Jeremiah 5:1-15

1“1Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note. And seek in her open squares, If you can 2find a man, 3If there is one who does justice, who seeks 4truth, Then I will pardon her.2And 5although they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ Surely they swear falsely.”3O Lord, do not 6Your eyes look for 7truth? You have 8smitten them, But they did not 9weaken; You have consumed them, But they 10refused to take correction. They have 11made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent.

4Then I said, “They are only the poor, They are foolish; For they 12do not know the way of the Lord Or the ordinance of their God.5I will go to the great And will speak to them, For 13they know the way of the Lord And the ordinance of their God.” But they too, with one accord, have 14broken the yoke And burst the bonds.6Therefore 15a lion from the forest will slay them, A 16wolf of the deserts will destroy them, A 17leopard is watching their cities. Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces, Because their 18transgressions are many, Their apostasies are numerous.

7“Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me And 19sworn by those who are 20not gods. When I had fed them to the full, They 21committed adultery And trooped to the harlot’s house.8They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing after his 22neighbor’s wife.9Shall I not punish 23these people,” declares the Lord, “And on a nation such as this 24Shall I not avenge Myself?

10“Go up through her vine rows and destroy, But do not execute a complete destruction; Strip away her branches, For they are not the Lord’s.11For the 25house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord.12They have 26lied about the Lord And said, “2728Not He; Misfortune will 29not come on us, And we 30will not see sword or famine.13The 31prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!”

14Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, “Because you have spoken this word, Behold, I am 32making My words in your mouth fire And this people wood, and it will consume them.15Behold, I am 33bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord. “It is an enduring nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose 34language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.