Holman Christian Standard Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Roam through the streets of Jerusalem. Look and take note; search in her squares. If you find one person, any who acts justly, who seeks to be faithful, then I will forgive her.

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.

2When they say, "As the LORD lives," they are swearing falsely.

2"And although they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear falsely."

3 LORD, don't Your eyes look for faithfulness? You have struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than rock, and they refused to return.

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 thought: They are just the poor; they have played the fool. For they don't understand the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.

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 powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God. However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.

5"I 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 strike them down. A wolf from an arid plain will ravage them. A leopard keeps watch over their cities. Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces because their rebellious acts are many, their unfaithful deeds numerous.

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.

7Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned Me and sworn by those who are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery; they gashed themselves at the prostitute's house.

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 are well-fed, eager stallions, each neighing after someone else's wife.

8"They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing after his neighbor's wife.

9Should I not punish them for these things? This is the LORD's declaration. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

9"Shall I not punish these people," declares the LORD, "And on a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?

10Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them, but do not finish them off. Prune away her shoots, for they do not belong to the LORD.

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.

11They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, have dealt very treacherously with Me. This is the LORD's declaration.

11"For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me," declares the LORD.

12They have contradicted the LORD and insisted, "It won't happen. Harm won't come to us; we won't see sword or famine."

12They have lied about the LORD And said, "Not He; Misfortune will not come on us, And we will not see sword or famine.

13The prophets become only wind, for the LORD's word is not in them. This will in fact happen to them.

13"The prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them!"

14Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: Because you have spoken this word, I am going to make My words become fire in your mouth. These people are the wood, and the fire will consume 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 fire And this people wood, and it will consume them.

15I am about to bring a nation from far away against you, house of Israel. This is the LORD's declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.

15"Behold, 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; they are all mighty warriors.

16"Their quiver is like an open grave, All of them are mighty men.

17They will consume your harvest and your food. They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. They will destroy with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust.

17"They 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"But even in those days"--this is the LORD's declaration--"I will not finish you off.

18"Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not make you a complete destruction.

19When people ask, 'For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' You will respond to them: Just as you abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

19"It 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; proclaim it in Judah, saying:

20"Declare this in the house of Jacob And proclaim it in Judah, saying,

21Hear this, you foolish and senseless people. They have eyes, but they don't see. They have ears, but they don't hear.

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? This is the LORD's declaration. Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, an enduring barrier that it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it.

22'Do 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 these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and have gone away.

23'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.

24They have not said to themselves, 'Let's fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain, both early and late, in its season, who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.'

24'They 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 guilty acts have diverted these things from you. Your sins have withheld My bounty from you,

25'Your iniquities have turned these away, And your sins have withheld good from you.

26for wicked men live among My people. They watch like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

26'For 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 grown powerful and rich.

27'Like a cage full of birds, So their houses are full of deceit; Therefore they have become great and rich.

28They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy.

28'They are fat, they are sleek, They also excel 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.

29Should I not punish them for these things? This is the LORD's declaration. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

29Shall I not punish these people?' declares the LORD, 'On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?'

30A horrible, terrible thing has taken place in the land.

30"An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land:

31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it?

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?

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org