English Standard Version

Berean Study Bible

1Run 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.

1“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.

2Though they say, “As the LORD lives,” yet they swear falsely.

2Although they say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ they are swearing falsely.”

3O 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.

3O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

4Then 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.

4Then I said, “They are only the poor; they have played the fool, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.

5I 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.

5I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.” But they too, with one accord, had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.

6Therefore 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.

6Therefore a lion from the forest will strike them down, a wolf from the desert will ravage them. A leopard will lie in wait near their cities, and everyone who ventures out will be torn to pieces. For their rebellious acts are many, and their unfaithful deeds are numerous.

7“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.

7“Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery and assembled at the houses of prostitutes.

8They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife.

8They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.

9Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?

9Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

10“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.

10Go up through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not finish them off. Strip off her branches, for they do not belong to the LORD.

11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly treacherous to me, declares the LORD.

11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me,” declares the LORD.

12They 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.

12They have lied about the LORD and said: “He will not do anything; harm will not come to us; we will not see sword or famine.

13The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!’”

13The prophets are but wind, for the word is not in them. So let their own predictions befall them.”

14Therefore 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.

14Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts says: “Because you have spoken this word, I will make My words a fire in your mouth and this people the wood it consumes.

15Behold, 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.

15Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.

16Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty warriors.

16Their quivers are like open graves; they are all mighty men.

17They 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.”

17They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”

18“But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you.

18“Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.

19And 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.’”

19And when the people ask, ‘For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ You are to tell them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.’ ”

20Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah:

20Declare this in the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:

21“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.

21“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 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.

22Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

23But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.

23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away.

24They 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.’

24They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’

25Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.

25Your iniquities have diverted these from you; your sins have deprived you of My bounty.

26For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

26For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.

27Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich;

27Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich.

28they 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.

28They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

29Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

29Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

30An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:

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

31the 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?

31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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