1  If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith YHWH, yea, return unto Me; and if thou wilt put away thy detestable things out of My sight, and wilt not waver;

1  If Israel will return to me, saith the Lord, he shall return: and if he will remove his abominations out of his mouth, and fear before me, and swear,

1  “O Israel, if you would return, says the Lord, then be converted to me. If you remove your offense from before my face, then you will not be shaken.

2  And wilt swear: 'As YHWH liveth' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; then shall the nations bless themselves by Him, and in Him shall they glory.

2  The Lord lives, with truth, in judgement and righteousness, then shall nations bless by him, and by him they shall praise God in Jerusalem.

2  And you will swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth and in judgment and in justice.” And the Gentiles will bless him, and they will praise him.

3  For thus saith YHWH to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up for you a fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

3  For thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and sow not among thorns.

4  Circumcise yourselves to YHWH, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest My fury go forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

4  Be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskins from your hearts, O men of Judah, O inhabitants of Jerusalem. Otherwise my indignation may burst forth and flare up like a fire. And then there will be no one who can extinguish it, because of the wickedness of your thoughts.

5  Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem, and say: 'Blow ye the horn in the land'; cry aloud and say: 'Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.'

5  Declare ye in Juda, and let it be heard in Jerusalem: say ye, Sound the trumpet in the land; cry ye aloud: say ye, Gather yourselves together, and let us enter into the fortified cities.

5  Declare it in Judah, and make it known in Jerusalem! Speak out and sound the trumpet in the land! Cry out strongly and say: ‘Gather yourselves! And let us go forth to fortified cities!’

6  Set up a standard toward Zion; put yourselves under covert, stay not; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

6  Gather up your wares and flee to Sion: hasten, stay not: for I will bring evils from the north, an great destruction.

6  Lift up a standard in Zion. Be strengthened! Do not choose to stand still. For I am bringing an evil from the north, with great destruction.

7  A lion is gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations is set out, gone forth from his place; to make thy land desolate, that thy cities be laid waste, without inhabitant.

7  The lion is gone up from his lair, he has roused himself to the destruction of the nations, and has gone forth out of his place, to make the land desolate; and the cities shall be destroyed, so as to be without inhabitant.

7  A powerful king is come up like a lion from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he has gone forth from his country to make your land desolate; and your cities shall be laid waste without an inhabitant.

8  For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of YHWH is not turned back from us.

8  For these things gird yourselves with sackclothes, and lament, and howl: for the anger of the Lord is not turned away from you.

8  Concerning this, wrap yourselves in haircloth, mourn and wail: ‘For the wrath of the fury of the Lord has not been turned away from us.’

9  And it shall come to pass at that day, saith YHWH, that the heart of the king shall fail, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

9  And this shall be in that day, says the Lord: The heart of the king will perish, with the heart of the princes. And the priests will be stupefied, and the prophets will be in consternation.”

10  Then said I: 'Ah, Lord GOD! surely Thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.'

10  And I said: “Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God! Could it be that you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: ‘Peace shall be yours,’ while, behold, the sword reaches even to the soul?”

10  Then I said, I beseech thee, O LORD God, surely I have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem; for I have said, You shall have peace; and behold, the sword reaches into the soul.

11  At that time shall it be said of this people and of Jerusalem; A hot wind of the high hills in the wilderness toward the daughter of My people, not to fan, nor to cleanse;

11  At that time they shall say to this people and to Jerusalem, There is a spirit of error in the wilderness: the way of the daughter of my people is not to purity, nor to holiness.

11  “In that time, it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: ‘A burning wind is in the ways that are in the desert, along the way of the daughter of my people, but not to winnow and not to cleanse.’

12  A wind too strong for this shall come for Me; now will I also utter judgments against them.

12  But a spirit of full vengeance shall come upon me; and now I declare my judgements against them.

12  A full spirit from these places will come to me. And now I will speak my judgments over them.

13  Behold, he cometh up as clouds, and his chariots are as the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles.--'Woe unto us! for we are undone.'--

13  Behold, he shall come up as a cloud, and his chariots as a tempest: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are in misery.

