Jeremiah 5
5
The Justice of God’s Judgment
1“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem;
See now and know;
And seek in her open places
#Ezek. 22:30If you can find a man,
#Gen. 18:23–32If there is anyone who executes judgment,
Who seeks the truth,
#Gen. 18:26And I will pardon her.
2#Is. 48:1; Titus 1:16Though they say, ‘As #Jer. 4:2the Lord lives,’
Surely they #Jer. 7:9swear falsely.”
3O Lord, are not #2 Kin. 25:1; (2 Chr. 16:9; Jer. 16:17)Your eyes on the truth?
You have #Is. 1:5; 9:13; Jer. 2:30stricken them,
But they have not grieved;
You have consumed them,
But #Is. 9:13; Jer. 7:28; Zeph. 3:2they have refused to receive correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to return.
4Therefore I said, “Surely these are poor.
They are foolish;
For #Is. 27:11; Jer. 8:7; Hos. 4:6they do not know the way of the Lord,
The judgment of their God.
5I will go to the great men and speak to them,
For #Mic. 3:1they have known the way of the Lord,
The judgment of their God.”
But these have altogether #Ex. 32:25; Ps. 2:3; Jer. 2:20broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.
6Therefore #Jer. 4:7a lion from the forest shall slay them,
#Ps. 104:20; Ezek. 22:27; Hab. 1:8; Zeph. 3:3A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them;
#Hos. 13:7A leopard will watch over their cities.
Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many;
Their backslidings have increased.
7“How shall I pardon you for this?
Your children have forsaken Me
And #Josh. 23:7; Jer. 12:16; Zeph. 1:5sworn by those #Deut. 32:21; Jer. 2:11; Gal. 4:8that are not gods.
#Deut. 32:15When I had fed them to the full,
Then they committed adultery
And assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
8#Jer. 13:27; 29:23; Ezek. 22:11They were like well-fed lusty stallions;
Every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.
9Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.
“And shall I not #Jer. 9:9avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
10“Go up on her walls and destroy,
But do not make a #Jer. 4:27complete end.
Take away her branches,
For they are not the Lord’s.
11For #Jer. 3:6, 7, 20the house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” says the Lord.
12#2 Chr. 36:16; Jer. 4:10They have lied about the Lord,
And said, #Is. 28:15; 47:8; Jer. 23:17“It is not He.
#Jer. 14:13Neither will evil come upon us,
Nor shall we see sword or famine.
13And the prophets become wind,
For the word is not in them.
Thus shall it be done to them.”
14Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts:
“Because you speak this word,
#Is. 24:6; Jer. 1:9; 23:29; Hos. 6:5; Zech. 1:6Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire,
And this people wood,
And it shall devour them.
15Behold, I will bring a #Deut. 28:49; Is. 5:26; Jer. 1:15; 6:22nation against you #Is. 39:3; Jer. 4:16from afar,
O house of Israel,” says the Lord.
“It is a mighty 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 tomb;
They are all mighty men.
17And they shall eat up your #Lev. 26:16; Deut. 28:31, 33; Jer. 8:16; 50:7, 17harvest and your bread,
Which your sons and daughters should eat.
They shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
They shall destroy your fortified cities,
In which you trust, with the sword.
18“Nevertheless in those days,” says the Lord, “I #Jer. 30:11; Amos 9:8will not make a complete end of you. 19And it will be when you say, #Deut. 29:24–29; 1 Kin. 9:8, 9; Jer. 13:22; 16:10–13‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?’ then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have #Jer. 1:16; 2:13forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so #Deut. 28:48; Jer. 16:13you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.’
20“Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21‘Hear this now, O #Is. 6:9; Jer. 6:10; Ezek. 12:2; Matt. 13:14; John 12:40; Acts 28:26; Rom. 11:8foolish people,
Without understanding,
Who have eyes and see not,
And who have ears and hear not:
22#Deut. 28:58; Ps. 119:120; Jer. 2:19; 10:7; (Rev. 15:4)Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord.
