Jeremías 5

1 Recorred las calles de Jerusalén, y mirad ahora, e informaos; buscad en sus plazas, a ver si halláis algún hombre, si hay quien haga justicia, que busque la verdad, y yo la perdonaré.2 Pues aunque digan: "Vive el Señor", de cierto juran falsamente.

3 Oh, Señor, ¿no buscan tus ojos la verdad? Tú los heriste, mas no les dolió; tú los consumiste, mas ellos rehusaron recibir corrección. Endurecieron sus rostros más que la roca, rehusaron arrepentirse.
4 Entonces yo dije: Ciertamente estos sólo son gente ignorante, son necios, porque no conocen el camino del Señor ni las ordenanzas de su Dios.5 Me dirigiré a los grandes y les hablaré, porque ellos sí conocen el camino del Señor y las ordenanzas de su Dios. Pero también todos ellos a una habían quebrado el yugo y roto las coyundas.

6 Por tanto los herirá el león de la selva, el lobo de los desiertos los destruirá; un leopardo acecha sus ciudades, y todo el que salga de ellas será despedazado, porque son muchas sus transgresiones, y numerosas sus apostasías.
7 ¿Por qué he de perdonarte por esto? Tus hijos me han abandonado y han jurado por lo que no es Dios. Cuando los sacié, cometieron adulterio y fueron en tropel a casa de las rameras.8 Eran caballos cebados y fogosos, cada cual relinchando tras la mujer de su prójimo.

9 ¿No he de castigar a este pueblo?--declara el Señor. De una nación como ésta, ¿no he de vengarme?
10 Subid por entre sus hileras de vides y destruid, mas no hagáis destrucción total; arrancad sus sarmientos, pues no son del Señor;11 porque la casa de Israel y la casa de Judá han obrado pérfidamente conmigo--declara el Señor.12 Han mentido acerca del Señor; dijeron: El no existe ; ninguna calamidad vendrá sobre nosotros, y no veremos ni espada ni hambre.

13 Los profetas son como el viento, y la palabra no está en ellos. Que así se les haga a ellos.
14 Por tanto, así dice el Señor, Dios de los ejércitos: Por cuanto han hablado esta palabra, he aquí, pongo mis palabras en tu boca por fuego y a este pueblo por leña, y los consumirá.15 He aquí, voy a traer de lejos una nación contra vosotros, oh casa de Israel--declara el Señor. Es una nación fuerte, es una nación antigua, una nación cuya lengua no conoces, y no podrás entender lo que hable.16 Su aljaba es como sepulcro abierto, todos ellos son valientes.

17 Devorará tu mies y tu pan, devorará a tus hijos y a tus hijas, devorará tus ovejas y tus vacas, devorará tus viñas y tus higueras; a espada destruirá tus ciudades fortificadas en que confías.
18 Sin embargo, aun en aquellos días--declara el Señor-- no llevaré a cabo una destrucción total de vosotros.

19 Y cuando te pregunten: "¿Por qué el Señor nuestro Dios nos ha hecho todo esto?" Les dirás: "Así como me dejasteis y servisteis a dioses extraños en vuestra tierra, así serviréis a extranjeros en una tierra que no es vuestra."
20 Anunciad esto en la casa de Jacob y proclamadlo en Judá, diciendo:21 "Oíd ahora esto, pueblo necio e insensible, que tienen ojos y no ven, tienen oídos y no oyen.22 "¿No me teméis?"--declara el Señor. "¿No tembláis delante de mí, que puse la arena como frontera del mar, límite perpetuo que no traspasará? Aunque se agiten las olas, no prevalecerán; aunque rujan, no pasarán sobre ella.23 "Pero este pueblo tiene un corazón terco y rebelde; se han desviado y se han ido.24 "Y no dicen en su corazón: 'Temamos ahora al Señor nuestro Dios, que da la lluvia a su tiempo, tanto la lluvia de otoño como la de primavera, y que reserva para nosotros las semanas establecidas de la cosecha.'25 "Vuestras iniquidades han alejado estas cosas, y vuestros pecados os han privado del bien.26 "Porque en mi pueblo se encuentran impíos que vigilan como cazadores al acecho; ponen trampa, atrapan hombres.27 "Como una jaula llena de pájaros, así están sus casas llenas de engaño; por eso se engrandecieron y se enriquecieron.28 "Han engordado y se han puesto lustrosos. También sobrepasan en obras de maldad; no defienden la causa, la causa del huérfano, para que prospere, ni defienden los derechos del pobre.

29 "¿No he de castigar por esto?"--declara el Señor. "De una nación como ésta ¿no he de vengarme?"
30 Algo espantoso y terrible ha sucedido en la tierra:31 los profetas profetizan falsamente, los sacerdotes gobiernan por su cuenta, y a mi pueblo así le gusta. Pero ¿qué haréis al final de esto?

