Jeremiah 5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Utter Corruption of God’s People
5 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and take note!
Search its squares and see
if you can find one person
who acts justly
and seeks truth—
so that I may pardon Jerusalem.[a](A)
2 Although they say, “As the Lord lives,”
yet they swear falsely.(B)
3 O Lord, do your eyes not look for truth?
You have struck them,
but they felt no anguish;
you have consumed them,
but they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
they have refused to turn back.(C)
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.(D)
5 Let me go to the rich[b]
and speak to them;
surely 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.(E)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall kill them;
a wolf from the desert shall destroy them.
A leopard is watching against their cities;
everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces,
because their transgressions are many;
their faithlessness is great.(F)
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 prostitutes.(G)
8 They were well-fed lusty stallions,
each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.(H)
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?
says the Lord,
and shall I not bring retribution
on a nation such as this?(I)
10 Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
but do not make a full end;
strip away her branches,
for they are not the Lord’s.(J)
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
have been utterly faithless to me,
says the Lord.(K)
12 They have spoken falsely of the Lord
and have said, “He will do nothing.
No evil will come upon us,
and we shall not see sword or famine.”(L)
13 The prophets are nothing but wind,
for the word is not in them.
Thus shall it be done to them!(M)
14 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts:
Because you have spoken this word,
I am now making my words in your mouth a fire
and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.(N)
15 I am going to bring upon you
a nation from far away, 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.(O)
16 Their quiver is like an open tomb;
all of them are mighty warriors.(P)
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;
they shall destroy with the sword
your fortified cities in which you trust.(Q)
18 But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a full end of you.(R) 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.”(S)
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob;
proclaim it in Judah:
21 Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear.(T)
22 Do you not fear me? says the Lord;
Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
though they roar, they cannot pass over it.(U)
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.(V)
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.”(W)
25 Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have deprived you of good.(X)
26 For the wicked are found among my people.
They lie in wait like hunters;
destroyers,[c] they catch humans.(Y)
27 Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of treachery;
therefore they have become great and rich;(Z)
28 they have grown fat and sleek.
They know no limits in deeds of wickedness;
they do not judge with justice
the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.(AA)
29 Shall I not punish them for these things?
says the Lord,
and shall I not bring retribution
on a nation such as this?(AB)
Jeremiah 5
International Standard Version
A Dialogue about Righteousness: The Lord Speaks
5 “Wander through the streets of Jerusalem.
Look and investigate;[a]
search through her squares
and see whether you find anyone—
even one person there—doing justice and seeking truth.
Then I’ll forgive them.[b]
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
still they are swearing falsely.”[c]
The Prophet Speaks
3 Lord, don’t your eyes look for truth?
You struck[d] them, but they didn’t flinch.[e]
You brought them to an end,
but they refused to receive discipline.
They made their faces harder than stone,
and they refused to repent.
4 Then I said, “These are only the poor,
they’re foolish,
for they don’t know the Lord’s way,
the requirement[f] of their God.
5 Let me go to the leaders[g] and speak to them.
For they know the Lord’s way,
the requirement[h] of their God.”
The Lord Answers
“But they, all together, have broken the yoke
and torn off the restraints.[i]
6 Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will devastate them.
A leopard is watching their towns,
and everyone who goes out of them
will be torn to pieces.
For their transgressions are many,
and their apostasies numerous.
7 Why should I forgive you?
Your sons have forsaken me,
and you have sworn by those
who aren’t gods.
When I gave them enough food to satisfy them,
they committed adultery
and marched to the prostitute’s house.
8 They were well-fed, lusty stallions,
each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
9 “Should I not punish them for these things?”
asks the Lord,
“And on a nation like this,
should I not seek retribution?”
The People Reject God’s Warning
10 “Go through her rows of vines and destroy them,
but don’t completely destroy them.
Strip away her branches,
because they aren’t the Lord’s.
11 For both the house of Israel and the house of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 “They have lied about the Lord
by saying, ‘He wouldn’t do that![j]
Disaster won’t come on us.
We won’t see sword and famine.
13 The prophets are nothing but[k] wind,
and the word is not in them.
So may the disaster happen to them!’”[l]
14 Therefore, this is what the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Because you people[m] have said this,
my words in your[n] mouth will become a fire
and these people the wood.
The fire[o] will destroy them.
15 People of Israel, I’m now bringing
a nation from far away to attack you,”
declares the Lord.
“It is an enduring nation,
an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you don’t know.
And you won’t understand what they say.
16 Their quiver is like an open grave,
and all of them are powerful warriors.
17 “They’ll devour your harvest and your food.
They’ll devour your sons and your daughters.
They’ll devour your vines and your fig trees.
With their swords they’ll batter down
your fortified cities in which you trust.
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I won’t destroy you completely. 19 When the people[p] ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you are to say to them, ‘Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’”
The Lord Warns a Stubborn People
20 “Declare this to the descendants[q] of Jacob,
and proclaim it in Judah:
21 ‘Hear this, you foolish and stupid people:
They have eyes, but don’t see;
they have ears, but don’t hear.
22 ‘You don’t fear me, do you?’ declares the Lord.
‘You don’t tremble before me, do you?
I’m the one who put the sand as a boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot cross.[r]
Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail against it,
though they roar, they cannot cross it.’
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned aside and have gone away.
24 They don’t say to themselves,
‘Let’s fear the Lord our God,
who gives rain in its season,
both the autumn and the spring rain.
He sets aside for us the weeks appointed
for the harvest.’
25 Your iniquities have turned these things away,
and your sins have held back from you what is good.
26 “Evil men are found among my people.
They lie in wait like someone who traps birds.
They set a trap,
but they do so to catch people.
27 Like a cage full of birds,
so their houses are filled with treachery.
This is how they have become prominent and rich,
28 and have grown fat and sleek.
There is no limit[s] to their evil deeds.
They don’t argue the case of the orphan to secure[t] justice.
They don’t defend the rights of[u] the poor.
29 ‘Should I not punish them for this?’[v]
asks the Lord.
‘Should I not avenge myself
on a nation like this?’
30 “An appalling and horrible thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 5:1 Lit. know
- Jeremiah 5:1 Lit. her; i.e. Judah
- Jeremiah 5:2 Or swearing to false gods
- Jeremiah 5:3 I.e. in discipline
- Jeremiah 5:3 Or did not weaken
- Jeremiah 5:4 Or judgments
- Jeremiah 5:5 Lit. great ones
- Jeremiah 5:5 Or judgments
- Jeremiah 5:5 Or cords
- Jeremiah 5:12 Lit. Not he
- Jeremiah 5:13 The Heb. lacks nothing but
- Jeremiah 5:13 Lit. so let it be done to them
- Jeremiah 5:14 Heb. you (pl.)
- Jeremiah 5:14 Heb. your (masculine sing.); i.e. in Jeremiah’s mouth
- Jeremiah 5:14 Lit. It
- Jeremiah 5:19 Lit. they
- Jeremiah 5:20 Or family
- Jeremiah 5:22 Or statute that it cannot transgress
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit. pass over; or transgress
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit. win
- Jeremiah 5:28 Lit. judge justly
- Jeremiah 5:29 Or punish these people
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