Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version

1Roam through the streets of Jerusalem. Investigate; search in her squares. If you find one person, any who acts justly, who pursues faithfulness, then I will forgive her.

1Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her.

2When they say, "As the LORD lives," they are swearing falsely.

2Though they say, “As the LORD lives,” yet they swear falsely.

3LORD, don't your eyes look for faithfulness? You have struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than rock, and they refused to return.

3O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You have struck them down, 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 repent.

4Then I thought: They are just the poor; they have been foolish. For they don't understand the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.

4Then I said, “These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.

5I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God. However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.

5I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.” But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds.

6Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down. A wolf from arid plains will ravage them. A leopard stalks their cities. Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces because their rebellious acts are many, their unfaithful deeds numerous.

6Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.

7Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned me and sworn by those who are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery; they gashed themselves at the prostitute's house.

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 whores.

8They are well-fed, eager stallions, each neighing after someone else's wife.

8They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.

9Should I not punish them for these things? This is the LORD's declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

9Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?

10Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them, but do not finish them off. Prune away her shoots, for they do not belong to the LORD.

10“Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the LORD’s.

11They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, have dealt very treacherously with me. This is the LORD's declaration.

11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the LORD.

12They have contradicted the LORD and insisted, "It won't happen. Harm won't come to us; we won't see sword or famine."

12They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.

13The prophets become only wind, for the LORD's word is not in them. This will in fact happen to them.

13The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!’”

14Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD of Armies says: Because you have spoken this word, I am going to make my words become fire in your mouth. These people are the wood, and the fire will consume them.

14Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: “Because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.

15I am about to bring a nation from far away against you, house of Israel. This is the LORD's declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.

15Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, declares 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.

16Their quiver is like an open grave; they are all warriors.

16Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors.

17They will consume your harvest and your food. They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. With the sword they will destroy your fortified cities in which you trust.

17They 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; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword.”

18"But even in those days"--this is the LORD's declaration--"I will not finish you off.

18“But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you.

19When people ask, 'For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' You will respond to them, 'Just as you abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

19And 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 foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”

20"Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying:

20Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah:

21Hear this, you foolish and senseless people. They have eyes, but they don't see. They have ears, but they don't hear.

21“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.

22Do you not fear me? This is the LORD's declaration. Do you not tremble before me, the one who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, an enduring barrier that it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it.

22Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the 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.

23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and have gone away.

23But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.

24They have not said to themselves, 'Let's fear the LORD our God, who gives the seasonal rains, both autumn and spring, who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.'

24They 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.’

25Your guilty acts have diverted these things from you. Your sins have withheld my bounty from you,

25Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.

26for wicked men live among my people. They watch like hunters lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

26For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

27Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have grown powerful and rich.

27Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich;

28They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy.

28they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

29Should I not punish them for these things? This is the LORD's declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

29Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

30An appalling, horrible thing has taken place in the land.

30An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:

31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it?

31the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.