Jeremiah, 5

1. Rove the streets of Jerusalem, now look and enquire, see in her squares if you can find an individual, one individual who does right and seeks the truth, and I will pardon her, Yahweh says.

1. Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth; that I may pardon her.

2. Although they say, 'As Yahweh lives,' they are, in fact, swearing a false oath.

2. Though they say, "As the LORD lives," yet they swear falsely.

3. Yahweh, do your eyes not look for truth? You have struck them; they have not felt it. You have annihilated them, for they ignored the lesson. They have set their faces harder than rock, they have refused to repent.

3. O LORD, do not thy eyes look for truth? Thou hast smitten them, but they felt no anguish; thou hast consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.

4. I thought, 'These are only the poor! They behave stupidly since they do not know Yahweh's way or the ruling of their God.

4. Then I said, "These are only the poor, they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the law of their God.

5. I shall approach the great men and speak to them, for these will know Yahweh's way and the ruling of their God.' But these, too, have broken the yoke, have burst the bonds.

5. I will go to the great, and will speak to them; for they know the way of the LORD, the law of their God." But they all alike had broken the yoke, they had burst the bonds.

6. And so, a lion from the forest will slaughter them, a wolf from the plains will despoil them, a leopard will be lurking round their towns: anyone who goes out will be torn to pieces -- because of their many crimes, their countless infidelities.

6. Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, a wolf from the desert shall destroy them. A leopard is watching against their cities, every one who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.

7. 'Why should I pardon you? Your sons have abandoned me, to swear by gods that are not gods at all. I fed them full, and they became adulterers, they hurried to the brothel.

7. "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of harlots.

8. They are well-fed, roving stallions, each neighing for his neighbour's wife.

8. They were well-fed lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife.

9. Shall I fail to punish this, Yahweh demands, or on such a nation to exact vengeance?

9. Shall I not punish them for these things? says the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?

10. Scale her terraces! Destroy! But do not annihilate her completely! Strip off her branches, for Yahweh does not own them!

10. "Go up through her vine-rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the LORD's.

11. How treacherously they have treated me, the House of Israel and the House of Judah! Yahweh declares.

11. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly faithless to me, says the LORD.

12. 'They have denied Yahweh, they have said, "He is nothing; no evil will overtake us, we shall not see sword or famine.

12. They have spoken falsely of the LORD, and have said, `He will do nothing; no evil will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.

13. And the prophets? Nothing but wind; the word is not in them; let those very things happen to them!" '

13. The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!'"

14. Because of this, Yahweh, God Sabaoth, says this, 'Since you have said such things, now I shall make my words a fire in your mouth, and make this people wood, for the fire to devour.

14. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: "Because they have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.

15. Now I shall bring on you a nation from afar, House of Israel, Yahweh declares, an enduring nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you grasp what they say.

15. Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, says the LORD. It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.

16. Their quiver a gaping tomb, they are all of them fighters.

16. Their quiver is like an open tomb, they are all mighty men.

17. They will devour your harvest and your food, devour your sons and daughters, devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees, and demolish your fortified towns in which you trust -- with the sword!'

17. They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall destroy with the sword."

18. 'Yet even in those days, Yahweh declares, I shall not annihilate you completely.

18. "But even in those days, says the LORD, I will not make a full end of you.

19. 'And when you ask, "Why has Yahweh our God done all this to us?" you will give them this answer, "As you abandon me to serve alien gods in your own country, so you must serve aliens in a country not your own."

19. And when your people say, `Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, `As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'"

20. 'Announce this in the House of Jacob, proclaim it in Judah, and say,

20. Declare this in the house of Jacob, proclaim it in Judah:

21. "Now listen to this, stupid, brainless people who have eyes and do not see, who have ears and do not hear!

21. "Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.

22. Have you no fear of me? Yahweh demands. Will you not tremble before me who set the sand as limit to the sea, as an everlasting barrier it cannot pass? Its waves may toss but not prevail, they may roar but cannot pass beyond.

22. Do you not fear me? says the LORD; Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the bound for the sea, a perpetual barrier which it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail, though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

23. But this people has a rebellious, unruly heart; they have rebelled and gone!

23. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.

24. Nor do they say to themselves: Now we ought to fear Yahweh our God who gives the rain, of autumn and of spring, at the right season, and reserves us the weeks appointed for harvest.

24. They do not say in their hearts, `Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.'

25. Your misdeeds have upset all this, your sins have deprived you of these blessings."

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

26. Yes, there are wicked men among my people who watch like fowlers on the alert; they set traps and they catch human beings.

26. For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

27. Like a cage full of birds so are their houses full of loot; they have grown rich and powerful because of it,

27. Like a basket full of birds, their houses are full of treachery; therefore they have become great and rich,

28. they are fat, they are sleek, in wickedness they go to any lengths: they have no respect for rights, for orphans' rights, and yet they succeed! They have not upheld the cause of the needy.

28. they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of wickedness; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

29. Shall I fail to punish this, Yahweh demands, or on such a nation to exact vengeance?

29. Shall I not punish them for these things? says the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?"

30. Horrible, disgusting things are happening in the land:

30. An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:

31. the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests exploit the people. And my people love it! But when the end comes, what will you do?

31. the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?