1 D ISCURRID por las plazas de Jerusalem, y mirad ahora, y sabed, y buscad en sus plazas si halláis hombre, si hay alguno que haga juicio, que busque verdad; y yo la perdonaré.

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 Y si dijeren: Vive Jehová; por tanto jurarán mentira.

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

3 O h Jehová, ¿no miran tus ojos á la verdad? Azotástelos, y no les dolió; consumístelos, y no quisieron recibir corrección; endurecieron sus rostros más que la piedra, no quisieron tornarse.

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 Y o empero dije: Por cierto ellos son pobres, enloquecido han, pues no conocen el camino de Jehová, el juicio de su Dios.

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 rme he á los grandes, y hablaréles; porque ellos conocen el camino de Jehová, el juicio de su Dios. Ciertamente ellos también quebraron el yugo, rompieron las coyundas.

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 P or tanto, león del monte los herirá, destruirálos lobo del desierto, tigre acechará sobre sus ciudades; cualquiera que de ellas saliere, será arrebatado: porque sus rebeliones se han multiplicado, hanse aumentado sus deslealtades.

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 ¿ Cómo te he de perdonar por esto? Sus hijos me dejaron, y juraron por lo que no es Dios. Saciélos, y adulteraron, y en casa de ramera se juntaron en compañías.

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 C omo caballos bien hartos fueron á la mañana, cada cual relinchaba á la mujer de su prójimo.

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

9 ¿ No había de hacer visitación sobre esto? dijo Jehová. De una gente como ésta ¿no se había de vengar mi alma?

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

10 E scalad sus muros, y destruid; mas no hagáis consumación: quitad las almenas de sus muros, porque no son de Jehová.

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 P orque resueltamente se rebelaron contra mí la casa de Israel y la casa de Judá, dice Jehová.

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

12 N egaron á Jehová, y dijeron: El no es, y no vendrá mal sobre nosotros, ni veremos cuchillo ni hambre;

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 A ntes los profetas serán como viento, y no hay en ellos palabra; así se hará á ellos.

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

14 P or tanto, así ha dicho Jehová Dios de los ejércitos: Porque hablasteis esta palabra, he aquí yo pongo en tu boca mis palabras por fuego, y á este pueblo por leños, y los consumirá.

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 H e aquí yo traigo sobre vosotros gente de lejos, oh casa de Israel, dice Jehová; gente robusta, gente antigua, gente cuya lengua ignorarás, y no entenderás lo que hablare.

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 S u aljaba como sepulcro abierto, todos valientes.

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

17 Y comerá tu mies y tu pan, que habían de comer tus hijos y tus hijas; comerá tus ovejas y tus vacas, comerá tus viñas y tus higueras; y tus ciudades fuertes en que tú confías, tornará en nada á cuchillo.

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 E mpero en aquellos días, dice Jehová, no os acabaré del todo.

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

19 Y será que cuando dijereis: ¿Por qué hizo Jehová el Dios nuestro con nosotros todas estas cosas? entonces les dirás: De la manera que me dejasteis á mí, y servisteis á dioses ajenos en vuestra tierra así serviréis á extraños en tierra ajena.

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 D enunciad esto en la casa de Jacob, y haced que esto se oiga en Judá, diciendo:

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

21 O id ahora esto, pueblo necio y sin corazón, que tienen ojos y no ven, que tienen oídos y no oyen:

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

22 ¿ A mí no temeréis? dice Jehová; ¿no os amedrentaréis á mi presencia, que al mar por ordenación eterna, la cual no quebrantará, puse arena por término? Se levantarán tempestades, mas no prevalecerán; bramarán sus ondas, mas no lo pasarán.

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 E mpero este pueblo tiene corazón falso y rebelde; tornáronse y fuéronse.

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 Y no dijeron en su corazón: Temamos ahora á Jehová Dios nuestro, que da lluvia temprana y tardía en su tiempo; los tiempos establecidos de la siega nos guarda.

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 V uestras iniquidades han estorbado estas cosas; y vuestros pecados apartaron de vosotros el bien.

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

26 P orque fueron hallados en mi pueblo impíos; acechaban como quien pone lazos; pusieron trampa para tomar hombres.

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

27 C omo jaula llena de pájaros, así están sus casas llenas de engaño: así se hicieron grandes y ricos.

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 E ngordaron y pusiéronse lustrosos, y sobrepujaron los hechos del malo: no juzgaron la causa, la causa del huérfano; con todo hiciéronse prósperos, y la causa de los pobres no juzgaron.

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 ¿ No tengo de visitar sobre esto? dice Jehová; ¿y de tal gente no se vengará mi alma?

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

30 C osa espantosa y fea es hecha en la tierra:

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

31 L os profetas profetizaron mentira, y los sacerdotes dirigían por manos de ellos; y mi pueblo así lo quiso. ¿Qué pues haréis á su fin?

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?