13  Behold, he will ascend like a cloud, and his chariot will ascend like a tempest. His horses are swifter than eagles. ‘Woe to us! For we are being devastated!’

14  O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy baleful thoughts lodge within thee?

14  Cleanse thine heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayest be saved: how long will thy grievous thoughts be within thee?

14  Wash your heart from malice, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will harmful thoughts abide in you?

15  For hark! one declareth from Dan, and announceth calamity from the hills of Ephraim

15  For a voice of one publishing from Dan shall come, and trouble out of mount Ephraim shall be heard of.

16  'Make ye mention to the nations: Behold--publish concerning Jerusalem--watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.'

17  As keepers of a field are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against Me, saith YHWH.

17  They have been stationed over her, like the guardians of fields, all around. For she has provoked me to wrath, says the Lord.

18  Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness; yea, it is bitter, yea, it reacheth unto thy heart.

18  Your ways and your thoughts have brought these things upon you. This is your own wickedness. And it is bitter, because it has touched your heart.

19  My bowels, my bowels! I writhe in pain! The chambers of my heart! My heart moaneth within me! I cannot hold my peace! because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the horn, the alarm of war.

19  I am pained in my bowels, my bowels, and the sensitive powers of my heart; my soul is in great commotion, my heart is torn: I will not be silent, for my soul has heard the sound of a trumpet, the cry of war, and of distress: it calls on destruction;

20  Destruction followeth upon destruction, for the whole land is spoiled; suddenly are my tents spoiled, my curtains in a moment.

20  for all the land is distressed: suddenly my tabernacle is distressed, my curtains have been rent asunder.

20  Destruction upon destruction has been called forth. And the entire earth has been devastated. My tabernacles have been destroyed suddenly, and my tents in an instant.

21  How long shall I see the standard, shall I hear the sound of the horn?

22  For My people is foolish, they know Me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

22  For the princes of my people have not known me, they are foolish and unwise children: they are wise to do evil, but how to do good they have not known.

22  For my foolish people have not known me. They are foolish and mad sons. They are clever in doing evil, but they do not know how to do good.

23  I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

23  I looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was not; and to the sky, an there was no light in it.

23  I gazed upon the earth, and behold, it was empty and brought to nothing. And I gazed upon the heavens, but there was no light in them.

24  I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro.

24  I watched the mountains, and behold, they trembled, and all the hills were shaken.

25  I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

25  I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky were scared.

25  I looked, and there was no man. And all the flying things of the air had gone away.

26  I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of YHWH, and before His fierce anger.

26  I saw, and, behold, Carmel was desert, and all the cities were burnt with fire at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of his fierce anger they were utterly destroyed.

26  I gazed, and behold, Carmel was a desert, and all its cities were destroyed before the face of the Lord, and before the face of the wrath of his fury.”

27  For thus saith YHWH: The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

27  Thus saith the Lord, The whole land shall be desolate; but I will not make a full end.

27  For thus says the Lord: “All the earth will be desolate, but I will not yet bring about its consummation.

28  For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.

28  For these things let the earth mourn, and let the sky be dark above: for I have spoken, and I will not repent; I have purposed, and I will not turn back from it.

28  The earth will mourn, and the heavens will lament from above. For I have spoken, I have decided, and I have not regretted. Neither will I be turned away from it.

29  For the noise of the horsemen and bowmen the whole city fleeth; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks; every city is forsaken, and not a man dwelleth therein.

29  The whole land has recoiled from the noise of the horseman and the bent bow; they have gone into the caves, and have hidden themselves in the groves, and have gone up upon the rocks: every city was abandoned, no man dwelt in them.

29  Because of the noise of the horsemen and bowmen, the whole city has fled; enter into the forests and climb up upon the rocks; all towns are deserted and no man dwells therein

30  And thou, that art spoiled, what doest thou, that thou clothest thyself with scarlet, that thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, that thou enlargest thine eyes with paint? In vain dost thou make thyself fair; thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

30  So then, when you have been devastated, what will you do? Though you will clothe yourself with scarlet, though you will adorn yourself with a gold necklace and tint your eyes with cosmetics, you will be dressing yourself up in vain. Your lovers have spurned you; they will be seeking your life.

