Jeremías 5:13-23

13 Todos los profetas de Dios son pura palabrería;
en realidad no hablan de parte de él.
¡Que caigan sobre ellos mismos sus predicciones de desastre!”».

14 Por lo tanto, esto dice el Señor
Dios de los Ejércitos Celestiales:
«Debido a que mi pueblo habla de esta manera,
mis mensajes saldrán de tu boca como llamas de fuego
y quemarán al pueblo como si fuera leña.

15 Oh Israel, traeré una nación lejana contra ti,
—dice el Señor
—.
Es una nación poderosa,
una nación antigua,
un pueblo cuyo idioma desconoces,
cuya forma de hablar no entiendes.

16 Sus armas son mortíferas;
sus guerreros, poderosos.

17 Devorarán la comida de tu cosecha;
devorarán a tus hijos e hijas.
Devorarán tus rebaños y manadas;
devorarán tus uvas y tus higueras.
Y destruirán tus ciudades fortificadas
que consideras tan seguras.

18 »Sin embargo, aun en esos días, no te eliminaré por completo —dice el Señor
—.

19 Y cuando tu pueblo pregunte: “¿Por qué el Señor
nuestro Dios nos hizo todo esto?”, debes contestar: “Ustedes lo rechazaron y se entregaron a dioses extranjeros en su propia tierra. Ahora servirán a extranjeros en una tierra que a ustedes no les pertenece”.

20 Advertencia al pueblo de Dios
»Anuncien esto a Israel,
y díganselo a Judá:

21 “Escucha, gente necia y sin sentido común,
que tiene ojos que no ven,
y oídos que no oyen.

22 ¿No me tienes respeto?
¿Por qué no tiemblas en mi presencia?
Yo, el Señor
, con la arena defino el límite del océano
como frontera eterna que las aguas no pueden cruzar.
Las olas pueden agitarse y rugir,
pero nunca podrán pasar los límites que establecí.

23 Sin embargo, mi pueblo tiene el corazón terco y rebelde;
se alejó y me abandonó.

Jeremías 5:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 5

This chapter contains a further account of the destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans, and the causes of it, the sins of the people, as want of justice and truth; being so corrupt, that a just and faithful man was not to be found among them; could there, the city would have been pardoned for his sake, Jer 5:1, their swearing falsely by the name of the Lord, Jer 5:2, their incorrigibleness by chastisements, which was the case not only of the lower, but higher rank of people, Jer 5:3-5, wherefore the enemy, who for his cruelty is compared to a lion, a wolf, and a leopard, is threatened to be let in among them, Jer 5:6, then other sins are mentioned as the cause of it, as idolatry and adultery, Jer 5:7-9 hence the enemy has a commission to scale their walls, take away their battlements, though not to make a full end, the Lord disowning them for his, Jer 5:10, because of their perfidy against him, their belying of him, contradicting what he had said, and despising the word sent by his prophets, Jer 5:11-13, wherefore it is threatened, that his word like fire should devour them; and that a distant, mighty, and ancient nation, of a foreign speech, should invade them; who, like an open sepulchre, would devour them, and eat up the increase of their fields, vineyards, flocks, and herds, and impoverish their cities, yet not make a full end of them, Jer 5:14-18, and in just retaliation should they serve strangers in a foreign country, who had served strange gods in their own, Jer 5:19 then a declaration is published, and an expostulation is made with them, who are represented as foolish, ignorant, and blind, that they would fear the Lord; which is pressed by arguments taken from the power of God, in restraining the sea, which had no effect upon them; and from the goodness of God, in giving the former and latter rain, and the appointed weeks of the harvest, which their sins turned away and withheld from them, Jer 5:20-25, and then other sins are mentioned as the cause of God's visiting them in a way of vengeance, as the defrauding of men in trade, and the oppression of the fatherless and the poor in judgment; and false prophesying, to the advantage of the priests, and the king of the people, Jer 5:26-31.