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Jeremiah 5-6
New King James Version
Jeremiah 5-6
New King James Version
The Justice of God’s Judgment
5 “Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem;
See now and know;
And seek in her open places
(A)If you can find a man,
(B)If there is anyone who executes [a]judgment,
Who seeks the truth,
(C)And I will pardon her.
2 (D)Though they say, ‘As (E)the Lord lives,’
Surely they (F)swear falsely.”
3 O Lord, are not (G)Your eyes on the truth?
You have (H)stricken them,
But they have not grieved;
You have consumed them,
But (I)they have refused to receive correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to return.
4 Therefore I said, “Surely these are poor.
They are foolish;
For (J)they do not know the way of the Lord,
The judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great men and speak to them,
For (K)they have known the way of the Lord,
The judgment of their God.”
But these have altogether (L)broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.
6 Therefore (M)a lion from the forest shall slay them,
(N)A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them;
(O)A leopard will watch over their cities.
Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many;
Their backslidings have increased.
7 “How shall I pardon you for this?
Your children have forsaken Me
And (P)sworn by those (Q)that are not gods.
(R)When I had fed them to the full,
Then they committed adultery
And assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
8 (S)They were like well-fed lusty stallions;
Every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.
“And shall I not (T)avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
10 “Go up on her walls and destroy,
But do not [b]make a (U)complete end.
Take away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s.
11 For (V)the house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” says the Lord.
12 (W)They have lied about the Lord,
And said, (X)“It is not He.
(Y)Neither will [c]evil come upon us,
Nor shall we see sword or famine.
13 And the prophets become wind,
For the word is not in them.
Thus shall it be done to them.”
14 Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts:
“Because you speak this word,
(Z)Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire,
And this people wood,
And it shall devour them.
15 Behold, I will bring a (AA)nation against you (AB)from afar,
O house of Israel,” says the Lord.
“It is a mighty nation,
It is an ancient nation,
A nation whose language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.
16 Their quiver is like an open tomb;
They are all mighty men.
17 And they shall eat up your (AC)harvest and your bread,
Which your sons and daughters should eat.
They shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
They shall destroy your fortified cities,
In which you trust, with the sword.
18 “Nevertheless in those days,” says the Lord, “I (AD)will not [d]make a complete end of you. 19 And it will be when you say, (AE)‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?’ then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have (AF)forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so (AG)you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.’
20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21 ‘Hear this now, O (AH)foolish people,
Without [e]understanding,
Who have eyes and see not,
And who have ears and hear not:
22 (AI)Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord.
‘Will you not tremble at My presence,
Who have placed the sand as the (AJ)bound of the sea,
By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?
And though its waves toss to and fro,
Yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
23 But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;
They have revolted and departed.
24 They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
(AK)Who gives rain, both the (AL)former and the latter, in its season.
(AM)He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25 (AN)Your iniquities have turned these things away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26 ‘For among My people are found wicked men;
They (AO)lie in wait as one who sets snares;
They set a trap;
They catch men.
27 As a cage is full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit.
Therefore they have become great and grown rich.
28 They have grown (AP)fat, they are sleek;
Yes, they [f]surpass the deeds of the wicked;
They do not plead (AQ)the cause,
The cause of the fatherless;
(AR)Yet they prosper,
And the right of the needy they do not defend.
29 (AS)Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.
‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’
30 “An astonishing and (AT)horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy (AU)falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people (AV)love to have it so.
But what will you do in the end?
Impending Destruction from the North
6 “O you children of Benjamin,
Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
And set up a signal-fire in (AW)Beth Haccerem;
(AX)For disaster appears out of the north,
And great destruction.
2 I have likened the daughter of Zion
To a lovely and delicate woman.
3 The (AY)shepherds with their flocks shall come to her.
They shall pitch their tents against her all around.
Each one shall pasture in his own place.”
4 “Prepare(AZ) war against her;
Arise, and let us go up (BA)at noon.
Woe to us, for the day goes away,
For the shadows of the evening are lengthening.
5 Arise, and let us go by night,
And let us destroy her palaces.”
6 For thus has the Lord of hosts said:
“Cut down trees,
And build a mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city to be punished.
She is full of oppression in her midst.
7 (BB)As a fountain [g]wells up with water,
So she wells up with her wickedness.