31  For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that gaspeth for breath, that spreadeth her hands: 'Woe is me, now! for my soul fainteth before the murderers.'

5:1  Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that doeth justly, that seeketh truth; and I will pardon her.

1  “Travel the streets of Jerusalem; and gaze, and consider, and seek, in its wide streets. If you can find a man exercising judgment and seeking faith, then I will be forgiving to them.

1  RUN to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now and know, and search in its broad places, if you can find a man, if there is any that executes justice, that seeks truth; and I will pardon them.

5:2  And though they say: 'As YHWH liveth', surely they swear falsely.

2  The Lord lives, they say; do they not therefore swear falsely?

2  For even though they say, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in this, too, they swear falsely.”

5:3  O YHWH, are not Thine eyes upon truth? Thou hast stricken them, but they were not affected; Thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction; they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

3  O Lord, thine eyes are upon faithfulness: thou hast scourged them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them; but they would not receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; and they would not return.

3  O Lord, your eyes look with favor upon faith. You have struck them, and they have not grieved. You have bruised them, and they have refused to accept discipline. They have hardened their faces more than rock, and they are not willing to return.

5:4  And I said: 'Surely these are poor, they are foolish, for they know not the way of YHWH, nor the ordinance of their God;

4  Then I said, It may be they are poor; for they are weak, for they know not the way of the Lord, or the judgement of God.

5:5  I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of YHWH, and the ordinance of their God.' But these had altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bands.

5  Therefore, I will go to great men, and I will speak with them. For they have known the way of the Lord, the judgment of their God. And behold, these ones have broken the yoke all the more; they have torn apart the bonds.

5  I will go to the princes and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the LORD and the judgment of their God; but truly they have altogether broken the yoke; they have burst the bonds.

5:6  Wherefore a lion out of the forest doth slay them, a wolf of the deserts doth spoil them, a leopard watcheth over their cities, every one that goeth out thence is torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, their backslidings are increased.

6  Therefore has a lion out of the forest smitten them, and a wolf has destroyed them even to their houses, and a leopard has watched against their cities: all that go forth from them shall be hunted: for they have multiplied their ungodliness, they have strengthened themselves in their revoltings.

5:7  Wherefore should I pardon thee? The children have forsaken Me, and sworn by no-gods; and when I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots' houses.

7  In what way shall I forgive thee for these things? Thy sons have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: and I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and lodged in harlots’ houses.

7  “Over which things am I able to be merciful to you? Your sons have forsaken me, and they swear by those who are not gods. I gave them everything, and they committed adultery, and they indulged themselves in the house of the harlot.

5:8  They are become as well-fed horses, lusty stallions; every one neigheth after his neighbour's wife.

8  They became as wanton horses: they neighed each one after his neighbour’s wife.

8  They were wanton like stallions, every one lusting after his neighbor's wife.

5:9  Shall I not punish for these things? saith YHWH; and shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

9  Shall I not visit against these things, says the Lord? And shall my soul not take vengeance on a nation such as this?

5:10  Go ye up into her rows, and destroy, but make not a full end; take away her shoots; for they are not YHWH'S.

10  Go up upon her battlements, and break them down; but make not a full end: leave her buttresses: for they are the Lord’s.

10  Scale its walls and tear them down. But do not be willing to bring about its very end. Take away its plantings, for they are not the Lord’s.

5:11  For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against Me, saith YHWH.

5:12  They have belied YHWH, and said: 'It is not He, neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine;

12  have lied to their Lord, and they have said, These things are not so; no evils shall come upon us; and we shall not see sword or famine.

12  They have denied the Lord, and they have said, ‘It is not him,’ and, ‘Evil will not overwhelm us. We will not see famine and the sword.’

5:13  And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them; thus be it done unto them.'

13  Our prophets became wind, and the word of the Lord was not in them.

13  The prophets have spoken into the wind, and there was no answer with them. Therefore, these things will happen to them.”

