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Jeremiah 5
International Standard Version
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
Jeremiah 5
King James Version
Jeremiah 5
King James Version
5 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.
2 And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.
3 O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
4 Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God.
5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.
8 They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.
9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the Lord's.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord.
12 They have belied the Lord, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
13 And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
14 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.
17 And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
18 Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not make a full end with you.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not your's.
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
22 Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
26 For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
28 They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
29 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
Jeremiah 5
New International Version
Jeremiah 5
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?
Jeremia 5
Schlachter 2000
Jeremia 5
Schlachter 2000
Die Bosheit des verstockten Volkes und das kommende Gericht
5 Streift durch die Gassen Jerusalems und schaut doch nach und erkundigt euch und forscht nach auf ihren Plätzen, ob ihr einen Mann findet, ob einer da ist, der Recht übt und nach Wahrhaftigkeit strebt[a]; so will ich ihr vergeben!
2 Aber wenn sie auch sagen: »So wahr der Herr lebt!«, so schwören sie dennoch falsch.
3 Herr, sehen deine Augen nicht auf Wahrhaftigkeit? Du hast sie geschlagen, aber es tat ihnen nicht weh; du hast sie aufgerieben, aber sie haben sich geweigert, Zucht anzunehmen; sie haben ihr Angesicht härter als Fels gemacht, sie haben sich geweigert, umzukehren!
4 Ich aber dachte: Nur die Geringen sind so; sie benehmen sich so töricht, weil sie den Weg des Herrn, das Recht ihres Gottes nicht kennen.
5 Ich will doch zu den Großen gehen und mit ihnen reden; denn sie kennen den Weg des Herrn, das Recht ihres Gottes! Aber sie haben allesamt das Joch zerbrochen, die Bande zerrissen.
6 Darum schlägt sie der Löwe aus dem Wald, überfällt sie der Steppenwolf; der Leopard lauert vor ihren Städten, sodass jeder, der sie verlässt, zerrissen wird; denn ihre Übertretungen sind zahlreich, und groß sind ihre Abweichungen[b]!
7 Warum sollte ich dir vergeben? Deine Kinder haben mich verlassen und bei denen geschworen, die keine Götter sind; und nachdem ich sie gesättigt hatte, brachen sie die Ehe und drängten sich scharenweise ins Hurenhaus!
8 Wie brünstige Hengste schweifen sie umher; jeder wiehert nach der Ehefrau seines Nächsten.
9 Sollte ich dies nicht heimsuchen, spricht der Herr, und sollte sich meine Seele an einem solchen Volk nicht rächen?
10 Erklimmt ihre Mauern und verderbt, aber richtet sie nicht völlig zugrunde! Schneidet ihre Ranken ab,[c] denn sie gehören nicht dem Herrn!
11 Denn ganz und gar treulos haben das Haus Israel und das Haus Juda an mir gehandelt, spricht der Herr.
12 Sie haben den Herrn verleugnet und gesagt: »Nicht Er ist"s![d] Kein Unglück wird über uns kommen; weder Schwert noch Hungersnot werden wir zu sehen bekommen!
13 Die Propheten sind ja nur Windbeutel[e], und das Wort ist nicht in ihnen;[f] ihnen selbst soll es so ergehen!«
14 Darum spricht der Herr, der Gott der Heerscharen: Weil ihr das gesagt habt, siehe, so will ich meine Worte in deinem Mund zu einem Feuer machen und dieses Volk zu Holz, sodass es sie verzehren wird.
15 Siehe, ich bringe über euch, du Haus Israel, ein Volk aus der Ferne, spricht der Herr, ein zähes Volk, ein uraltes Volk, ein Volk, dessen Sprache du nicht kennst und dessen Rede du nicht verstehst.
16 Sein Köcher ist wie ein offenes Grab, und es besteht aus lauter Helden.
17 Und es wird deine Ernte und dein Brot aufessen, sie werden deine Söhne und deine Töchter verzehren, deine Schafe und deine Rinder fressen; es wird deinen Weinstock und deinen Feigenbaum abfressen; und deine festen Städte, auf die du dich verlässt, wird es mit dem Schwert zerstören.
18 Aber auch in jenen Tagen, spricht der Herr, will ich mit euch nicht ganz ein Ende machen.
19 Und wenn es dann geschieht, dass ihr fragt: »Weshalb hat der Herr, unser Gott, uns das alles angetan?«, so sollst du ihnen antworten: »Gleichwie ihr mich verlassen und fremden Göttern gedient habt in eurem Land, so müsst ihr auch jetzt Fremden dienen in einem Land, das nicht euch gehört!«
20 Verkündigt dies im Haus Jakob und lasst es hören in Juda und sprecht:
21 Höre doch dies, du törichtes Volk ohne Einsicht, die ihr Augen habt und doch nicht seht, die ihr Ohren habt und doch nicht hört!
22 Mich wollt ihr nicht fürchten, spricht der Herr, vor mir nicht erzittern, der ich dem Meer den Sand zur Grenze gesetzt habe, zur ewigen Schranke, die es nicht überschreiten darf? Wenn sich seine Wogen auch dagegen auflehnen, so sind sie doch machtlos; wenn sie auch toben, können sie sie nicht überschreiten.
23 Aber dieses Volk hat ein halsstarriges, aufrührerisches Herz; sie haben sich abgewandt und sind davongelaufen;
24 und sie haben in ihrem Herzen nicht gedacht: Wir wollen doch den Herrn, unseren Gott, fürchten, der den Regen gibt, Früh- und Spätregen zu seiner Zeit, der die bestimmten Wochen der Ernte für uns einhält!
25 Eure Missetaten haben dies verhindert, und eure Sünden haben das Gute von euch zurückgehalten.
26 Denn unter meinem Volk finden sich Gottlose; sie liegen auf der Lauer, ducken sich wie Vogelsteller; sie stellen Fallen, um Menschen zu fangen.
27 Wie ein Käfig voller Vögel geworden ist, so haben sich ihre Häuser mit Betrug gefüllt; auf diese Weise sind sie groß und reich geworden.
28 Sie glänzen vor Fett; auch fließen sie über von bösen Taten. Für das Recht sorgen sie nicht, für das Recht der Waisen, um ihnen zum Gelingen zu verhelfen; und die Rechtssache der Armen führen sie nicht.
29 Sollte ich dies nicht heimsuchen?, spricht der Herr; ja, sollte sich meine Seele an einem solchen Volk nicht rächen?
30 Entsetzliches und Abscheuliches ist im Land geschehen:
31 Die Propheten weissagen falsch, und die Priester herrschen mit ihrer Unterstützung; und mein Volk liebt es so! Was wollt ihr aber tun, wenn das Ende von [all] dem kommt?
International Standard Version (ISV) 
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
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.
Schlachter 2000 (SCH2000)
Copyright © 2000 by Geneva Bible Society