Jeremiah 5

No One Is Righteous

1 “Run through the streets of Jerusalem. Look around. Search every corner. If you can find just one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive the whole city,” says the LORD.

2 “But even when they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”

3 “LORD, are not Your eyes on truth, You struck them, but they felt nothing. You crushed them, but they refused correction. Their faces are harder than stone, they will not turn back.”

The Poor and the Great Alike Are Corrupt

4 I thought, “Maybe it is just the poor. They do not know God’s ways or His laws.”

5 “So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the LORD.” But they all broke the yoke too, they all snapped the chains.

6 “So a lion from the forest will tear them apart, a wolf from the wilderness will attack them, and a leopard will stalk their cities. Anyone who steps outside will be ripped up, because their sins are many and their rebellion is great.”

Israel Refuses to Return

7 “Why should I forgive you, Your children abandoned Me and swore by gods that are not real. I fed them until they were full, and they still ran off to commit adultery, crowding around houses of prostitutes.”

8 “They are like lust-crazed stallions, each one neighing for his neighbor’s wife.”

9 “Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not take revenge on a nation like this?”

A Command to Destroy

10 “Go up through the vineyards and destroy them, but do not wipe them out completely. Strip away the branches, because they do not belong to the LORD.”

11 “For Israel and Judah have both been completely unfaithful to Me,” declares the LORD.

Lies About God’s Warnings

12 “They lied about the LORD and said, ‘He will not do anything. No disaster will hit us. We will not see the sword or famine.’”

13 “And the prophets, They are just windbags. God’s word is not in them. Let these disasters fall on them instead!”

God’s Word Will Judge

14 “Because they talk like this, here is what I, the LORD God of armies, say: I am making My words in your mouth a fire, and these people will be the wood it burns.”

15 “I am bringing a distant nation against you, Israel. A strong, ancient nation with a language you do not understand,” declares the LORD.

16 “Their quiver is like an open grave, all their warriors are deadly.”

17 “They will eat up your harvest and food, devour your sons and daughters, consume your flocks and herds, destroy your vines and fig trees. They will tear down the fortified cities you trust in.”

Yet God Will Not Completely Destroy Them

18 “But even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not wipe you out completely.”

19 “And when you ask, ‘Why is the LORD doing this to us?’ you will be told: ‘Just like you abandoned Me to serve foreign gods in your land, now you will serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”

Israel’s Stubborn Heart

20 “Announce this in Jacob and proclaim it in Judah.”

21 “Listen, you foolish people with no understanding, you have eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear.”

22 “Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “I am the One who put the sand as a boundary for the sea, a limit it cannot cross. The waves crash but cannot pass it.”

23 “But these people have stubborn, rebellious hearts. They turned aside and walked away.”

24 “They do not say, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives rain in the fall and spring and keeps the seasons right.’”

25 “Your sins have blocked these blessings. Your wrongdoing has kept good from you.”

Corruption Everywhere

26 “There are wicked people among My people. They lie in wait like men setting traps. They set snares to catch people.”

27 “Their houses are filled with stolen goods, like cages full of birds. They have gotten rich and powerful through evil.”

28 “They are fat and shiny, overflowing with wicked deeds. They do not defend the fatherless or help the poor get justice.”

29 “Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not take revenge on a nation like this?”

A Horrible Thing

30 “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land.”

31 “The prophets preach lies, the priests rule by their own power, and My people love it this way. But what are you going to do when the end comes?”