Lord, don’t your eyes look for faithfulness?(A)
You have struck them, but they felt no pain.(B)
You finished them off,
but they refused to accept discipline.(C)
They made their faces harder than rock,(D)
and they refused to return.(E)

Then I thought:

They are just the poor;
they have been foolish.
For they don’t understand the way of the Lord,(F)
the justice of their God.(G)
I will go to the powerful
and speak to them.
Surely they know the way of the Lord,
the justice of their God.(H)
However, these also had broken the yoke
and torn off the chains.(I)
Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down.(J)
A wolf from arid plains will ravage them.
A leopard(K) stalks their cities.
Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces
because their rebellious acts are many,(L)
their unfaithful deeds numerous.(M)

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The Prophet Speaks

Lord, don’t your eyes look for truth?
    You struck[a] them, but they didn’t flinch.[b]
You brought them to an end,
    but they refused to receive discipline.
They made their faces harder than stone,
    and they refused to repent.
Then I said, “These are only the poor,
    they’re foolish,
for they don’t know the Lord’s way,
    the requirement[c] of their God.
Let me go to the leaders[d] and speak to them.
    For they know the Lord’s way,
        the requirement[e] of their God.”

The Lord Answers

“But they, all together, have broken the yoke
    and torn off the restraints.[f]
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.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 5:3 I.e. in discipline
  2. Jeremiah 5:3 Or did not weaken
  3. Jeremiah 5:4 Or judgments
  4. Jeremiah 5:5 Lit. great ones
  5. Jeremiah 5:5 Or judgments
  6. Jeremiah 5:5 Or cords