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.
.W[.d.W a'n -.Wa.r.W ~i;l'v.Wr.y tw{c.Wx.B .Wj.jw{v ? vey -mia vyia .Wa.c.miT -mia 'hy,tw{bw{x.rib .Wv.q;b.W ? H'l x;l.s,a.w h'n.Wm/a veQ;b.m j'P.vim h,f{[
2
"And
although they
say, 'As the
LORD lives,'
Surely they
swear falsely."
.W[eb'VIy r,q,V;l !ek'l .Wrema{y h'w{h.y -y;x ~ia.w
3
O
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.
~'t{a h'tyiKih h'n.Wm/a,l aw{l]h '$y,nye[ h'w{h.y ? .Wq.Zix r's.Wm t;x;q .Wn]aem ~'tyiLiK .Wl'x -a{l.w ? b.Wv'l .Wn]aem [;l,Sim ~,hyen.p
4
Then I
said, "They are
only the
poor, They are
foolish; For they do not
know the
way of the
LORD Or the
ordinance of their
God.
yiK .Wl]aw{n ~eh ~yiL;D -.k;a yiT.r;m'a yin]a;w ? ~,hyeh{l/a j;P.vim h'wh.y .$,r,D .W[.d'y a{l
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.
~'tw{a h'r.B;d]a;w ~yil{d.G;h -l,a yiL -h'k]lea ? ~,hyeh{l/a j;P.vim h'wh.y .$,r,D .W[.d'y h'Meh yiK ? tw{resw{m .Wq.Tin l{[ .Wr.b'v w'D.x;y h'Meh .$;a
6
Therefore * 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.
tw{b'r][ bea.z r;[;Yim hey.r;a ~'Kih !eK -l;[ ? aecw{Y;h -l'K ~,hyer'[ -l;[ deq{v rem'n ~ed.d'v.y ? ~,hyetw{bUv.m .Wm.c'[ ~,hye[.viP .WB;r yiK @er'JIy h'Nehem
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.
.W[.b'ViY;w yin.Wb'z][ .$Iy;n'B ];xw{l.s,a ta{z'l yea ? tyeb.W .Wp'a.niY;w ~'tw{a ;[iB.f;a'w ~yih{l/a a{l.B ? .Wd'd{G.tIy h'nw{z
8
"They were
well-fed lusty horses,
Each one neighing after his
neighbor's wife.
t,vea -l,a vyia .Wy'h ~yiK.v;m ~yin'ZUy.m ~yis.Ws ? .Wl'h.cIy .Whe[er
9
"Shall I not
punish these people,"
declares the
LORD, "And on a
nation such as
this Shall I not
avenge Myself?
~ia.w h'w{h.y -mUa.n d{q.p,a -aw{l h,Lea -l;[;h ? yiv.p;n ~eQ;n.tit a{l h,z'K -r,v]a yw{g.B
10
"Go up through her
vine rows and
destroy, But do not
execute a
complete destruction;
Strip away her
branches, For they are not the
LORD'S.
.Wf][;T -l;a h'l'k.w .Wtex;v.w 'hy,tw{r'v.b .Wl][ ? h'Meh h'why;l aw{l yiK 'hy,tw{vyij.n .Wryis'h
11
"For the
house of
Israel and the
house of
Judah Have
dealt very treacherously with Me,"
declares the
LORD.
tyeb.W lea'r.fIy tyeB yiB .Wd.g'B dw{g'b yiK ? h'wh.y -mUa.n h'd.Wh.y
12
They have
lied about the
LORD And
said, "Not He;
Misfortune will not
come on us, And we will not
see sword or
famine.
aw{b't -a{l.w a.Wh -a{l .Wr.ma{Y;w h'why;B .Wv]xiK ? h,a.rin aw{l b'['r.w b,r,x.w h'['r .Wnyel'[
13
"The
prophets are as
wind, And the
word is not in them.
Thus it will be
done to them!"
~,h'B !yea reBiD;h.w ;x.Wr.l .Wy.hIy ~yiayib.N;h.w ? ~,h'l h,f'[ey h{K
14
Therefore,
thus says the
LORD, the
God of
hosts,
"Because you have
spoken this word,
Behold, I am
making My
words in your
mouth fire And
this people wood, and it will
consume them.
!;[;y tw{a'b.c yeh{l/a h'wh.y r;m'a -h{K !ek'l ? y;r'b.D !et{n yin.nih h,Z;h r'b'D;h -t,a ~,k.r,B;D ? ~;t'l'k]a;w ~yice[ h,Z;h ~'['h.w vea.l '$yip.B
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.
tyeB q'x.r,Mim yw{G ~,kyel][ ayibem yin.nih ? yw{G a.Wh !'tyea yw{G h'w{h.y -mUa.n lea'r.fIy ? reB;d.y -h;m [;m.vit a{l.w w{n{v.l [;det -a{l yw{G a.Wh ~'lw{[em
16
"Their
quiver is like an
open grave,
All of them are
mighty men.
