1 ¶ Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see now and find out and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that execute judgment, that seek the truth; and I will pardon the city.

Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now and take notice! Seek in her broad squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice, who seeks truth, sincerity, and faithfulness; and I will pardon.

2 A nd if they should say, The LORD lives; surely they swear falsely.

And though they say, As the Lord lives, surely they swear falsely.

3 O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? Thou hast stricken them, but they did not feel it; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive chastisement; they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

O Lord, do not your eyes look on the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved; You have consumed them, but they have refused to take correction or instruction. They have made their faces harder than a rock, they have refused to repent and return to You.

4 T herefore I said, Surely these are poor; they have become foolish; for they do not know the way of the LORD nor the judgment of their God.

Then I said, Surely these are only the poor; they are foolish and have no understanding, for they know not the way of the Lord, the judgment (the just and righteous law) of their God.

5 I will go 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.

I will go to the great men and will speak to them, for they must know the way of the Lord, the judgment (the just and righteous law) of their God. But these had all alike broken the yoke and had burst the bonds.

6 T herefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the desert shall destroy them and a tiger shall lie in wait over their cities; anyone that goes out from there shall be torn in pieces because their rebellions have been multiplied, and their backslidings are increased.

Therefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the desert shall destroy them, a leopard or panther shall lie in wait against their cities. Everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their backslidings and total desertion of faith are increased and have become great and mighty.

7 H ow shall I pardon thee for this? Thy sons have forsaken me and sworn by them that are not gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.

Why should I and how can I pass over this and forgive you for it? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by those that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full and bound them to Me by oath, they committed adultery, assembling themselves in troops at the houses of harlots.

8 T hey were as fed horses in the morning; each one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.

They were like fed stallions roaming at large; each one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

9 S hall I not visit for these things? said the LORD; and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord; and shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

10 ¶ Go ye up upon her walls and destroy; but make not a full end; take away her battlements for they are not the LORD’s.

Go up within walls and destroy, but do not make a full and complete end. Trim away the tendrils, for they are not the Lord’s.

11 F or the house of Israel and the house of Judah have made a firm decision to rebel against me, saith the LORD.

For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very faithlessly and treacherously against Me, says the Lord.

12 T hey have denied the LORD and said, He is not; and evil shall not come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine;

They have lied about and denied the Lord by saying, It is not He! Evil shall not come upon us; nor shall we see war or famine.

13 b ut the prophets shall become like wind, and there is no word in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

And the prophets will become wind, and the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them.

14 T herefore thus hath the LORD God of the hosts said: Because ye have spoken this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold, I will make My words fire in your mouth and this people wood, and it will devour them.

15 B ehold, I will bring a nation upon you from afar, O house of Israel, saith the LORD; it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou dost not know, neither dost thou understand what they say.

Behold, I am bringing a nation upon you from afar, O house of Israel, says the Lord. It is a mighty and enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say.

16 T heir quiver is as an open sepulcher; they are all mighty men.

Their quiver is like an open sepulcher are all mighty men (heroes).

17 A nd 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; and thy fenced cities, in which thou dost trust, they shall bring to nothing with the sword.

They shall consume your harvest and your food; they shall consume your sons and your daughters; they shall consume your flocks and your herds; they shall consume your vines and your fig trees. They shall break down and impoverish your fortified cities in which you trust, with the sword.

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

But even in those days, says the Lord, I will not make a full and complete end of you.

19 A nd it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Why does the LORD our God do all these things unto us? Then thou shalt 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.

And when your people say, Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us? then you shall answer them, As you have forsaken Me, says the Lord, and have served strange gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers (gods) in a land that is not yours.

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

Declare this in the house of Jacob and publish it in Judah:

21 H ear now this, O foolish people and without heart, who have eyes and do not see; who have ears, and do not hear:

Hear now this, O foolish people without understanding or heart, who have eyes and see not, who have ears and hear not:

22 D o ye not fear me? saith the LORD; will ye not tremble at my presence, who placed the sand for the bound of the sea by an eternal order, which cannot be broken? Storms shall raise themselves up, yet they shall not prevail; their waves shall roar, yet they shall not pass over it.

Do you not fear and reverence Me? says the Lord. Do you not tremble before Me? I placed the sand for the boundary of the sea, a perpetual barrier beyond which it cannot pass and by an everlasting ordinance beyond which it cannot go? And though the waves of the sea toss and shake themselves, yet they cannot prevail; though roar, yet they cannot pass over that.

23 B ut this people have a false and rebellious heart; they turned and went.

But these people have hearts that draw back from God and wills that rebel against Him; they have revolted and quit His service and have gone away.

24 N either do they say in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God that gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; he shall keep us with the appointed weeks of the harvest.

Nor do they say in their hearts, Let us now reverently fear and worship the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the autumn and the spring rain in its season, Who reserves and keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

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

Your iniquities have turned these blessings away, and your sins have kept good from you.

26 F or among my people were found wicked men: they lay in wait as he that sets snares; they set a trap of perdition to catch men.

For among My people are found wicked men; they watch like fowlers who lie in wait; they set a trap, they catch men.

27 A s a cage full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; thus they became great and rich.

As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit and treachery; therefore they have become great and grown rich,

28 T hey are become fat; they shine; yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they did not judge the cause, the cause of the fatherless; with all this they made themselves prosperous; and they did not judge the cause of the poor.

They have grown fat and sleek. Yes, they surpass in deeds of wickedness; they do not judge and plead with justice the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

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

Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord. Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

30 A horrible and ugly thing is committed in the land:

An appalling and horrible thing has come to pass in the land:

31 T he prophets prophesied falsely, and the priests bore rule by their hands; and my people love to have it so. What will ye do in the end thereof?

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests exercise rule at their own hands and by means of the prophets. And My people love to have it so! But what will you do when the end comes?