(BC)Violence and plundering are heard in her.
Before Me continually are [h]grief and wounds.
8 Be instructed, O Jerusalem,
Lest (BD)My soul depart from you;
Lest I make you desolate,
A land not inhabited.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel;
As a grape-gatherer, put your hand back into the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning,
That they may hear?
Indeed their (BE)ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot give heed.
Behold, (BF)the word of the Lord is a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it.
11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord.
(BG)I am weary of holding it in.
“I will pour it out (BH)on the children outside,
And on the assembly of young men together;
For even the husband shall be taken with the wife,
The aged with him who is full of days.
12 And (BI)their houses shall be turned over to others,
Fields and wives together;
For I will stretch out My hand
Against the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord.
13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is given to (BJ)covetousness;
And from the prophet even to the (BK)priest,
Everyone deals falsely.
14 They have also (BL)healed the [i]hurt of My people [j]slightly,
(BM)Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’
When there is no peace.
15 Were they (BN)ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed;
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time I punish them,
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
16 Thus says the Lord:
“Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the (BO)old paths, where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find (BP)rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 Also, I set (BQ)watchmen over you, saying,
(BR)‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations,
And know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 (BS)Hear, O earth!
Behold, I will certainly bring (BT)calamity on this people—
(BU)The fruit of their thoughts,
Because they have not heeded My words
Nor My law, but rejected it.
20 (BV)For what purpose to Me
Comes frankincense (BW)from Sheba,
And (BX)sweet cane from a far country?
(BY)Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
Nor your sacrifices sweet to Me.”
21 Therefore thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people,
And the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them.
The neighbor and his friend shall perish.”
22 Thus says the Lord:
“Behold, a people comes from the (BZ)north country,
And a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They will lay hold on bow and spear;
They are cruel and have no mercy;
Their voice (CA)roars like the sea;
And they ride on horses,
As men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.”
24 We have heard the report of it;
Our hands grow feeble.
(CB)Anguish has taken hold of us,
Pain as of a woman in [k]labor.
25 Do not go out into the field,
Nor walk by the way.
Because of the sword of the enemy,
Fear is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people,
(CC)Dress in sackcloth
(CD)And roll about in ashes!
(CE)Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation;
For the plunderer will suddenly come upon us.
27 “I have set you as an assayer and (CF)a fortress among My people,
That you may know and test their way.
28 (CG)They are all stubborn rebels, (CH)walking as slanderers.
They are (CI)bronze and iron,
They are all corrupters;
29 The bellows blow fiercely,
The lead is consumed by the fire;
The smelter refines in vain,
For the wicked are not drawn off.
30 People will call them (CJ)rejected silver,
Because the Lord has rejected them.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 5:1 justice
- Jeremiah 5:10 completely destroy
- Jeremiah 5:12 disaster
- Jeremiah 5:18 completely destroy
- Jeremiah 5:21 Lit. heart
- Jeremiah 5:28 Or pass over or overlook
- Jeremiah 6:7 gushes
- Jeremiah 6:7 sickness
- Jeremiah 6:14 Lit. crushing
- Jeremiah 6:14 Superficially
- Jeremiah 6:24 childbirth
Jeremiah 5-6
New International Version
Jeremiah 5-6
New International Version
Not One Is Upright
5 “Go up and down(A) the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,(B)
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(C)
who deals honestly(D) and seeks the truth,
I will forgive(E) this city.
2 Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(F)
still they are swearing falsely.(G)”
3 Lord, do not your eyes(H) look for truth?
You struck(I) them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.(J)
They made their faces harder than stone(K)
and refused to repent.(L)
4 I thought, “These are only the poor;
they are foolish,(M)
for they do not know(N) the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5 So I will go to the leaders(O)
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.(P)
6 Therefore a lion from the forest(Q) will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage(R) them,
a leopard(S) will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.(T)
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn(U) by gods that are not gods.(V)
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery(W)
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(X)
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.(Y)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”(Z)
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(AA) myself
on such a nation as this?
10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.(AB)
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful(AC) to me,”
declares the Lord.
12 They have lied(AD) about the Lord;
they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(AE)
we will never see sword or famine.(AF)
13 The prophets(AG) are but wind(AH)
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.”
