1 G o to and fro in streets of Jerusalem, And see, I pray you, and know, And seek in her broad places, if ye find a man, If there be one doing judgment, seeking stedfastness -- Then am I propitious to her.

“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; See now and know; And seek in her open places If you can find a man, If there is anyone who executes judgment, Who seeks the truth, And I will pardon her.

2 A nd if they say, `Jehovah liveth,' Surely to a falsehood they swear.

Though they say, ‘ As the Lord lives,’ Surely they swear falsely.”

3 J ehovah, Thine eyes, are they not on stedfastness? Thou hast smitten them, and they have not grieved, Thou hast consumed them, They have refused to receive instruction, They made their faces harder than a rock, They have refused to turn back.

O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, But they have not grieved; You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return.

4 A nd I -- I said, `Surely these poor, They have been foolish, For they have not known the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God.

Therefore I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.

5 I get me to the great, and I speak with them, For they have known the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God.' Surely they together have broken the yoke, They have drawn away the bands.

I will go to the great men and speak to them, For they have known the way of the Lord, The judgment of their God.” But these have altogether broken the yoke And burst the bonds.

6 T herefore smitten them hath a lion out of the forest, A wolf of the deserts doth spoil them, A leopard is watching over their cities, Every one who is going out of them is torn, For many have been their transgressions, Mighty have been their backslidings.

Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them, A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them; A leopard will watch over their cities. Everyone who goes out from there shall be torn in pieces, Because their transgressions are many; Their backslidings have increased.

7 F or this I am not propitious to thee, Thy sons have forsaken Me, And are satisfied by that which is not god, I satisfy them, and they commit adultery, And at the house of a harlot They gather themselves together.

“How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken Me And sworn by those that are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, Then they committed adultery And assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.

8 F ed horses -- they have been early risers, Each to the wife of his neighbour they neigh.

They were like well-fed lusty stallions; Every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

9 F or these do I not lay a charge? An affirmation of Jehovah, And on a nation such as this, Doth not My soul avenge itself?

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

10 G o ye up on her walls, and destroy, And a completion make not, Turn aside her branches, for they not Jehovah's,

“Go up on her walls and destroy, But do not make a complete end. Take away her branches, For they are not the Lord ’s.

11 F or dealt treacherously against Me have the house of Israel, And the house of Judah, an affirmation of Jehovah.

For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me,” says the Lord.

12 T hey have lied against Jehovah, And they say, ` not He, Nor come in against us doth evil, Yea, sword and famine we do not see.

They have lied about the Lord, And said, “ It is not He. Neither will evil come upon us, Nor shall we see sword or famine.

13 A nd the prophets become wind, And the word is not in them,' -- thus it is done by them.

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

14 T herefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, Because of your speaking this word, Lo, I am making My words in thy mouth become fire, And this people wood, and it hath devoured them.

Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: “Because you speak this word, Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, And this people wood, And it shall devour them.

15 L o, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah, A nation -- strong it, a nation -- from of old it, A nation -- thou knowest not its tongue, Nor understandest what it speaketh.

Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,” says the Lord. “It is a mighty nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.

16 I ts quiver as an open sepulchre, All of them -- mighty ones.

Their quiver is like an open tomb; They are all mighty men.

17 A nd it hath consumed thy harvest and thy bread, They consume thy sons, and thy daughters, It consumeth thy flock, and thy herd, It consumeth thy vine, and thy fig-tree, It maketh poor thy fenced cities, In which thou art trusting -- by the sword.

And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread, Which your sons and daughters should eat. They shall eat up your flocks and your herds; They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; They shall destroy your fortified cities, In which you trust, with the sword.

18 A nd even in those days, an affirmation of Jehovah, I do not make you a completion.

“Nevertheless in those days,” says the Lord, “I will not make a complete end of you.

19 A nd it hath come to pass, when ye say, `For what hath Jehovah our God done to us all these?' That thou hast said unto them, `As ye have forsaken Me, And serve the gods of a foreigner in your land, So do ye serve strangers in a land not yours.

And it will be when you say, ‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?’ then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.’

20 D eclare ye this in the house of Jacob, And sound ye it in Judah, saying,

“Declare this in the house of Jacob And proclaim it in Judah, saying,

21 H ear ye, I pray you, this, O people, foolish and without heart, Eyes they have, and they see not, Ears they have, and they hear not.

‘Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not:

22 M e do ye not fear, an affirmation of Jehovah? From My presence are ye not pained? Who hath made sand the border of the sea, A limit age-during, and it passeth not over it, They shake themselves, and they are not able, Yea, sounded have its billows, and they pass not over.

Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Will you not tremble at My presence, Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea, By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it? And though its waves toss to and fro, Yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.

23 A nd this people hath an apostate and rebellious heart, They have turned aside, and they go on.

But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart; They have revolted and departed.

24 A nd they have not said in their heart, `Let us fear, we pray you, Jehovah our God, who is giving rain, The sprinkling and the gathered, in its season, The appointed weeks of harvest He keepeth for us.'

They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season. He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”

25 Y our iniquities have turned these away, And your sins have kept the good from you.

Your iniquities have turned these things away, And your sins have withheld good from you.

26 F or the wicked have been found among My people. It looketh about the covering of snares, They have set up a trap -- men they capture.

‘For among My people are found wicked men; They lie in wait as one who sets snares; They set a trap; They catch men.

27 A s a cage full of fowls, So their houses are full of deceit, Therefore they have been great, and are rich.

As a cage is full of birds, So their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become great and grown rich.

28 T hey have been fat, they have shone, Yea, they have overpassed the acts of the evil, Judgment they have not judged, The judgment of the fatherless -- and they prosper, And the judgment of the needy they have not judged.

They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend.

29 F or these do not I inspect, an affirmation of Jehovah, On a nation such as this, Doth not My soul avenge itself?

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

30 A n astonishing and horrible thing hath been in the land.

“An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land:

31 T he prophets have prophesied falsely, And the priests bear rule by their means, And My people have loved so, And what do they at its latter end?

The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?