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Friday, August 1st, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Jeremiah 5:2

Although the people say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!' they don't really mean it."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Hypocrisy;   Idolatry;   Oath;   Perjury;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jerusalem;   Oaths;   Sins, National;   Swearing Falsely;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Life;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Zechariah, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When they say, “As the Lord lives,”they are swearing falsely.
Hebrew Names Version
Though they say, As the LORD lives; surely they swear falsely.
King James Version
And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.
English Standard Version
Though they say, "As the Lord lives," yet they swear falsely.
New American Standard Bible
"And although they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Certainly they swear falsely."
Amplified Bible
"And though they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear [their oaths] falsely."
World English Bible
Though they say, As Yahweh lives; surely they swear falsely.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For though they say, The Lord liueth, yet doe they sweare falsely.
Legacy Standard Bible
And if they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,'Then they swear to a lie."
Berean Standard Bible
Although they say, "As surely as the LORD lives," they are swearing falsely.
Contemporary English Version
Everyone breaks promises made in my name."
Complete Jewish Bible
And though they say, ‘As Adonai lives,' the fact is that they are swearing falsely."
Darby Translation
And if they say, [As] Jehovah liveth! surely they swear falsely.
Easy-to-Read Version
The people make promises and say, ‘As the Lord lives.' But they don't really mean it!"
George Lamsa Translation
And though they say, The LORD lives; truly they swear falsely.
Good News Translation
Even though you claim to worship the Lord , you do not mean what you say.
Lexham English Bible
And though they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,' therefore they swear falsely."
Literal Translation
And though they say, As Jehovah lives, surely they swear falsely.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For though they can saye: the LORDE lyueth, yet do they sweare to disceaue:
American Standard Version
And though they say, As Jehovah liveth; surely they swear falsely.
Bible in Basic English
And though they say, By the living Lord; truly their oaths are false.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And though they say: 'As the LORD liveth', surely they swear falsely.
King James Version (1611)
And though they say, The Lord liueth, surely they sweare falsely.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For though they can say, the Lorde lyueth: yet they sweare to deceaue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The Lord lives, they say; do they not therefore swear falsely?
English Revised Version
And though they say, As the LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
That if also thei seien, The Lord lyueth, yhe, thei schulen swere this falsli.
Update Bible Version
And if they say, As Yahweh lives; surely they swear falsely.
Webster's Bible Translation
And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.
New English Translation
These people make promises in the name of the Lord . But the fact is, what they swear to is really a lie."
New King James Version
Though they say, "As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear falsely."
New Living Translation
But even when they are under oath, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,' they are still telling lies!"
New Life Bible
Even if they say, ‘As the Lord lives,' for sure their promises are false."
New Revised Standard
Although they say, "As the Lord lives," yet they swear falsely.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Even though they say By the life of Yahweh, Yet in fact falsely, do they swear.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And though they say: The Lord liveth; this also they will swear falsely.
Revised Standard Version
Though they say, "As the LORD lives," yet they swear falsely.
Young's Literal Translation
And if they say, `Jehovah liveth,' Surely to a falsehood they swear.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And although they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Surely they swear falsely."

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord says, "Walk up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look around and discover these things. Search the public squares of the city. If you can find one person who does honest things, who searches for the truth, I will forgive this city. 2 Although the people say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!' they don't really mean it." 3 Lord , don't you look for truth in people? You struck the people of Judah, but they didn't feel any pain. You crushed them, but they refused to learn what is right. They became more stubborn than a rock; they refused to turn back to God. 4 But I thought, "These are only the poor, foolish people. They have not learned the way of the Lord and what their God wants them to do. 5 So I will go to the leaders of Judah and talk to them. Surely they understand the way of the Lord and know what God wants them to do." But even the leaders had all joined together to break away from the Lord ; they had broken their ties with him. 6 So a lion from the forest will attack them. A wolf from the desert will kill them. A leopard is waiting for them near their towns. It will tear to pieces anyone who comes out of the city, because the people of Judah have sinned greatly. They have wandered away from the Lord many times. 7 The Lord said, "Tell me why I should forgive you. Your children have left me and have made promises to idols that are not gods at all. I gave your children everything they needed, but they still were like an unfaithful wife to me. They spent much time in houses of prostitutes. 8 They are like well-fed horses filled with sexual desire; each one wants another man's wife. 9 Shouldn't I punish the people of Judah for doing these things?" says the Lord . "Shouldn't I give a nation such as this the punishment it deserves?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

though: Jeremiah 4:2, Jeremiah 7:9, Leviticus 19:12, Isaiah 48:1, Hosea 4:1, Hosea 4:2, Hosea 4:15, Hosea 10:4, Zechariah 5:3, Zechariah 5:4, Malachi 3:5, 1 Timothy 1:10, 2 Timothy 3:5, Titus 1:16

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:15 - By the life Leviticus 6:3 - sweareth Deuteronomy 6:13 - shalt swear 1 Samuel 19:6 - sware 1 Samuel 20:21 - as the 1 Kings 17:12 - As the Lord Job 27:2 - God liveth Psalms 24:4 - sworn Isaiah 29:13 - Forasmuch Isaiah 59:15 - truth Jeremiah 2:6 - Where Jeremiah 12:16 - my name Jeremiah 42:5 - The Lord be Jeremiah 44:26 - The Lord God Ezekiel 17:13 - taken an oath of him Ezekiel 17:19 - surely

Cross-References

Genesis 1:27
So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.
Genesis 2:15
The Lord God put the man in the garden of Eden to care for it and work it.
Genesis 2:23
And the man said, "Now, this is someone whose bones came from my bones, whose body came from my body. I will call her ‘woman,' because she was taken out of man."
Malachi 2:15
God made husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit for his purpose—so they would have children who are true to God. So be careful, and do not break your promise to the wife you married when you were young.
Matthew 19:4
Jesus answered, "Surely you have read in the Scriptures: When God made the world, ‘he made them male and female.'
Mark 10:6
But when God made the world, ‘he made them male and female.'
Acts 17:26
God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. God decided exactly when and where they must live.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And though they say, the Lord liveth,.... It might be said, that there were multitudes that made mention of the name of the Lord, that professed it, and swore by it; which sometimes is put for the worship and service of God, Deuteronomy 10:20 and therefore it could not be so difficult a matter to find a man of integrity and uprightness among them; this is answered by allowing there were persons that did do so: but then it must be observed,

that surely they swear falsely; they abused the name of God, and were guilty of perjury: or the sense is, they were only nominal professors, hypocritical worshippers; in words professed to know God, but in works denied him; had a form of religion and godliness, but without the power of it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Though they take the most binding form of oath, they do so only as a means of deceiving others.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 5:2. The Lord liveth — Though they profess to bind themselves by Jehovah, as if they acknowledged him their God and only Lord, yet they swore falsely; for not believing in him, they took a false oath; one by which they did not believe themselves bound, not acknowledging him as their Lord. See on Jeremiah 4:2.


 
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