1Run 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 doeth justly , that seeketh truth; and I will pardon her . 2And though they say, As Jehovah liveth ; surely they swear falsely . 3O Jehovah , do not thine eyes look upon truth ? thou hast stricken them , but they were 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 . 4Then I said, Surely these are poor ; they are foolish ; for they know not the way of Jehovah , nor the law of their God : 5I will get me unto the great men , and will speak unto them ; for they know the way of Jehovah , and the law of their God . But these with one accord have broken the yoke , and burst the bonds . 6Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them , a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them , a leopard shall watch against their cities ; every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces ; because their transgressions are many , and their backslidings are increased .
The Consequences of Rebellion
7How can I pardon thee ? thy children have forsaken me , and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full , they committed adultery , and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots ’ houses ; 8they were as fed horses roaming at large; every one neighed after his neighbor ’s wife. 9Shall I not visit for these things ? saith Jehovah ; and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? 10Go ye up upon her walls , and destroy ; but make not a full end : take away her branches ; for they are not Jehovah ’s. 11For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me , saith Jehovah . 12They have denied Jehovah , and said, It is not he ; neither shall evil come upon us ; neither shall we see sword nor famine : 13and the prophets shall become wind , and the word is not in them : thus shall it be done unto them .
The Prophets and the People
14Wherefore thus saith Jehovah , the 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 . 15Lo , I will bring a nation upon you from far , O house of Israel , saith Jehovah : it is a mighty nation , it is an ancient nation , a nation whose language thou knowest not , neither understandest what they say . 16Their quiver is an open sepulchre , they are all mighty men . 17And they shall eat up thy harvest , and thy bread , which thy sons and thy daughters should eat ; they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds ; they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall beat down thy fortified cities , wherein thou trustest, with the sword . 18But even in those days , saith Jehovah , I will not make a full end with you . 19And it shall come to pass , when ye shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah our God done all these things unto us ? then shalt thou say unto them , Like as ye have forsaken me , and served foreign gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.
God's Sovereignty and Justice
20Declare ye this in the house of Jacob , and publish it in Judah , saying, 21Hear now this , O foolish people , and without understanding ; that have eyes , and see not ; that have ears, and hear not : 22Fear ye not me ? saith Jehovah : will ye not tremble at my presence , who 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 . 23But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart ; they are revolted and gone . 24Neither say they in their heart , Let us now fear Jehovah our God , that giveth rain , both the former and the latter , in its season ; that preserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest . 25Your iniquities have turned away these things , and your sins have withholden good from you .
A Call to Repentance
26For among my people are found wicked men : they watch , as fowlers lie in wait ; they set a trap , they catch men . 27As a cage is full of birds , so are their houses full of deceit : therefore they are become great , and waxed rich . 28They are waxed fat , they shine : yea , they overpass in deeds of wickedness ; they plead not the cause , the cause of the fatherless , that they may prosper ; and the right of the needy do they not judge . 29Shall I not visit for these things ? saith Jehovah ; shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this ? 30A wonderful and horrible thing is come to pass in the land: 31the 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 ?