‘Will you not tremble at My presence,
Who have placed the sand as the #Job 26:10bound of the sea,
By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?
And though its waves toss to and fro,
Yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.
23But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;
They have revolted and departed.
24They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
#Ps. 147:8; Jer. 14:22; (Matt. 5:45); Acts 14:17Who gives rain, both the #Deut. 11:14; Joel 2:23; James 5:7former and the latter, in its season.
#(Gen. 8:22)He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25#Jer. 3:3Your iniquities have turned these things away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26‘For among My people are found wicked men;
They #Ps. 10:9; Prov. 1:11; Jer. 18:22; Hab. 1:15lie in wait as one who sets snares;
They set a trap;
They catch men.
27As a cage is full of birds,
So their houses are full of deceit.
Therefore they have become great and grown rich.
28They have grown #Deut. 32:15fat, they are sleek;
Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked;
They do not plead #Is. 1:23; Jer. 7:6; 22:3; Zech. 7:10the cause,
The cause of the fatherless;
#Job 12:6; Ps. 73:12Yet they prosper,
And the right of the needy they do not defend.
29#Jer. 5:9; Mal. 3:5Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.
‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’
30“An astonishing and #Jer. 23:14; Hos. 6:10; 2 Tim. 4:3horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31The prophets prophesy #Jer. 14:14; Ezek. 13:6falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people #Mic. 2:11love to have it so.
But what will you do in the end?
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Jeremiah 5: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 5
5
Jerusalem’s Godlessness
1“Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
And look now and take note.
And seek in her open squares,
If you can find a man,
If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth,
Then I will pardon her.
2And although they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’
Surely they swear falsely.”
3O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth?
You have smitten them,
But they did not weaken;
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 said, “They are only the poor,
They are foolish;
For they do 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 they know the way of the Lord
And the ordinance of their God.”
But they too, with one accord, have broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.
6Therefore a lion from the forest will slay them,
A wolf of the deserts will destroy them,
A leopard is watching their cities.
Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,
Because their transgressions are many,
Their apostasies are numerous.
7“Why should I pardon you?
Your sons have forsaken Me
And sworn by those who are not gods.
When I had fed them to the full,
They committed adultery
And trooped to the harlot’s house.
8They were well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife.
9Shall I not punish these people,” declares the Lord,
“And on a nation such as this
Shall 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 house of Israel and the house of Judah
Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord.
12They have lied about the Lord
And said, “#Lit He is notNot He;
Misfortune will not come on us,
And we will not see sword or famine.
13The prophets are as wind,
And the word is not in them.
Thus it will be done to them!”
Judgment Proclaimed
14Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts,
“Because you have spoken this word,
Behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire
And this people wood, and it will consume them.
15Behold, I am bringing 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 language you do not know,
Nor can you understand what they say.
16Their quiver is like an open grave,
All of them are mighty men.
17They will devour your harvest and your food;
They will devour your sons and your daughters;
They will devour your flocks and your herds;
They will devour your vines and your fig trees;
They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.
18“Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not make you a complete destruction. 19It shall come about when they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’
20“Declare this in the house of Jacob
And proclaim it in Judah, saying,
21‘Now hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
Who have eyes but do not see;
Who have ears but do not hear.
22Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
23But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
They have turned aside and departed.
24They do not say in their heart,
“Let us now fear the Lord our God,
Who gives rain in its season,
Both the autumn rain and the spring rain,
Who keeps for us
The appointed weeks of the harvest.”
25Your iniquities have turned these away,
And your sins have withheld good from you.
26For wicked men are found among My people,
They watch 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 become great and rich.
28They are fat, they are sleek,
They also #Lit pass over, or, overlook deedsexcel in deeds of wickedness;
They do not plead the cause,
The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper;
And they do not defend the rights of the poor.
29Shall I not punish these people?’ declares the Lord,
‘On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?’
30“An appalling and horrible thing
Has happened in the land:
31The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule on their own authority;
And My people love it so!
But what will you do at the end of it?
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