Jeremiah 5

New International Version

Not One Is Upright

5 “Go up and down^(A) the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,^(B)
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person^(C)
    who deals honestly^(D) and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive^(E) this city.
²Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’^(F)
    still they are swearing falsely.^(G)”

³Lord, do not your eyes^(H) look for truth?
    You struck^(I) them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.^(J)
They made their faces harder than stone^(K)
    and refused to repent.^(L)
⁴I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,^(M)
for they do not know^(N) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
⁵So I will go to the leaders^(O)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.^(P)
⁶Therefore a lion from the forest^(Q) will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage^(R) them,
a leopard^(S) will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.^(T)

⁷“Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn^(U) by gods that are not gods.^(V)
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery^(W)
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.^(X)
⁸They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.^(Y)
⁹Should I not punish them for this?”^(Z)
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(AA) myself
    on such a nation as this?

¹⁰“Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
    but do not destroy them completely.^(AB)
Strip off her branches,
    for these people do not belong to the Lord.
¹¹The people of Israel and the people of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful^(AC) to me,”
declares the Lord.

¹²They have lied^(AD) about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;^(AE)
    we will never see sword or famine.^(AF)
¹³The prophets^(AG) are but wind^(AH)
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”

¹⁴Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:

“Because the people have spoken these words,
    I will make my words in your mouth^(AI) a fire^(AJ)
    and these people the wood it consumes.^(AK)
¹⁵People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
    “I am bringing a distant nation^(AL) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
    a people whose language^(AM) you do not know,
    whose speech you do not understand.
¹⁶Their quivers^(AN) are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
¹⁷They will devour^(AO) your harvests and food,
    devour^(AP) your sons and daughters;
they will devour^(AQ) your flocks and herds,
    devour your vines and fig trees.^(AR)
With the sword^(AS) they will destroy
    the fortified cities^(AT) in which you trust.^(AU)

¹⁸“Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy^(AV) you completely. ¹⁹And when the people ask,^(AW) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods^(AX) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners^(AY) in a land not your own.’

²⁰“Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim^(AZ) it in Judah:
²¹Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,^(BA)
    who have eyes^(BB) but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:^(BC)
²²Should you not fear^(BD) me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble^(BE) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,^(BF)
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar,^(BG) but they cannot cross it.
²³But these people have stubborn and rebellious^(BH) hearts;
    they have turned aside^(BI) and gone away.
²⁴They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear^(BJ) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains^(BK) in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’^(BL)
²⁵Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.^(BM)

²⁶“Among my people are the wicked^(BN)
    who lie in wait^(BO) like men who snare birds
    and like those who set traps^(BP) to catch people.
²⁷Like cages full of birds,
    their houses are full of deceit;^(BQ)
they have become rich^(BR) and powerful
²⁸    and have grown fat^(BS) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;^(BT)
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.^(BU)
²⁹Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(BV) myself
    on such a nation as this?

³⁰“A horrible^(BW) and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
³¹The prophets prophesy lies,^(BX)
    the priests^(BY) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?^(BZ)

Jeremiah 6

New International Version

Jerusalem Under Siege

6 “Flee for safety, people of Benjamin!
    Flee from Jerusalem!
Sound the trumpet^(A) in Tekoa!^(B)
    Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!^(C)
For disaster looms out of the north,^(D)
    even terrible destruction.
²I will destroy Daughter Zion,^(E)
    so beautiful and delicate.^(F)
³Shepherds^(G) with their flocks will come against her;
    they will pitch their tents around^(H) her,
    each tending his own portion.”

⁴“Prepare for battle against her!
    Arise, let us attack at noon!^(I)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
    and the shadows of evening grow long.
⁵So arise, let us attack at night
    and destroy her fortresses!”

⁶This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Cut down the trees^(J)
    and build siege ramps^(K) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
    it is filled with oppression.^(L)
⁷As a well pours out its water,
    so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence^(M) and destruction^(N) resound in her;
    her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
⁸Take warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn away^(O) from you
and make your land desolate
    so no one can live in it.”

⁹This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Let them glean the remnant^(P) of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”

¹⁰To whom can I speak and give warning?
    Who will listen^(Q) to me?
Their ears are closed^[a]^(R)
    so they cannot hear.^(S)
The word^(T) of the Lord is offensive to them;
    they find no pleasure in it.
¹¹But I am full of the wrath^(U) of the Lord,
    and I cannot hold it in.^(V)

“Pour it out on the children in the street
    and on the young men^(W) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
    and the old, those weighed down with years.^(X)
¹²Their houses will be turned over to others,^(Y)
    together with their fields and their wives,^(Z)
when I stretch out my hand^(AA)
    against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
¹³“From the least to the greatest,
    all^(AB) are greedy for gain;^(AC)
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.^(AD)
¹⁴They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.^(AE)
¹⁵Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.^(AF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish^(AG) them,”
says the Lord.

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,^(AH)
ask where the good way^(AI) is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest^(AJ) for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
¹⁷I appointed watchmen^(AK) over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’^(AL)
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’^(AM)
¹⁸Therefore hear, you nations;
    you who are witnesses,
    observe what will happen to them.
¹⁹Hear, you earth:^(AN)
    I am bringing disaster^(AO) on this people,
    the fruit of their schemes,^(AP)
because they have not listened to my words^(AQ)
    and have rejected my law.^(AR)
²⁰What do I care about incense from Sheba^(AS)
    or sweet calamus^(AT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;^(AU)
    your sacrifices^(AV) do not please me.”^(AW)

²¹Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“I will put obstacles before this people.
Parents and children alike will stumble^(AX) over them;
neighbors and friends will perish.”

²²This is what the Lord says:

“Look, an army is coming
    from the land of the north;^(AY)
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.^(AZ)
²³They are armed with bow and spear;
    they are cruel and show no mercy.^(BA)
They sound like the roaring sea^(BB)
    as they ride on their horses;^(BC)
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Zion.^(BD)”

²⁴We have heard reports about them,
    and our hands hang limp.^(BE)
Anguish^(BF) has gripped us,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.^(BG)
²⁵Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side.^(BH)
²⁶Put on sackcloth,^(BI) my people,
    and roll in ashes;^(BJ)
mourn with bitter wailing^(BK)
    as for an only son,^(BL)
for suddenly the destroyer^(BM)
    will come upon us.

²⁷“I have made you a tester^(BN) of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
²⁸They are all hardened rebels,^(BO)
    going about to slander.^(BP)
They are bronze and iron;^(BQ)
    they all act corruptly.
²⁹The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining^(BR) goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.
³⁰They are called rejected silver,^(BS)
    because the Lord has rejected them.”^(BT)