of living.
5 πορεύσομαι πρὸς τοὺς ἁδροὺς καὶ λαλήσω αὐτοῖς ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐπέγνωσαν ὁδὸν κυρίου καὶ κρίσιν θεοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁμοθυμαδὸν συνέτριψαν ζυγόν διέρρηξαν δεσμούς
Let me go to and talk to the ones in charge. They would surely know what the Lord wants, God's right way of living.” But they had all broken off the yoke as well, and ripped off the chains.
6 διὰ τοῦτο ἔπαισεν αὐτοὺς λέων ἐκ τοῦ δρυμοῦ καὶ λύκος ἕως τῶν οἰκιῶν ὠλέθρευσεν αὐτούς καὶ πάρδαλις ἐγρηγόρησεν ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν πάντες οἱ ἐκπορευόμενοι ἀπ’ αὐτῶν θηρευθήσονται ὅτι ἐπλήθυναν ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν ἴσχυσαν ἐν ταῖς ἀποστροφαῖς αὐτῶν
As a result a lion from the forest will attack them; a wolf from the desert will rip them apart. A leopard will lie in wait for them near their towns, ready to tear to pieces anyone who goes outside. For they keep on rebelling, and turn away from me so often.
7 ποίᾳ τούτων ἵλεως γένωμαί σοι οἱ υἱοί σου ἐγκατέλιπόν με καὶ ὤμνυον ἐν τοῖς οὐκ οὖσιν θεοῖς καὶ ἐχόρτασα αὐτούς καὶ ἐμοιχῶντο καὶ ἐν οἴκοις πορνῶν κατέλυον
Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned me and believe in gods that are not gods. I gave them everything they need, yet they went and committed adultery, gathering together at prostitutes' houses.
8 ἵπποι θηλυμανεῖς ἐγενήθησαν ἕκαστος ἐπὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἐχρεμέτιζον
They're like virile stallions wanting sex, each of them neighing with lust after his neighbor's wife.
9 μὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι λέγει κύριος ἢ ἐν ἔθνει τοιούτῳ οὐκ ἐκδικήσει ἡ ψυχή μου
Shouldn't I punish them for all this? declares the Lord. Shouldn't I retaliate for what this nation has done?
10 ἀνάβητε ἐπὶ τοὺς προμαχῶνας αὐτῆς καὶ κατασκάψατε συντέλειαν δὲ μὴ ποιήσητε ὑπολίπεσθε τὰ ὑποστηρίγματα αὐτῆς ὅτι τοῦ κυρίου εἰσίν
Go through her vineyards and damage them, but don't destroy them completely. Rip off her branches, because they don't belong to the Lord.
11 ὅτι ἀθετῶν ἠθέτησεν εἰς ἐμέ λέγει κύριος οἶκος Ισραηλ καὶ οἶκος Ιουδα
The people of Israel and Judah have completely betrayed me, declares the Lord.
12 ἐψεύσαντο τῷ κυρίῳ ἑαυτῶν καὶ εἶπαν οὐκ ἔστιν ταῦτα οὐχ ἥξει ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς κακά καὶ μάχαιραν καὶ λιμὸν οὐκ ὀψόμεθα
They have lied about the Lord, saying, “He won't do anything. Nothing bad will happen to us. We won't have war or famine.
13 οἱ προφῆται ἡμῶν ἦσαν εἰς ἄνεμον καὶ λόγος κυρίου οὐχ ὑπῆρχεν ἐν αὐτοῖς οὕτως ἔσται αὐτοῖς
The prophets are just like the wind. The Lord doesn't speak through them. What they predict can happen to them!”
14 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἀνθ’ ὧν ἐλαλήσατε τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ δέδωκα τοὺς λόγους μου εἰς τὸ στόμα σου πῦρ καὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον ξύλα καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτούς
So this is the reply from the Lord God Almighty: Because of what you've said, I will make my words like a fire in your mouth and you people like the wood it burns up.
15 ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἔθνος πόρρωθεν οἶκος Ισραηλ λέγει κύριος ἔθνος οὗ οὐκ ἀκούσῃ τῆς φωνῆς τῆς γλώσσης αὐτοῦ
Look! I am bringing a nation from far away to attack you, people of Israel, declares the Lord. It's a powerful nation that has existed for a long time; it's a nation whose language you don't know, and when they speak you can't understand them.
16 πάντες ἰσχυροὶ
Their arrows bring death; they are all strong warriors.
17 καὶ κατέδονται τὸν θερισμὸν ὑμῶν καὶ τοὺς ἄρτους ὑμῶν καὶ κατέδονται τοὺς υἱοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν καὶ κατέδονται τὰ πρόβατα ὑμῶν καὶ τοὺς μόσχους ὑμῶν καὶ κατέδονται τοὺς ἀμπελῶνας ὑμῶν καὶ τοὺς συκῶνας ὑμῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐλαιῶνας ὑμῶν καὶ ἀλοήσουσιν τὰς πόλεις τὰς ὀχυρὰς ὑμῶν ἐφ’ αἷς ὑμεῖς πεποίθατε ἐπ’ αὐταῖς ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ
They will consume your harvest and your food; they will destroy your sons and your daughters; they will eat your flocks and your herds; they will feed on your vines and your fig trees. They will attack and will destroy the fortified towns that you have so much confidence in.
