Revised Standard Version RSV
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth; that I may pardon her.
1
Walk around the streets of Jerusalem. Look around, and think about these things. Search the city squares. See if you can find anyone who does what is right and seeks the truth. Then I will forgive Jerusalem.
2 Though they say, "As the LORD lives," yet they swear falsely.
2
People say, "As the LORD lives...." Yet, they lie when they take this oath.
3 O LORD, do not thy eyes look for truth? Thou hast smitten them, but they felt no anguish; thou hast consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.
3
LORD, your eyes look for the truth. You strike these people, but they don't feel it. You crush them, but they refuse to be corrected. They are more stubborn than rocks. They refuse to turn back.
4 Then I said, "These are only the poor, they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the law of their God.
4
I thought, "These are poor, foolish people. They don't know the way of the LORD and the justice that God demands.
5 I will go to the great, and will speak to them; for they know the way of the LORD, the law of their God." But they all alike had broken the yoke, they had burst the bonds.
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Let me go to important people and speak to them. They know the way of the LORD and the justice that God demands." But they, too, had broken off their yokes and torn off their chains.
6 Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, a wolf from the desert shall destroy them. A leopard is watching against their cities, every one who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.
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That is why a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the wilderness will destroy them. A leopard will lie in ambush outside their cities. All who leave the cities will be torn to pieces, because they rebel so often and they become more and more unfaithful.
7 "How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of harlots.
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"Why should I forgive you? Your children abandoned me. They took godless oaths. They committed adultery, even though I satisfied their needs. They traveled in crowds to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They were well-fed lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife.
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They are like well-fed stallions that are wild with desire. They neigh for their neighbors' wives.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things? says the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?
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I will punish them for these things," declares the LORD. "I will punish this nation.
10 "Go up through her vine-rows and destroy, but make not a full end; strip away her branches, for they are not the LORD's.
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"Go among Jerusalem's rows of grapevines and destroy them, but don't destroy all of them. Cut off the branches because they don't belong to the LORD.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly faithless to me, says the LORD.
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The nations of Israel and Judah are unfaithful to me," declares the LORD.
12 They have spoken falsely of the LORD, and have said, 'He will do nothing; no evil will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.
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They lie about the LORD and say, "He doesn't exist! Nothing bad will happen to us. We won't experience war or famine.
13 The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!'"
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The prophets are nothing but windbags. The LORD hasn't spoken through them, so let what they say happen to them."
14 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: "Because they have spoken this word, behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them.
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This is what the LORD God of Armies says: Because you've talked like this, I'm going to put my words in your mouth like a fire. These people will be like wood. My words will burn them up.
15 Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, says 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.
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Nation of Israel, I'm going to bring a nation from far away to attack you, declares the LORD. It is a nation that has lasted a long time. It is an ancient nation. You don't know the language of this nation. You can't understand what its people say.
16 Their quiver is like an open tomb, they are all mighty men.
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Their arrow quivers are like open graves. They are all mighty warriors.
17 They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall destroy with the sword."
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They will devour your harvest and your food. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will devour your flocks and your cattle. They will devour your grapevines and your fig trees. With their swords they will destroy the fortified cities you trust.
18 "But even in those days, says the LORD, I will not make a full end of you.
18
Yet, even in those days, declares the LORD, I won't destroy all of you.
19 And when your people say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'"
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They will ask, "Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?" Answer them, "You have abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land. So you will serve foreigners in a land that isn't yours."
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, proclaim it in Judah:
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"Tell this to the descendants of Jacob, and make this heard in Judah:
21 "Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.
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Hear this, you stupid and senseless people! You have eyes, but you cannot see. You have ears, but you cannot hear.
22 Do you not fear me? says the LORD; Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the bound for the sea, a perpetual barrier which it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail, though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
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Don't you fear me?" asks the LORD. "Don't you tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, a permanent barrier that it cannot cross. Although the waves toss continuously, they can't break through. Although they roar, they can't cross it.
23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.
23
But these people are stubborn and rebellious. They have turned aside and wandered away from me.
24 They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.'
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They don't say to themselves, 'We should fear the LORD our God. He sends rain at the right time, the autumn rain and the spring rain. He makes sure that we have harvest seasons.'
25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you.
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Your wickedness has turned these things away. Your sins have kept good things away from you.
26 For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.
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"Wicked people are found among my people. They lie in ambush like bird catchers. They set traps and catch people.
27 Like a basket full of birds, their houses are full of treachery; therefore they have become great and rich,
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Like cages filled with birds, their houses are filled with deceit. That is why they become powerful and rich.
28 they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of wickedness; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
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They grow big and fat. Their evil deeds have no limits. They have no respect for the rights of others. They have no respect for the rights of orphans. But they still prosper. They don't defend the rights of the poor.
29 Shall I not punish them for these things? says the LORD, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?"
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I will punish them for these things," declares the LORD. "I will punish this nation.
30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land:
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"Something horrible and disgusting is happening in the land:
31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
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Prophets prophesy lies. Priests rule under the prophets' directions, and my people love this. But what will you do in the end?"
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.