5:14  Wherefore thus saith YHWH, the God of hosts: Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make My words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

14  Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: “Since you have spoken this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth like fire and this people like wood, and it will devour them.

5:15  Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith YHWH; it is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

15  Behold, I will bring upon you a nation from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord; a nation the sound of whose language one shall not understand.

15  Behold, O house of Israel, I will lead over you a far away nation, says the Lord, a robust nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you will not know, nor will you understand what they are saying.

5:16  Their quiver is an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.

16  They are all mighty men

5:17  And they shall eat up thy harvest, and thy bread, they shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds, they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall batter thy fortified cities, wherein thou trusteth, with the sword.

17  and they shall devour you harvest, and your bread; and shall devour your sons, and your daughters; and they shall devour your sheep, and your calves, and devour your vineyards, and your fig-plantations, and your olive yards: and they shall utterly destroy your strong cities, wherein ye trusted, with the sword.

17  And they will consume your grain fields and your bread. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vineyards and your figs. And with the sword, they will crush your fortified cities, in which you have placed your trust.

5:18  But even in those days, saith YHWH, I will not make a full end with you.

18  And it shall come to pass in those days, saith the Lord thy God, that I will not utterly destroy you.

18  Yet truly, in those days, says the Lord, I will not bring the consummation over you.

5:19  And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say: 'Wherefore hath YHWH our God done all these things unto us?' then shalt Thou say unto them: 'Like as ye have forsaken Me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

19  And if they say, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?’ You shall say to them: ‘Just as you have abandoned me and have served a strange god in your own land, so will you serve strangers in a land not your own.’

5:20  Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, and announce it in Judah, saying

20  Proclaim these things to the house of Jacob, and let them be heard in the house of Juda.

5:21  Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, that have eyes, and see not, that have ears, and hear not

21  Hear ye now these things, O foolish and senseless people; who have eyes, and see not; and have ears, and hear not

21  Listen, O foolish people who have no heart! You have eyes, but you do not see, and ears, but you do not hear.

5:22  Fear ye not Me? saith YHWH; Will ye not tremble at My presence? Who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, an everlasting ordinance, which it cannot pass; and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.

22  will ye not be afraid of me? saith the Lord; and will ye not fear before me, who have set the sand for a bound to the sea, as a perpetual ordinance, and it shall not pass it: yea, it shall rage, but not prevail; and its waves shall roar, but not pass over it.

22  So then, will you not fear me, says the Lord. And will you not have sorrow before my face? I have placed the shore as a limit for the sea, as an everlasting precept that it will not transgress. And its waves will crash, but they will not prevail; and its waves will swell, but they will not go across.

5:23  But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted, and gone.

23  But the heart of this people has become incredulous and provocative; they have turned away and departed.

5:24  Neither say they in their heart: 'Let us now fear YHWH our God, that giveth the former rain, and the latter in due season; that keepeth for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.'

24  and they have not said in their heart, Let us fear now the Lord our God, who gives us the early and latter rain, according to the season of the fulfillment of the ordinance of harvest, and has preserved it for us.

24  Neither do they say in their heart, Let us now worship the LORD our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season, who preserves for us the summer crops for the winter.

5:25  Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good from you.

25  Your transgressions have turned away these things, and your sins have removed good things from you.

5:26  For among My people are found wicked men; they pry, as fowlers lie in wait; they set a trap, they catch men.

26  For the impious are found among my people; they lie in ambush like fowlers setting snares, for they set traps to catch men.

5:27  As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they are become great, and waxen rich;

27  As a snare which has been set is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore have they grown great, and become rich

27  Just as a snare is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. As a result, they have become exalted and enriched.

5:28  They are waxen fat, they are become sleek; yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they might make it to prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

28  and they have transgressed the rule of judgement; they have not judged the cause of the orphan, nor have they judged the cause of the widow.

28  Therefore they have become great and rich and have perverted judgment; they do not execute justice, and they do not judge aright the cause of the orphan; and the cause of the needy they did not judge.