~yirw{BiG ~'LUK ;x.Wt'P r,b,q.K w{t'P.v;a
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.
'$y,tw{n.b.W '$y,n'B .Wl.ka{y '$,m.x;l.w '$.ryic.q l;k'a.w ? '$,t'nea.t.W '$.n.p;G l;ka{y '$,r'q.b.W '$.na{c l;ka{y ? h'Neh'B ;xejw{B h'T;a r,v]a '$y,r'c.bim yer'[ vev{r.y ? b,r'x,B
18
"Yet
even in
those days,"
declares the
LORD, "I will not
make you a
complete destruction.
h,f/[,a -a{l h'w{h.y -mUa.n h'Meh'h ~yim'Y;B ~;g.w ? h'l'K ~,k.Tia
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.'
.Wnyeh{l/a h'w{h.y h'f'[ h,m t;x;T .Wr.ma{t yiK h'y'h.w ? r,v]a;K ~,hyel]a 'T.r;m'a.w h,Lea -l'K -t,a .Wn'l ? ~,k.c.r;a.B r'ken yeh{l/a .Wd.b;[;T;w yitw{a ~,T.b;z][ ? ~,k'l a{l #,r,a.B ~yir'z .Wd.b;[;T !eK
20
"Declare this in the
house of
Jacob And
proclaim it in
Judah,
saying,
h'd.Whyib 'h.W[yim.v;h.w b{q][;y tyeb.B ta{z .WdyiG;h ? r{mael
21
'Now hear this, O
foolish and
senseless * people, Who have
eyes but do not
see; Who have
ears but do not
hear.
~Iy;nye[ bel !yea.w l'k's ~;[ ta{z a'n -.W[.miv ? .W['m.vIy a{l.w ~,h'l ~Iy;n.z'a .Wa.rIy a{l.w ~,h'l
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.
y;n'Pim ~ia h'w{h.y -mUa.n .Wa'ryit -a{l yitw{a;h ? ~'Y;l l.Wb.G lw{x yiT.m;f -r,v]a .Wlyix't a{l ? a{l.w .Wv]['G.tiY;w .Wh.n,r.b;[;y a{l.w ~'lw{[ -q'x ? .Wh.nUr.b;[;y a{l.w wy'L;g .Wm'h.w .Wl'k.Wy
23
'But
this people has a
stubborn and
rebellious heart; They have
turned aside and
departed.
.Wr's h,rw{m.W rerw{s bel h'y'h h,Z;h ~'['l.w ? .WkeleY;w
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."
h'wh.y -t,a a'n a'ryin ~'b'b.lib .Wr.m'a -a{l.w ? w{Ti[.B vw{q.l;m.W h,r{y.w ~,v,G !et{N;h .Wnyeh{l/a ? .Wn'l -r'm.vIy ryic'q tw{QUx tw{[Ub.v
25
'Your
iniquities have
turned these away, And your
sins have
withheld good from you.
.W[.n'm ~,kyetwa{J;x.w h,Lea -.WJih ~,kyetw{n{w][ ? ~,Kim bw{J;h
26
'For
wicked men are
found among My
people, They
watch like
fowlers lying in
wait; They
set a
trap, They
catch men.
~yiv.Wq.y .$;v.K r.Wv'y ~yi['v.r yiM;[.b .Wa.c.min -yiK ? .Wd{K.lIy ~yiv'n]a tyix.v;m .WbyiCih
27
'Like a
cage full of
birds,
So their
houses are
full of
deceit;
Therefore * they have
become great and
rich.
h'm.rim ~yiael.m ~,hyeT'B !eK @w{[ ael'm b.Wl.kiK ? .Wryiv][;Y;w .Wl.d'G !eK -l;[
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.
!yiD ['r -yer.bid .Wr.b'[ ~;G .Wt.v'[ .Wn.m'v ? j;P.vim.W .Wxyil.c;y.w ~w{t'y !yiD .Wn'd -a{l ? .Wj'p'v a{l ~yinw{y.b,a
29
'Shall I not
punish these people?'
declares the
LORD, 'On a
nation such as
this Shall I not
avenge Myself?'
~ia h'w{h.y -mUa.n d{q.p,a -a{l h,Lea -l;[;h ? yiv.p;n ~eQ;n.tit a{l h,z'K -r,v]a yw{g.B
30
"An
appalling and
horrible thing Has
happened in the
land:
#,r'a'B h't.y.hin h'r.Wr][;v.w h'M;v
31
The
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?
.WD.rIy ~yin]h{K;h.w r,q,V;b -.Wa.Bin ~yiayib.N;h ? .Wf][;T -h;m.W !ek .Wb]h'a yiM;[.w ~,hyed.y -l;[ ? H'tyir]x;a.l