Jeremiah 5 Parallel Bible Translations

Jeremiah 5 ▼
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1 Walk around the streets of Jerusalem. Look around, and think about these things. Search the city squares. See if you can find anyone who does what is right and seeks the truth. Then I will forgive Jerusalem. Run 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. “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.
2 People say, |As the LORD lives....| Yet, they lie when they take this oath. Though they say, “As the LORD lives,” yet they swear falsely. Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ still they are swearing falsely.”
3 LORD, your eyes look for the truth. You strike these people, but they don't feel it. You crush them, but they refuse to be corrected. They are more stubborn than rocks. They refuse to turn back. O 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. LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
4 I thought, |These are poor, foolish people. They don't know the way of the LORD and the justice that God demands. Then 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. I thought, “These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God.
5 Let me go to important people and speak to them. They know the way of the LORD and the justice that God demands.| But they, too, had broken off their yokes and torn off their chains. I 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. So I will go to the leaders 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.
6 That is why a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the wilderness will destroy them. A leopard will lie in ambush outside their cities. All who leave the cities will be torn to pieces, because they rebel so often and they become more and more unfaithful. Therefore 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. Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.
7 |Why should I forgive you? Your children abandoned me. They took godless oaths. They committed adultery, even though I satisfied their needs. They traveled in crowds to the houses of prostitutes. “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. “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They are like well-fed stallions that are wild with desire. They neigh for their neighbors' wives. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife. They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for another man’s wife.
9 I will punish them for these things,| declares the LORD. |I will punish this nation. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
10 |Go among Jerusalem's rows of grapevines and destroy them, but don't destroy all of them. Cut off the branches because they don't belong to the LORD. “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. “Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the LORD.
11 The nations of Israel and Judah are unfaithful to me,| declares the LORD. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the LORD. The people of Israel and the people of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me,” declares the LORD.
12 They lie about the LORD and say, |He doesn't exist! Nothing bad will happen to us. We won't experience war or famine. They 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. They have lied about the LORD; they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.
13 The prophets are nothing but windbags. The LORD hasn't spoken through them, so let what they say happen to them.| The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!’” The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them.”
14 This is what the LORD God of Armies says: Because you've talked like this, I'm going to put my words in your mouth like a fire. These people will be like wood. My words will burn them up. Therefore 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. Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says: “Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.
15 Nation of Israel, I'm going to bring a nation from far away to attack you, declares the LORD. It is a nation that has lasted a long time. It is an ancient nation. You don't know the language of this nation. You can't understand what its people say. Behold, 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. People of Israel,” declares the LORD, “I am bringing a distant nation against you— an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their arrow quivers are like open graves. They are all mighty warriors. Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors. Their quivers are like an open grave; all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour your harvest and your food. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will devour your flocks and your cattle. They will devour your grapevines and your fig trees. With their swords they will destroy the fortified cities you trust. 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; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall beat down with the sword.” They will devour your harvests and food, devour your sons and daughters; they will devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.
18 Yet, even in those days, declares the LORD, I won't destroy all of you. “But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you. “Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not destroy you completely.
19 They will ask, |Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?| Answer them, |You have abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land. So you will serve foreigners in a land that isn't yours.| 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 foreigners in a land that is not yours.’” And when the people ask, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.’
20 |Tell this to the descendants of Jacob, and make this heard in Judah: Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you stupid and senseless people! You have eyes, but you cannot see. You have ears, but you cannot hear. “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear:
22 Don't you fear me?| asks the LORD. |Don't you tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, a permanent barrier that it cannot cross. Although the waves toss continuously, they can't break through. Although they roar, they can't cross it. Do 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. Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people are stubborn and rebellious. They have turned aside and wandered away from me. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.
24 They don't say to themselves, 'We should fear the LORD our God. He sends rain at the right time, the autumn rain and the spring rain. He makes sure that we have harvest seasons.' 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.’ They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
25 Your wickedness has turned these things away. Your sins have kept good things away from you. Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.
26 |Wicked people are found among my people. They lie in ambush like bird catchers. They set traps and catch people. For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. “Among my people are the wicked who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch people.
27 Like cages filled with birds, their houses are filled with deceit. That is why they become powerful and rich. Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful
28 They grow big and fat. Their evil deeds have no limits. They have no respect for the rights of others. They have no respect for the rights of orphans. But they still prosper. They don't defend the rights of the poor. they 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. and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
29 I will punish them for these things,| declares the LORD. |I will punish this nation. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?” Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
30 |Something horrible and disgusting is happening in the land: An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:
31 Prophets prophesy lies. Priests rule under the prophets' directions, and my people love this. But what will you do in the end?| the 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 prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?
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