5:29  Shall I not punish for these things? saith YHWH; Shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

29  Shall I not visit against these things, says the Lord? Or shall my soul not take vengeance on a nation of this kind?

5:30  An appalling and horrible thing is come to pass in the land

30  Shocking and horrible deeds have been done on the land;

30  Astonishing and wondrous things have been done upon the earth.

5:31  The prophets prophesy in the service of falsehood, and the priests bear rule at their beck; and My people love to have it so; What then will ye do in the end thereof?

6:1  Put yourselves under covert, ye children of Benjamin, away from the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the horn in Tekoa, and set up a signal on Beth-cherem; for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great destruction.

1  O CHILDREN of Benjamin, flee out of the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet and set up a standard in Beth-keram; for I am bringing a calamity out of the north, and great destruction.

6:2  The comely and delicate one, the daughter of Zion, will I cut off.

2  And thy pride, O daughter of Sion, shall be taken away.

2  I have compared the daughter of Zion to a beautiful and delicate woman.

6:3  Shepherds with their flocks come unto her; they pitch their tents against her round about; they feed bare every one what is nigh at hand.

3  The shepherds and their flocks shall come to her; and they shall pitch their tents against her round about, and shall feed their flocks each with his hand.

3  The pastors will come to her with their flocks. They have pitched their tents against her all around. Each one will feed those who are under his hand.

6:4  'Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon!' 'Woe unto us! for the day declineth, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out!'

4  Prepare yourselves for war against her; rise up, and let us go up against her at noon. Woe to us! for the day has gone down, for the shadows of the day fail.

4  ‘Sanctify a war against her! Rise up together, and let us ascend at midday.’ ‘Woe to us! For the day has declined; for the shadows of the evening have grown longer.’

6:5  'Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us destroy her palaces.'

5  Rise, and let us go up against her by night, and destroy her foundations.

5  ‘Rise up, and let us ascend in the night, and let us destroy her houses.’ ”

6:6  For thus hath YHWH of hosts said: hew ye down her trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem; this is the city to be punished; everywhere there is oppression in the midst of her.

6  For thus saith the Lord, Hew down her trees, array a numerous force against Jerusalem. O false city; there is all oppression in her.

6  For thus says the Lord of hosts: “Cut down her trees, and build a rampart around Jerusalem. This is the city of visitation! Every kind of false claim is in her midst.

6:7  As a cistern welleth with her waters, so she welleth with her wickedness; violence and spoil is heard in her; before Me continually is sickness and wounds.

7  As a cistern cools water, so her wickedness cools her, ungodliness and misery shall be heard in her, as continually before her.

7  Just as a cistern makes its water cold, so has she made her wickedness cold. Iniquity and devastation will be heard in her; sickness and wounds will be ever before me.

6:8  Be thou corrected, O Jerusalem, lest My soul be alienated from thee, lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

8  Thou shalt be chastened, O Jerusalem, with pain and the scourge, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee a desert land, which shall not be inhabited.

8  O Jerusalem, accept instruction, lest perhaps my soul may withdraw from you; lest perhaps I may set you in a desert, in an uninhabitable land.”

6:9  Thus saith YHWH of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel; turn again thy hand as a grape- gatherer upon the shoots.

9  Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They will gather the remnant of Israel, even as a single cluster of grapes is gathered from a vine. Direct your hand, as a grape-gatherer directs his hand to the basket.

6:10  To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is dull, and they cannot attend; behold, the word of YHWH is become unto them a reproach, they have no delight in it.

10  To whom should I speak, and to whom should I testify, so as to be heard? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and so they are unable to hear. Behold, for them, the word of the Lord has become a disgrace. And so they will not accept it.

6:11  Therefore I am full of the fury of YHWH, I am weary with holding in: pour it out upon the babes in the street, and upon the assembly of young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.

11  And I allowed my wrath to come to full, yet I kept it in, and did not utterly destroy them: I will pour it out on the children without, and on the assembly of young men together: for man and woman shall be taken together, the old man with him that is full of days.

11  For this reason, I have been filled with the fury of the Lord. I labor to bear it. Let it be poured out upon the child outside, or upon a group of young men meeting together. For a man will be taken captive with a woman, an elder will be taken captive with one who is full of days.