Jeremiah 5

Judah is Justly Deserving of Coming Judgment

1 The Lord said,t
“Go up and downt through the streets of Jerusalem.s
Look around and see for yourselves.
Search through its public squares.
See if any of you can find a single person
who deals honestly and tries to be truthful.t
If you can,t then I will not punish this city.t

2 These people make promises in the name of the Lord.t
But the fact is,st what they swear to is really a lie.”t

3 Lord, I know you look for faithfulness.t
But even when you punish these people, they feel no remorse.t
Even when you nearly destroy them, they refuse to be corrected.
They have become as hardheaded as a rock.t
They refuse to change their ways.t

4 I thought, “Surely it is only the ignorant poor who act this way.t
They act like fools because they do not know what the Lord demands.t
They do not know what their God requires of them.t

5 I will go to the leaderst
and speak with them.
Surely they know what the Lord demands.t
Surely they know what their God requires of them.”t
Yet all of them, too, have rejected his authority
and refuse to submit to him.t

6 So like a lion from the thicket their enemies will kill them.
Like a wolf from the desert they will destroy them.
Like a leopard they will lie in wait outside their cities
and totally destroy anyone who ventures out.t
For they have rebelled so much
and done so many unfaithful things.t

7 The Lord asked,t
“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem?t
Your peoplet have rejected me
and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all.t
Even though I supplied all their needs,t they were like an unfaithful wife to me.t
They went flockingt to the houses of prostitutes.ts

8 They are like lusty, well-fedt stallions.
Each of them lusts aftert his neighbor’s wife.

9 I will surely punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!”t

10 The Lord commanded the enemy,t
“March through the vineyards of Israel and Judah and ruin them.t
But do not destroy them completely.
Strip off their branches
for these people do not belong to the Lord.t

11 For the nations of Israel and Judaht
have been very unfaithful to me,”
says the Lord.

12 “These people have denied what the Lord says.t
They have said, ‘That is not so!t
No harm will come to us.
We will not experience war and famine.t

13 The prophets will prove to be full of wind.ts
The Lord has not spoken through them.s
So, let what they say happen to them.’”

14 Because of that,t the Lord, the God who rules over all,ts said to me,t
“Because these people have spokent like this,t
I will make the words that I put in your mouth like fire.
And I will make this people like wood
which the fiery judgments you speak will burn up.”t

15 The Lord says,t “Listen,t nation of Israel!t
I am about to bring a nation from far away to attack you.
It will be a nation that was founded long ago
and has lasted for a long time.
It will be a nation whose language you will not know.
Its people will speak words that you will not be able to understand.

16 All of its soldiers are strong and mighty.t
Their arrows will send you to your grave.t

17 They will eat up your crops and your food.
They will kill offt your sons and your daughters.
They will eat up your sheep and your cattle.
They will destroy your vines and your fig trees.ts
Their weapons will batter downt
the fortified cities you trust in.
18 Yet even thent I will not completely destroy you,” says the Lord.

19 “So then, Jeremiah,t when your peoplet ask, ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ tell them, ‘It is because you rejected me and served foreign gods in your own land. Sot you must serve foreignerss in a land that does not belong to you.’

20 “Proclaims this message among the descendants of Jacob.t
Make it known throughout Judah.

21 Tell them: ‘Hear this,
you foolish people who have no understanding,
who have eyes but do not discern,
who have ears but do not perceive:t

22 “You should fear me!” says the Lord.
“You should tremble in awe before me!t
I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea,
a permanent barrier that it can never cross.
Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail.
They may roar, but they can never cross beyond that boundary.”t

23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned aside and gone their own way.t

24 They do not say to themselves,t
“Let us revere the Lord our God.
It is he who gives us the autumn rains and the spring rains at the proper time.
It is he who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.”t

25 Your misdeeds have stopped these things from coming.t
Your sins have deprived you of my bounty.’t

26 “Indeed, there are wicked scoundrels among my people.
They lie in wait like bird catchers hiding in ambush.t
They set deadly trapst to catch people.

27 Like a cage filled with the birds that have been caught,t
their houses are filled with the gains of their fraud and deceit.t
That is how they have gotten so rich and powerful.t

28 That is howt they have grown fat and sleek.t
There is no limit to the evil things they do.ts
They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it.
They do not defend the rights of the poor.

29 I will certainly punish them for doing such things!” says the Lord.
“I will certainly bring retribution on such a nation as this!ts

30 “Something horrible and shocking
is going on in the land of Judah:

31 The prophets prophesy lies.
The priests exercise power by their own authority.t
And my people love to have it this way.
But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes!t