Jeremiah 5:20-31
The Message
20-25 “Tell the house of Jacob this,
put out this bulletin in Judah:
Listen to this,
you scatterbrains, airheads,
With eyes that see but don’t really look,
and ears that hear but don’t really listen.
Why don’t you honor me?
Why aren’t you in awe before me?
Yes, me, who made the shorelines
to contain the ocean waters.
I drew a line in the sand
that cannot be crossed.
Waves roll in but cannot get through;
breakers crash but that’s the end of them.
But this people—what a people!
Uncontrollable, untamable runaways.
It never occurs to them to say,
‘How can we honor our God with our lives,
The God who gives rain in both spring and autumn
and maintains the rhythm of the seasons,
Who sets aside time each year for harvest
and keeps everything running smoothly for us?’
Of course you don’t! Your bad behavior blinds you to all this.
Your sins keep my blessings at a distance.
To Stand for Nothing and Stand Up for No One
26-29 “My people are infiltrated by wicked men,
unscrupulous men on the hunt.
They set traps for the unsuspecting.
Their victims are innocent men and women.
Their houses are stuffed with ill-gotten gain,
like a hunter’s bag full of birds.
Pretentious and powerful and rich,
hugely obese, oily with rolls of fat.
Worse, they have no conscience.
Right and wrong mean nothing to them.
They stand for nothing, stand up for no one,
throw orphans to the wolves, exploit the poor.
Do you think I’ll stand by and do nothing about this?”
God’s Decree.
“Don’t you think I’ll take serious measures
against a people like this?
* * *
30-31 “Unspeakable! Sickening!
What’s happened in this country?
Prophets preach lies
and priests hire on as their assistants.
And my people love it. They eat it up!
But what will you do when it’s time to pick up the pieces?”
Jeremiah 5:20-31
New International Version
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(A) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(B)
who have eyes(C) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(D)
22 Should you not fear(E) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(F) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(G)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(H) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(I) hearts;
they have turned aside(J) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(K) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(L) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(M)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(N)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(O)
who lie in wait(P) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(Q) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(R)
they have become rich(S) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(T) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(U)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(V)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(W) myself
on such a nation as this?
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.