6:12  And their houses shall be turned unto others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out My hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith YHWH.

12  Their houses shall be given to others, with their fields and wives together; for I will stretch out my hand against the inhabitants of the land, says the LORD.

6:13  For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is greedy for gain; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

13  Certainly, from the least of them even to the greatest, all of them practice greed. And from the prophet even to the priest, all of them act with deceit.

6:14  They have healed also the hurt of My people lightly, saying: 'Peace, peace', when there is no peace.

14  And they healed the breach of my people imperfectly, making light of it, and saying, Peace, peace, and where is peace?

14  And yet they try to heal the wound of the daughter of my people mockingly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

6:15  They shall be put to shame because they have committed abomination; yea, they are not at all ashamed, neither know they how to blush; therefore they shall fall among them that fall, at the time that I punish them they shall stumble, saith YHWH.

15  They were ashamed because they failed; yet they were not ashamed as those who are truly ashamed, and they knew not their own disgrace: therefore shall they utterly fall when they do fall, and in the time of visitation shall they perish, said the Lord.

6:16  Thus saith YHWH: Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said: 'We will not walk therein.'

16  Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths of the Lord; and see what is the good way, and walk in it, and ye shall find purification for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in them.

16  Thus says the Lord: “Stand above the ways, and see and ask, about the ancient paths, as to which is the good way, and then walk in it. And you will find refreshment for your souls. But they said: ‘We will not walk.’

6:17  And I set watchmen over you: 'Attend to the sound of the horn', but they said: 'We will not attend.'

17  I have set watchmen over you, saying, Hear ye the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hear it.

17  And I appointed watchers over you, saying: ‘Listen for the sound of the trumpet.’ And they said: ‘We will not listen.’

6:18  Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is against them.

18  Therefore have the nations heard, and they that feed their flocks.

18  For this reason, hear, O Gentiles, and know, O congregation, how much I will do to them.

6:19  Hear, O earth: Behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not attended unto My words, and as for My teaching, they have rejected it.

6:20  To what purpose is to Me the frankincense that cometh from Sheba, and the sweet cane, from a far country? Your burnt- offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing unto Me.

20  Wherefore do ye bring me frankincense from Saba, and cinnamon from a land afar off? your whole-burnt-offerings are not acceptable, and your sacrifices have not been pleasant to me.

20  For what reason are you bringing me frankincense from Sheba, and sweet smelling reeds from a far away land? Your holocausts are not acceptable, and your sacrifices are not pleasing to me.”

6:21  Therefore thus saith YHWH: Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them, the neighbour and his friend, and they shall perish.

21  Therefore, thus says the Lord: “Behold I will bring this people to utter ruin, and they will fall, with their fathers and sons; neighbor and relative will perish together.”

6:22  Thus saith YHWH: Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be roused from the uttermost parts of the earth.

22  Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people comes from the north, and nations shall be stirred up from the end of the earth.

6:23  They lay hold on bow and spear, they are cruel, and have no compassion; their voice is like the roaring sea, and they ride upon horses; set in array, as a man for war, against thee, O daughter of Zion.

23  They will take hold of arrow and shield. They are cruel, and they will not take pity. Their voice will roar like the ocean. And they will climb upon horses, for they have been prepared like men for battle, against you, O daughter of Zion.

6:24  'We have heard the fame thereof, our hands wax feeble, anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.'

24  We have heard the report of them: our hands are weakened: anguish has seized us, the pangs as of a woman in travail.

24  ‘We have heard of their fame. Our hands have become weakened. Tribulation has overtaken us, like the pains of a woman giving birth.’

6:25  Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for there is the sword of the enemy, and terror on every side.

25  Do not choose to go out into the fields, and you should not walk along the roadway. For the sword and the terror of the enemy is on every side.

6:26  O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes; make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.

26  Wrap yourself in haircloth, O daughter of my people. And sprinkle yourself with ashes. Make a mourning for yourself, as for an only son, a bitter lamentation: ‘for the destroyer will overwhelm us suddenly.’

