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.

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.”

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.

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  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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.’

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.”

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.

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.

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

16  They are all mighty men

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.

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.

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.’

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?