14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
“Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth(AI) a fire(AJ)
and these people the wood it consumes.(AK)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
“I am bringing a distant nation(AL) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language(AM) you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(AN) are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(AO) your harvests and food,
devour(AP) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(AQ) your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig trees.(AR)
With the sword(AS) they will destroy
the fortified cities(AT) in which you trust.(AU)
18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(AV) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(AW) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(AX) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(AY) in a land not your own.’
20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim(AZ) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(BA)
who have eyes(BB) but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:(BC)
22 Should you not fear(BD) me?” declares the Lord.
“Should you not tremble(BE) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(BF)
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar,(BG) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(BH) hearts;
they have turned aside(BI) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear(BJ) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(BK) in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(BL)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.(BM)
26 “Among my people are the wicked(BN)
who lie in wait(BO) like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps(BP) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;(BQ)
they have become rich(BR) and powerful
28 and have grown fat(BS) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(BT)
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(BU)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(BV) myself
on such a nation as this?
30 “A horrible(BW) and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(BX)
the priests(BY) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?(BZ)
Jerusalem Under Siege
6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet(CA) in Tekoa!(CB)
Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!(CC)
For disaster looms out of the north,(CD)
even terrible destruction.
2 I will destroy Daughter Zion,(CE)
so beautiful and delicate.(CF)
3 Shepherds(CG) with their flocks will come against her;
they will pitch their tents around(CH) her,
each tending his own portion.”
4 “Prepare for battle against her!
Arise, let us attack at noon!(CI)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
and the shadows of evening grow long.
5 So arise, let us attack at night
and destroy her fortresses!”
6 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Cut down the trees(CJ)
and build siege ramps(CK) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
it is filled with oppression.(CL)
7 As a well pours out its water,
so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence(CM) and destruction(CN) resound in her;
her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8 Take warning, Jerusalem,
or I will turn away(CO) from you
and make your land desolate
so no one can live in it.”
9 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Let them glean the remnant(CP) of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”
10 To whom can I speak and give warning?
Who will listen(CQ) to me?
Their ears are closed[a](CR)
so they cannot hear.(CS)
The word(CT) of the Lord is offensive to them;
they find no pleasure in it.
11 But I am full of the wrath(CU) of the Lord,
and I cannot hold it in.(CV)
“Pour it out on the children in the street
and on the young men(CW) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
and the old, those weighed down with years.(CX)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,(CY)
together with their fields and their wives,(CZ)
when I stretch out my hand(DA)
against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
13 “From the least to the greatest,
all(DB) are greedy for gain;(DC)
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.(DD)
14 They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
when there is no peace.(DE)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.(DF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when I punish(DG) them,”
says the Lord.
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,(DH)
ask where the good way(DI) is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest(DJ) for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 I appointed watchmen(DK) over you and said,
‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’(DL)
But you said, ‘We will not listen.’(DM)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
you who are witnesses,
observe what will happen to them.
19 Hear, you earth:(DN)
I am bringing disaster(DO) on this people,
the fruit of their schemes,(DP)
because they have not listened to my words(DQ)
and have rejected my law.(DR)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba(DS)
or sweet calamus(DT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;(DU)
your sacrifices(DV) do not please me.”(DW)
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble(DX) over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;(DY)
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.(DZ)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.(EA)
They sound like the roaring sea(EB)
as they ride on their horses;(EC)
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.(ED)”
24 We have heard reports about them,
and our hands hang limp.(EE)
Anguish(EF) has gripped us,
pain like that of a woman in labor.(EG)
25 Do not go out to the fields
or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
and there is terror on every side.(EH)
26 Put on sackcloth,(EI) my people,
and roll in ashes;(EJ)
mourn with bitter wailing(EK)
as for an only son,(EL)
for suddenly the destroyer(EM)
will come upon us.
27 “I have made you a tester(EN) of metals
and my people the ore,
that you may observe
and test their ways.
28 They are all hardened rebels,(EO)
going about to slander.(EP)
They are bronze and iron;(EQ)
they all act corruptly.
29 The bellows blow fiercely
to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining(ER) goes on in vain;
the wicked are not purged out.
30 They are called rejected silver,(ES)
because the Lord has rejected them.”(ET)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 6:10 Hebrew uncircumcised
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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.