6:27  I have made thee a tower and a fortress among My people; that thou mayest know and try their way.

6:28  They are all grievous revolters, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron; they all of them deal corruptly.

28  All these leaders who are turning away and walking deceitfully, they are brass and iron; they have all been corrupted.

28  Their rulers are all rebellious, walking treacherously; like brass and iron, they are corruptible.

6:29  The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed of the fire; in vain doth the founder refine, for the wicked are not separated.

29  The bellows have failed from the fire, the lead has failed: the silversmith works at his trade in vain; their wickedness is not consumed.

29  The bellows has failed; the lead has been consumed by fire; the molten metal was melted to no purpose. For their wickedness has not been consumed.

6:30  Refuse silver shall men call them, because YHWH hath rejected them.

30  Call ye them reprobate silver, because the Lord has rejected them.

30  Call them: ‘Rejected silver.’ For the Lord has cast them aside.”

7:1  The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying

7:2  Stand in the gate of YHWH'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say: Hear the word of the YHWH, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD.

2  Hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judea.

2  “Stand at the gate to the house of the Lord, and preach this word there, and say: Listen to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who enter through these gates to adore the Lord.

7:3  Thus saith YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

7:4  Trust ye not in lying words, saying: 'The temple of YHWH, the temple of the YHWH, the temple of the LORD, are these.'

4  Trust not in yourselves with lying words, for they shall not profit you at all, saying, It is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.

4  Do not choose to trust in lying words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord! The temple of the Lord!’

7:5  Nay, but if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbour;

5  For if ye thoroughly correct your ways and your practices, and do indeed execute judgement between a man and his neighbour;

5  For if you direct your ways and your intentions well, if you exercise judgment between a man and his neighbor,

7:6  if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt;

6  if you do not act with deceit toward the new arrival, the orphan, and the widow, and if you do not pour out innocent blood in this place, and if you do not walk after strange gods, which is to your own harm,

7:7  then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.

7  then I will live with you in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers from the beginning and even forever.

7:8  Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

8  But whereas ye have trusted in lying words, whereby ye shall not be profited;

8  Behold, you trust in false words, which will not benefit you,

7:9  Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and offer unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye have not known,

9  so as to steal, to murder, to commit adultery, to swear falsely, to offer libations to Baal, and to go after strange gods, which you do not know.

9  Indeed you are thieves, you are murderers, and you commit adultery and swear falsely and burn incense to Baal and walk after other gods whom you know not;

7:10  and come and stand before Me in this house, whereupon My name is called, and say: 'We are delivered', that ye may do all these abominations?

7:11  Is this house, whereupon My name is called, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, saith YHWH.

11  Is my house, whereon my name is called, a den of robbers in your eyes? And, behold, I have seen it, saith the Lord.

11  So then, has this house, where my name has been invoked, become a den of robbers in your eyes? It is I, I am, I have seen, says the Lord.

7:12  For go ye now unto My place which was in Shiloh, where I caused My name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of My people Israel.

12  Go to my place in Shiloh, where my name has lived from the beginning, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel.

7:13  And now, because ye have done all these works, saith YHWH, and I spoke unto you, speaking betimes and often, but ye heard not, and I called you, but ye answered not;

13  And now, because you have done all these works, says the Lord, and because I have spoken to you from your morning rising, and because I was speaking, but you were not listening, and because I have called you, but you have not responded

7:14  therefore will I do unto the house, whereupon My name is called, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

14  I will do to this house, in which my name is invoked, and in which you have confidence, even to this place which I gave to you and to your fathers, just as I have done to Shiloh.

14  Therefore I will do to this house which is called by my name, in which you trust, and to this city which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

7:15  And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.

7:16  Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me; for I will not hear thee.

16  Therefore, you should not pray for this people, nor take up praise and supplication on their behalf. And you should not stand in opposition to me. For then I will not heed you.

16  Therefore do not pray for this people, neither supplicate for them nor make intercession to me; for I will not hear you.

7:17  Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

17  Have you not seen what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

7:18  The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke Me.

