Study Desk

"Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem, And look and take notice. And seek in her public squares, If you can find a person, If there is one who does justice, who seeks honesty, Then I will forgive her.

Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.

"And although they say, 'As the LORD lives,' Certainly they swear falsely."

And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.

LORD, do Your eyes not look for honesty? You have struck them, But they did not weaken; You have consumed them, But they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent.

O Lord , are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

Then I said, "They are only the poor, They are foolish; For they do not know the way of the LORD Or the judgment of their God.

Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the Lord , nor the judgment of their God.

"I will go to the great And speak to them, For they know the way of the LORD And the judgment of their God." But together they too have broken the yoke And burst the restraints.

I will get me 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.

Therefore a lion from the forest will kill them, A wolf of the deserts will destroy them, A leopard is watching their cities. Everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces, Because their wrongdoings are many, Their apostasies are numerous.

Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.

"Why should I forgive you? Your sons have forsaken Me And sworn by those who are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, They committed adultery And stayed at the prostitute's house.

How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

"They were well-fed lusty horses, Each one neighing at his neighbor's wife.

They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife.

"Shall I not punish them for these things?" declares the LORD, "And shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?

Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord : and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

"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.

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.

"For the house of Israel and the house of Judah Have dealt very treacherously with Me," declares the LORD.

For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord .

They have lied about the LORD And said, "Not He; Misfortune will not come upon us, Nor will we see sword or famine.

They have belied the Lord , and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

"The prophets are as wind, And the word is not in them. So it will be done to them!"

And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

Therefore, this is what the LORD, the God of armies says: "Because you have spoken this word, Behold, I am making My words fire in your mouth, And this people wood, and it will consume them.

Wherefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

"Behold, I am bringing 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 language you do not know, Nor can you understand what they say.

Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord : it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

"Their quiver is like an open grave, All of them are warriors.

Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men.

"They will devour 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 vines and your fig trees; They will demolish your fortified cities, in which you trust, with the sword.

And 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: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.

"Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not make a complete destruction of you.

Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord , I will not make a full end with you.

"And it shall come about when they 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 serve strangers in a land that is not yours.'

And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou 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 your's.

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

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

'Now hear this, you foolish and senseless people, Who have eyes but do not see, Who have ears but do not hear.

Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:

'Do you not fear Me?' declares the LORD. 'Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed 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.

Fear ye not me? saith the Lord : will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

'But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; They have turned aside and departed.

But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.

'They do not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us The appointed weeks of the harvest."

Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

'Your wrongdoings have turned these away, And your sins have kept good away from you.

Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

'For wicked people are found among My people, They watch like fowlers lying in wait; They set a trap, They catch people.

For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.

'Like a cage full of birds, So their houses are full of deceit; Therefore they have become great and rich.

As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.

'They are fat, they are sleek, They also excel in deeds of wickedness; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the orphan, so that they may be successful; And they do not defend the rights of the poor.

They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.

'Shall I not punish them for these things?' declares the LORD, 'Or shall I not avenge Myself On a nation such as this?'

Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord : shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

"An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land:

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it this way! But what will you do when the end comes?

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?