18 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός σου οὐ μὴ ποιήσω ὑμᾶς εἰς συντέλειαν
But even at that time I won't completely destroy you, declares the Lord.
19 καὶ ἔσται ὅταν εἴπητε τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐποίησεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ἡμῖν ἅπαντα ταῦτα καὶ ἐρεῖς αὐτοῖς ἀνθ’ ὧν ἐδουλεύσατε θεοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐν τῇ γῇ ὑμῶν οὕτως δουλεύσετε ἀλλοτρίοις ἐν γῇ οὐχ ὑμῶν
When people ask you Jeremiah, “Why did the Lord our God do all these things to us?” you are to tell them, “In the same way you have abandoned me and served foreign gods here in your country, so you will serve foreigners in a country that isn't your own.”
20 ἀναγγείλατε ταῦτα εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ιακωβ καὶ ἀκουσθήτω ἐν τῷ Ιουδα
Announce this to the people of Jacob and Judah:
21 ἀκούσατε δὴ ταῦτα λαὸς μωρὸς καὶ ἀκάρδιος ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ οὐ βλέπουσιν ὦτα αὐτοῖς καὶ οὐκ ἀκούουσιν
Listen to this, you foolish, stupid people, who have eyes but don't see, who have ears but don't hear.
22 μὴ ἐμὲ οὐ φοβηθήσεσθε λέγει κύριος ἢ ἀπὸ προσώπου μου οὐκ εὐλαβηθήσεσθε τὸν τάξαντα ἄμμον ὅριον τῇ θαλάσσῃ πρόσταγμα αἰώνιον καὶ οὐχ ὑπερβήσεται αὐτό καὶ ταραχθήσεται καὶ οὐ δυνήσεται καὶ ἠχήσουσιν τὰ κύματα αὐτῆς καὶ οὐχ ὑπερβήσεται αὐτό
Aren't you afraid of what I can do? declares the Lord. Don't you think you should tremble in my presence? I am the one who set up the shore as the sea's boundary, an everlasting limit that it can't cross. The waves crash against it, but they can't defeat it. They roar, but they can't cross the barrier.
23 τῷ δὲ λαῷ τούτῳ ἐγενήθη καρδία ἀνήκοος καὶ ἀπειθής καὶ ἐξέκλιναν καὶ ἀπήλθοσαν
But you people have a stubborn and rebellious attitude. You have left me and gone your own way.
24 καὶ οὐκ εἶπον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν φοβηθῶμεν δὴ κύριον τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν τὸν διδόντα ἡμῖν ὑετὸν πρόιμον καὶ ὄψιμον κατὰ καιρὸν πληρώσεως προστάγματος θερισμοῦ καὶ ἐφύλαξεν ἡμῖν
You didn't think to say, “We should appreciate the Lord our God, who sends the autumn and spring rains at the right time, who makes sure we can have a harvest every year.”
25 αἱ ἀνομίαι ὑμῶν ἐξέκλιναν ταῦτα καὶ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ἀπέστησαν τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀφ’ ὑμῶν
Your wrong actions have taken these benefits from you; your sins have deprived you of my blessings.
26 ὅτι εὑρέθησαν ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου ἀσεβεῖς καὶ παγίδας ἔστησαν διαφθεῖραι ἄνδρας καὶ συνελαμβάνοσαν
For there are wicked men among my people. They're like bird-trappers, secretly watching and waiting to catch people in their snare.
27 ὡς παγὶς ἐφεσταμένη πλήρης πετεινῶν οὕτως οἱ οἶκοι αὐτῶν πλήρεις δόλου διὰ τοῦτο ἐμεγαλύνθησαν καὶ ἐπλούτησαν
Their homes are full of their ill-gotten gains, like cages full of birds. That's why they've become powerful and rich.
28 καὶ παρέβησαν κρίσιν οὐκ ἔκριναν κρίσιν ὀρφανοῦ καὶ κρίσιν χήρας οὐκ ἐκρίνοσαν
They've grown fat and smooth, and have become experts in evil. They deny justice to orphans, and they don't defend the rights of those in need.
29 μὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι λέγει κύριος ἢ ἐν ἔθνει τῷ τοιούτῳ οὐκ ἐκδικήσει ἡ ψυχή μου
Shouldn't I punish them for all this? declares the Lord. Shouldn't I retaliate for what this nation has done?
30 ἔκστασις καὶ φρικτὰ ἐγενήθη ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς
Something horrible, something terrible has happened here in this country.
31 οἱ προφῆται προφητεύουσιν ἄδικα καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς ἐπεκρότησαν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ λαός μου ἠγάπησεν οὕτως καὶ τί ποιήσετε εἰς τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα
The prophets give false prophecies; the priests rule as they please. My people love it like this, but what will you do when it all falls apart?
