Christian Standard Bible

King James Bible

1Roam through the streets of Jerusalem. Investigate; search in her squares. If you find one person, any who acts justly, who pursues faithfulness, then I will forgive her.

1Run 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 executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

2When they say, "As the LORD lives," they are swearing falsely.

2And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.

3LORD, don't your eyes look for faithfulness? You have struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They made their faces harder than rock, and they refused to return.

3O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; 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.

4Then I thought: They are just the poor; they have been foolish. For they don't understand the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.

4Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.

5I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God. However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains.

5I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

6Therefore, a lion from the forest will strike them down. A wolf from arid plains will ravage them. A leopard stalks their cities. Anyone who leaves them will be torn to pieces because their rebellious acts are many, their unfaithful deeds numerous.

6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

7Why should I forgive you? Your children have abandoned me and sworn by those who are not gods. I satisfied their needs, yet they committed adultery; they gashed themselves at the prostitute's house.

7How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

8They are well-fed, eager stallions, each neighing after someone else's wife.

8They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.

9Should I not punish them for these things? This is the LORD's declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

9Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10Go up among her vineyard terraces and destroy them, but do not finish them off. Prune away her shoots, for they do not belong to the LORD.

10Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD'S.

11They, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, have dealt very treacherously with me. This is the LORD's declaration.

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

12They have contradicted the LORD and insisted, "It won't happen. Harm won't come to us; we won't see sword or famine."

12They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

13The prophets become only wind, for the LORD's word is not in them. This will in fact happen to them.

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

14Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD of Armies says: Because you have spoken this word, I am going to make my words become fire in your mouth. These people are the wood, and the fire will consume them.

14Wherefore thus saith the LORD 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.

15I am about to bring a nation from far away against you, house of Israel. This is the LORD's declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.

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

16Their quiver is like an open grave; they are all warriors.

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

17They will consume your harvest and your food. They will consume your sons and your daughters. They will consume your flocks and your herds. They will consume your vines and your fig trees. With the sword they will destroy your fortified cities in which you trust.

17And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.

18"But even in those days"--this is the LORD's declaration--"I will not finish you off.

18Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.

19When people ask, 'For what offense has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' You will respond to them, 'Just as you abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land, so will you serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

19And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer 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.

20"Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah, saying:

20Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

21Hear this, you foolish and senseless people. They have eyes, but they don't see. They have ears, but they don't hear.

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

22Do you not fear me? This is the LORD's declaration. Do you not tremble before me, the one who set the sand as the boundary of the sea, an enduring barrier that it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot pass over it.

22Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and have gone away.

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

24They have not said to themselves, 'Let's fear the LORD our God, who gives the seasonal rains, both autumn and spring, who guarantees to us the fixed weeks of the harvest.'

24Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

25Your guilty acts have diverted these things from you. Your sins have withheld my bounty from you,

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

26for wicked men live among my people. They watch like hunters lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men.

26For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

27Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have grown powerful and rich.

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

28They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended the rights of the needy.

28They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

29Should I not punish them for these things? This is the LORD's declaration. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?

29Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30An appalling, horrible thing has taken place in the land.

30A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it like this. But what will you do at the end of it?

31The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.