Online Bible

Jerusalem’s Godlessness

“^aRoam about through the streets of Jerusalem,And look and take notice.And seek in her public squares,If you can ^bfind a person,^cIf there is one who does justice, who seeks honesty,Then I will forgive ¹her.2 “And ^aalthough they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’Certainly they swear falsely.”3 LORD, do ^aYour eyes not look for honesty?You have ^bstruck them,But they did not ¹weaken;You have consumed them,But they ^crefused to accept discipline.They have ^dmade their faces harder than rock;They have refused to repent.

4 Then I said, “They are only the poor,They are foolish;For they ^ado not know the way of the LORDOr the judgment of their God.5 “I will go to the greatAnd speak to them,For ^athey know the way of the LORDAnd the judgment of their God.”But together they too have ^bbroken the yokeAnd burst the restraints.6 Therefore ^aa lion from the forest will kill them,A ^bwolf of the deserts will destroy them,A ^cleopard is watching their cities.Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces,Because their ^dwrongdoings are many,Their apostasies are numerous.

7 “Why should I forgive you?Your sons have forsaken MeAnd ^asworn by those who are ^bnot gods.When I had fed them to the full,They ^ccommitted adulteryAnd stayed at the prostitute’s house.8 “They were well-fed lusty horses,Each one neighing at his ^aneighbor’s wife.9 “Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD,“And ^ashall I not avenge MyselfOn a nation such as this?

10 “Go up through her vine rows and destroy,But do not execute a complete destruction;Strip away her branches,For they are not the LORD’S.11 “For the ^ahouse of Israel and the house of JudahHave dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the LORD.12 They have ^alied about the LORDAnd said, “¹^bNot He;Misfortune will ^cnot come upon us,^dNor will we see sword or famine.13 “The ^aprophets are as wind,And the word is not in them.So it will be done to them!”

Judgment Proclaimed

14 Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of armies says:“Because you have spoken this word,Behold, I am ^amaking My words fire in your mouth,And this people wood, and it will consume them.15 “Behold, I am ^abringing a nation against you from far away, you house of Israel,” declares the LORD.“It is an enduring nation,It is an ancient nation,A nation whose ^blanguage you do not know,Nor can you understand what they say.16 “Their ^aquiver is like an ^bopen grave,All of them are warriors.17 “They will ^adevour your harvest and your food;They will devour your sons and your daughters;They will devour your flocks and your herds;They will devour your ^bvines and your fig trees;They will demolish your ^cfortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the LORD, “I will not make a complete destruction of you. 19 And it shall come about ^awhen ¹they say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have abandoned Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will ^bserve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

20 “Declare this in the house of JacobAnd proclaim it in Judah, saying,21 ‘Now hear this, you foolish and ¹senseless people,Who have ^aeyes but do not see,Who have ears but do not hear.22 ‘Do you not ^afear Me?’ declares the LORD.‘Do you not tremble in My presence?For I have ^bplaced the sand as a boundary for the sea,An eternal limit, and it will not cross over it.Though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;Though they roar, they will not cross over it.23 ‘But this people has a ^astubborn and rebellious heart;They have turned aside and departed.24 ‘They do not say in their heart,“Let us now fear the LORD our God,Who ^agives rain in its season,Both ^bthe autumn rain and the spring rain,Who keeps for usThe ^cappointed weeks of the harvest.”25 ‘Your ^awrongdoings have turned these away,And your sins have kept good away from you.26 ‘For wicked people are found among My people,They ^awatch like fowlers ¹lying in wait;They set a trap,They catch people.27 ‘Like a cage full of birds,So their houses are full of ^adeceit;Therefore they have become great and rich.28 ‘They are ^afat, they are sleek,They also ¹excel in deeds of wickedness;They do not plead the cause,The cause of the ²^borphan, so that they may be successful;And they do not ³defend the rights of the poor.29 ‘^aShall I not punish them for these things?’ declares the LORD,‘Or shall I not avenge MyselfOn a nation such as this?’

30 “An appalling and ^ahorrible thingHas happened in the land:31 The ^aprophets prophesy falsely,And the priests rule ¹on their own authority;And My people ^blove it this way!But what will you do ²when the end comes?