18  The sons gather the wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the wives spread the grease, so as to make cakes to the queen of heaven and to offer libations to strange gods, and so as to provoke me to anger.

7:19  Do they provoke Me? saith YHWH; do they not provoke themselves, to the confusion of their own faces?

19  But are they provoking me to anger, says the Lord? Are they not provoking themselves, to the confusion of their own faces?”

19  It is not I that they provoke, says the LORD, but they provoke themselves so that they may be ashamed.

7:20  Therefore thus saith YHWH GOD: Behold, Mine anger and My fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the land; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched.

20  Therefore, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, my fury and my indignation is kindled against this place, over men and over beasts, and over the trees of the countryside and over the fruits of the land, and it will burn and not be extinguished.”

7:21  Thus saith YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt-offerings unto your sacrifices, and eat ye flesh.

21  Thus saith the Lord, Gather your whole-burnt-offerings with your meat-offerings, and eat flesh.

21  Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your holocausts to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.

7:22  For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices;

22  For concerning the matter of holocausts and sacrifices, I did not speak with your fathers, and I did not instruct them, in the day when I led them away from the land of Egypt.

22  Neither did I command them concerning either burnt offerings or sacrifices in the day when I brought them out of the land of Egypt;

7:23  but this thing I commanded them, saying: 'Hearken unto My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My people; and walk ye in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'

23  But on this matter I did instruct them, saying: Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. And walk in the entire way that I have commanded you, so that it may be well with you.

7:24  But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in their own counsels, even in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward,

24  But they did not listen, nor did they incline their ear. Instead, they walked by their own will and in the depravity of their own wicked heart. And so, they went backward, and not forward,

7:25  even since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day; and though I have sent unto you all My servants the prophets, sending them daily betimes and often,

25  from the day that their fathers went forth out of the land of Egypt, even until this day. And I sent to you all my servants, the prophets, by day and early in the morning: yea, I sent them,

25  From the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt to this day I have sent to them all my servants the prophets, daily.

7:26  yet they hearkened not unto Me, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff; they did worse than their fathers.

26  But they have not listened to me, nor have they inclined their ear. Instead, they have stiffened their neck, and they have behaved worse than their fathers did.

26  I sent them in advance to warn them; but they did not listen nor incline their ear toward me, but hardened their necks more than their fathers.

7:27  And thou shalt speak all these words unto them, but they will not hearken to thee; thou shalt also call unto them, but they will not answer thee.

27  Therefore thou shalt speak this word to them;

7:28  Therefore thou shalt say unto them: This is the nation that hath not hearkened to the voice of YHWH their God, nor received correction; faithfulness is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

28  This is the nation which has not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, nor received correction: truth has failed from their mouth.

28  Truth is perished and is cut off from their mouth.

7:29  Cut off thy hair, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the high hills; for YHWH hath rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.

29  Cut off thine hair, and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on thy lips; for the Lord has reprobated and rejected the generation that does these things.

29  Cut off your hair, and cast it away. And take up a lamentation on high. For the Lord has cast aside and abandoned this generation of his fury.

7:30  For the children of Judah have done that which is evil in My sight, saith YHWH; they have set their detestable things in the house whereon My name is called, to defile it.

30  For the sons of Judah have done evil in my eyes, says the Lord. They have stationed their abominations in the house where my name is invoked, so that they may defile it.

7:31  And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded not, neither came it into My mind.

7:32  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that it shall no more be called Topheth, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter; for they shall bury in Topheth, for lack of room.

32  For this reason, behold, the days will arrive, says the Lord, when it will no longer be called Topheth, nor the Valley of the son of Hinnom, but instead the Valley of Slaughter. Yet they will bury in Topheth, because there will be no other place.

7:33  And the carcasses of this people shall be food for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.

33  And the dead bodies of this people shall be for food to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and there shall be none to drive them away.

33  And the corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the air and for the wild beasts of the land, and there will be no one to drive them away.

7:34  Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall be desolate.

34  And I will destroy out of the cities of Juda, and the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of them that make merry, and the voice of them that rejoice, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; for the whole land shall become a desolation.