Jeremiah 5

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Rove the streets of Jerusalem, now look and enquire, see in her squares if you can find an individual,one individual who does right and seeks the truth, and I will pardon her, Yahweh says.	1 Go about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and consider, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can fins a man that executeth judgement, and seeketh faith: and I will be merciful unto it.
2 Although they say, 'As Yahweh lives,' they are, in fact, swearing a false oath.	2 And though they say: The Lord liveth; this also they will swear falsely.
3 Yahweh, do your eyes not look for truth? You have struck them; they have not felt it. You haveannihilated them, for they ignored the lesson. They have set their faces harder than rock, they have refused torepent.	3 O Lord, thy eyes are upon truth: thou hast struck them, and they have not grieved: thou hast bruised them, and they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than the rock, and they have refused to return.
4 I thought, 'These are only the poor! They behave stupidly since they do not know Yahweh's way or theruling of their God.	4 But I said: Perhaps these are poor and foolish, that know not the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God.
5 I shal approach the great men and speak to them, for these will know Yahweh's way and the ruling oftheir God.' But these, too, have broken the yoke, have burst the bonds.	5 I will go therefore to the great men, and I will speak to them: for they known the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God: and behold these have together broken the yoke more, and have burst the bonds.
6 And so, a lion from the forest will slaughter them, a wolf from the plains will despoil them, a leopard wilbe lurking round their towns: anyone who goes out will be torn to pieces -- because of their many crimes, theircountless infidelities.	6 Wherefore a lion out of the wood hath slain them, a wolf in the evening, hath spoiled them, a leopard watcheth for their cities: every one that shall go out thence shall be taken, because their transgressions are multiplied, their rebellions are strengthened.
7 'Why should I pardon you? Your sons have abandoned me, to swear by gods that are not gods at al . Ifed them full, and they became adulterers, they hurried to the brothel.	7 How can I be merciful to thee? thy children have forsaken me, and swear by them that are not gods: I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and rioted in the harlot's house.
8 They are well-fed, roving stal ions, each neighing for his neighbour's wife.	8 They are become as amorous horses and stallions, every one neighed after his neighbor's wife.
9 Shal I fail to punish this, Yahweh demands, or on such a nation to exact vengeance?	9 Shall I not visit for these things, sayeth the Lord? and shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?
10 Scale her terraces! Destroy! But do not annihilate her completely! Strip off her branches, for Yahwehdoes not own them!	10 Scale down the walls thereof, and throw them down, but do not utterly destroy: take away the branches thereof, because they are not the Lord's.
11 How treacherously they have treated me, the House of Israel and the House of Judah! Yahwehdeclares.	11 For the house of Israel, and the house of Juda have greatly transgressed against me, saith the Lord.
12 'They have denied Yahweh, they have said, "He is nothing; no evil wil overtake us, we shall not seesword or famine.	12 They have denied the Lord, and said, It is not he: and the evil shall not come upon us: we shall not see the sword and famine.
13 And the prophets? Nothing but wind; the word is not in them; let those very things happen to them!" '	13 The prophets have spoken in the wind, and there was no word of God in them: these things therefore shall befall them.
14 Because of this, Yahweh, God Sabaoth, says this, 'Since you have said such things, now I shal makemy words a fire in your mouth, and make this people wood, for the fire to devour.	14 Thus saith the Lord the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold I will make my words in thy mouth as fire, and this people as wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Now I shall bring on you a nation from afar, House of Israel, Yahweh declares, an enduring nation, anancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you grasp what they say.	15 Behold I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: a strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou shalt not know, nor understand what they say.
16 Their quiver a gaping tomb, they are al of them fighters.	16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all valiant.
17 They will devour your harvest and your food, devour your sons and daughters, devour your flocks andherds, devour your vines and fig trees, and demolish your fortified towns in which you trust -- with the sword!'	17 And they shall eat up thy corn, and thy bread: they shall devour thy sons, and thy daughters: they shall eat up thy flocks, and thy herds: they shall eat thy vineyards, and thy figs: and with the sword they shall destroy thy strong cities, wherein thou trustest.
18 'Yet even in those days, Yahweh declares, I shal not annihilate you completely.	18 Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not bring you to utter destruction.
19 'And when you ask, "Why has Yahweh our God done al this to us?" you wil give them this answer, "As you abandon me to serve alien gods in your own country, so you must serve aliens in a country not your own."	19 And if you shall say: why hath the Lord our God done all these things to us? thou shalt say to them: As you have forsaken me, and served a strange god in your own land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not your own.
20 'Announce this in the House of Jacob, proclaim it in Judah, and say,	20 Declare ye this to the house of Jacob, and publish it in Juda, saying:
21 "Now listen to this, stupid, brainless people who have eyes and do not see, who have ears and do nothear!	21 Hear, O foolish people, and without understanding: who have eyes, and see not: and ears, and hear not.
22 Have you no fear of me? Yahweh demands. Wil you not tremble before me who set the sand as limit to the sea, as an everlasting barrier it cannot pass? Its waves may toss but not prevail, they may roar but cannotpass beyond.	22 Will not you then fear me, saith the Lord: and will you not repent at my presence? I have set the sand a bound for the sea, an everlasting ordinance, which it shall not pass over: and the waves thereof shall toss themselves, and shall not prevail: they shall swell, and shall not pass over it.
23 But this people has a rebellious, unruly heart; they have rebelled and gone!	23 But the heart of this people is become hard of belief and provoking, they are revolted and gone away.
24 Nor do they say to themselves: Now we ought to fear Yahweh our God who gives the rain, of autumnand of spring, at the right season, and reserves us the weeks appointed for harvest.	24 And they have not said in their heart: let us fear the Lord our God, who giveth us the early and the latter rain in due season: who preserveth for us the fullness of the yearly harvest.
25 Your misdeeds have upset al this, your sins have deprived you of these blessings."	25 Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
26 Yes, there are wicked men among my people who watch like fowlers on the alert; they set traps andthey catch human beings.	26 For among my people are found wicked men, that lie in wait as fowlers, setting snares and traps to catch men.
27 Like a cage full of birds so are their houses full of loot; they have grown rich and powerful because of it,	27 As a net is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit: therefore are they become great and enriched.
28 they are fat, they are sleek, in wickedness they go to any lengths: they have no respect for rights, fororphans' rights, and yet they succeed! They have not upheld the cause of the needy.	28 They are grown gross and fat: andhave most wickedly transgressed my words. They have not judged the cause of the widow, they have not managed the cause of the fatherless, they have not judged the judgement of the poor.
29 Shal I fail to punish this, Yahweh demands, or on such a nation to exact vengeance?	29 Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? or shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?
30 Horrible, disgusting things are happening in the land:	30 Astonishing and wonderful things have been done in the land.
31 the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests exploit the people. And my people love it! But when theend comes, what wil you do?	31 The prophets prophesied falsehood, and the priests clapped their hands: and my people loved such things: what then shall be done in the end thereof?