Roam through the streets of Jerusalem, look and understand, search in her squares. If you find one person who acts justly and seeks truth, I will forgive the city.

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.

Even when they say, 'As surely as the Lord lives,' they swear falsely.

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

Lord, are Your eyes not on truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; You consumed them, but they refused to accept discipline. They hardened their faces more than a rock and 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 thought, 'These are only the poor; they are foolish because they do not know the way of the Lord, the justice 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.

So I will go to the great leaders and speak to them, for they should know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. But they too, as one, have broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.

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 attack them, a wolf from the wilderness will ravage them, and a leopard is watching their cities. Anyone who goes out will be torn apart, because their transgressions are many and their backslidings 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.

How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken Me and sworn by false gods. I satisfied them, but they committed adultery and gathered at the houses of prostitutes.

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 like well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife.

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

Should I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord. Should I not take vengeance on a nation like 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 among her rows and destroy them, but do not completely finish them off. Remove her branches, for they do not belong to the Lord.

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 been thoroughly unfaithful to 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, 'He won't do anything! No disaster will come upon us; we will not 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 but wind, for the word is not in them; therefore, let what they say 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 Hosts, says: Because you have said these words, I am making My words in your mouth a fire, and this people the wood it consumes.

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 against you a nation from far away, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is a mighty nation, an ancient nation, one whose language you do not know and whose speech you cannot understand.

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 mighty warriors.

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

They will consume your harvest and your bread, devour your sons and daughters, eat your flocks and herds, and consume your vines and fig trees. With the sword, they will destroy your fortified cities in which you trust.

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 completely destroy you.

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

And when you ask, 'Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' you are to tell them, 'As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land that is not your own.'

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 yours.

Declare this to the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah, saying:

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

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:

Should you not fear Me? declares the Lord. Should you not tremble in My presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting decree it cannot cross. Though its waves surge, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot cross 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 gone away.

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

They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rains in their season—the early and late rains—and who keeps for us the appointed weeks of 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 iniquities have diverted these blessings, and your sins have withheld good things from you.

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

Among My people are wicked men. They lie in wait like those who set traps; they set deadly snares to 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. Because of this, 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 have grown fat and sleek. They excel in evil deeds; they do not defend the rights of the fatherless so they might prosper, nor do they uphold the cause of the needy.

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.

Should I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

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

A terrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;

The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. And My people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?

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?