Jeremiah 5 Parallel Bible Translations

Jeremiah 5 ▼
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1 “Run up and down every street in Jerusalem,” says the LORD. “Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one just and honest person, I will not destroy the city. 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 But even when they are under oath, saying, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are still telling lies!” 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, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them, but they refused to be corrected. They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent. 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 Then I said, “But what can we expect from the poor? They are ignorant. They don’t know the ways of the LORD. They don’t understand God’s laws. 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 So I will go and speak to their leaders. Surely they know the ways of the LORD and understand God’s laws.” But the leaders, too, as one man, had thrown off God’s yoke and broken his 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 So now a lion from the forest will attack them; a wolf from the desert will pounce on them. A leopard will lurk near their towns, tearing apart any who dare to venture out. For their rebellion is great, and their sins are many. 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 “How can I pardon you? For even your children have turned from me. They have sworn by gods that are not gods at all! I fed my people until they were full. But they thanked me by committing adultery and lining up at the brothels. “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 well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife. 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 Should I not punish them for this?” says the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself against such a 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 down the rows of the vineyards and destroy the grapevines, leaving a scattered few alive. Strip the branches from the vines, for these people do not 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 people of Israel and Judah are full of treachery against me,” says 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 have lied about the LORD and said, ‘He won’t bother us! No disasters will come upon us. There will be no 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 God’s prophets are all windbags who don’t really speak for him. Let their predictions of disaster fall on themselves!’” 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 Therefore, this is what the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies says: “Because the people are talking like this, my messages will flame out of your mouth and burn the people like kindling wood. 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 O Israel, I will bring a distant nation against you,” says the LORD. “It is a mighty nation, an ancient nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you cannot understand. 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 weapons are deadly; their warriors are mighty. 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 the food of your harvest; they will devour your sons and daughters. They will devour your flocks and herds; they will devour your grapes and figs. And they will destroy your fortified towns, which you think are so safe. 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 I will not blot you out completely,” says the LORD. “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 “And when your people ask, ‘Why did the LORD our God do all this to us?’ you must reply, ‘You rejected him and gave yourselves to foreign gods in your own land. Now you will serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.’ 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 “Make this announcement to Israel, and say this to 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 Listen, you foolish and senseless people, with eyes that do not see and ears that do not 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 Have you no respect for me? Why don’t you tremble in my presence? I, the LORD, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. 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 my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned 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 do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the LORD our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’ 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 deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things. 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 “Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait for victims like a hunter hiding in a blind. They continually set traps to 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 a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And now they are great 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 are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny 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 Should I not punish them for this?” says the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself against such a 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 A horrible and shocking thing has happened in this land— An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:
31 the prophets give false prophecies, and the priests rule with an iron hand. Worse yet, my people like it that way! But what will you do when the end comes? 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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