Jeremiah 5
5
God’s Right to Judge
1“Roam the streets of Jerusalem;
search her streets and public squares,
and note what you see.
See if you can find even one person who pursues justice.
If you find even one acting with integrity,
I will surely spare Jerusalem. # 5:1 Jeremiah 5 unveils the total depravity of Jerusalem and Judah. One righteous person could not be found. They stubbornly refused to repent (see v. 3); practiced inhuman sexual perversion (see vv. 7–8); rejected the prophet’s warning (see vv. 12–13); and were given over to deceit, oppression, and extortion (see vv. 26–28). The government was rotten, and the people loved it that way (see vv. 30–31). People only wanted false prophecy (see 23:9–40).
2Though they take an oath, saying,
‘As surely as Yahweh lives,’
Yet they are taking my name in vain.”
3Yahweh, your eyes search for truth.
You struck them down,
but they felt no pain.
You nearly destroyed them,
but they still refused to accept correction.
Their stubborn faces hardened like rock;
they defiantly refused to repent.
4I thought, “These poor people are senseless,
for they know neither God’s ways
nor the justice of Yahweh.
5Let me go to the people in power,
and let me speak to them.
Surely, they must know what Yahweh demands
and what God requires of them.”
Yet they, too, have renounced obedience to God
and have torn themselves away from him. # 5:5 Or “They have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke straps.” The yoke likely refers to the covenant between God and Israel. They were unwilling to be in covenant with God any longer and refused to follow his ways.
6Therefore, a lion from the forest will attack them,
and a desert wolf will ravage them.
A leopard # 5:6 One can interpret these verses, like many others, literally and figuratively. The lion, desert wolf, and leopard are likely metaphors for the coming invaders. is prowling around their cities,
waiting to tear those apart who venture out.
For the people are rebellious;
they’ve sinned repeatedly.
7“On what basis can I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn by gods that are not real.
Even though I satisfied my people to the full,
they committed adultery, beating a path to a whorehouse.
8They’re like well-fed stallions lusting for mares;
each man ‘neighs’ with lust after his neighbor’s wife.
9Because of these things,
will I not hold my people accountable?
Am I not justified to punish a nation such as this?
I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
Rejection of the Message
10-11“Here is what I, Yahweh, have decreed:
‘I will send your enemies to cut the branches from your vines,
but they won’t destroy them completely.
I will tell them to strip away your branches.
The people of Judah and Israel
have been utterly unfaithful to me
and are no longer mine.’ ”
12They have lied about Yahweh, saying,
“No disaster is coming.
We won’t experience sword or famine.
He won’t let anything happen to us.
13The prophets are full of hot air,
and they do not have the word of Yahweh in them.
May their threats backfire upon themselves!”
14Therefore, because the people have spoken these lies,
Yahweh, the God of Angel Armies, said to me:
“See! The words I put in your mouth will be as a fire.
My words will consume these people like kindling.
15I, Yahweh, say to the people of Israel:
‘I am stirring up a distant nation,
an ancient, warring nation to attack you.
Her people will speak a language you do not know,
a language you won’t understand. # 5:15 See Deut. 28:49–52; Isa. 5:26–29; Hab. 1:6–11.
16The quivers of her mighty warriors
are like a welcoming tomb,
inviting death and destruction,
for all her warriors are proven in battle.
17They will devour your harvest and your food.
They will devour your sons and your daughters.
They will devour your flocks and your herds,
and devour your vines and your fig trees.
You put your trust in your fortified cities, but they will ransack them
and slaughter the inhabitants.’ ”
Refusal to Worship Yahweh
18“Yet even then,” Yahweh said to me, “I will not completely eliminate you. 19And when people ask you, ‘Why did Yahweh our God bring this tragedy upon us?’ You will answer, ‘As you have forsaken Yahweh and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a foreign land.’
20“Declare this to the descendants of Jacob and spread it throughout Judah:
21‘Pay attention, you foolish and senseless people. # 5:21 Or “[people] without heart.”
They have eyes but refuse to see.
They have ears but refuse to hear. # 5:21 See Ps. 115:4–8; Prov. 20:12; Isa. 6:10; Ezek. 12:2; Mark 8:18; Rom. 11:8. The idea is that people become like what they worship. Psalm 115 makes it clear that when people worship idols, they become like them (neither seeing nor hearing). Jeremiah here was echoing this language and reminding the people of this judgment.
22I, Yahweh, am speaking to you.
Do you not fear?
Do you not tremble in awe in my presence?
I made the sand as a border for the sea,
an ancient barrier that it does not pass.
Though the waves roar and beat against it,
they can neither go beyond it nor break through it. # 5:22 God was saying to his rebellious people that, just as waves can’t prevail against the shore, they, too, will not succeed in defying him.
23But these people have stubborn, rebellious hearts.
They all turn aside and go their own way.
24They never say in their heart,
“Let us now give reverence to Yahweh our God
who gives us showers at the time of his favor,
the early and latter rain in its season,
and graciously gives us a harvest each year.” # 5:24 Or “the appointed weeks of harvest.”
25The guilt of your sins has upset nature’s order
and withheld my blessings # 5:25 Or “withheld the good from you.” from you.
Your sins have kept these good things from you!’ ”
The People’s Sins against Others
26“Lurking among my people are wicked criminals.
They are like hunters hiding to catch birds in their nets, # 5:26 See Ps. 91:3; Prov. 6:5; Hos. 9:8.
setting their traps to catch people.
27Like cages full of captured birds,
they fill their houses with lies and deceit. # 5:27 See Jer. 8:5; 9:6.
This is how they have become rich and powerful,
28fat and prosperous.
Indeed, their wickedness knows no bounds.
There is no true justice in their judgments—
they neither stand up for the rights of the orphans,
nor help the needy receive their fair portion. # 5:28 God says the poor have rights, and he commands that they receive fair treatment. Every seven years, the poor were to be forgiven their loans (see Deut. 15:1–4). God will come to the help of the righteous poor when there is no one else to defend their rights (see 1 Sam. 2:8; Job 5:15; Ps. 132:15).
29I, Yahweh, promise to hold them accountable for these things.
I will be justified to punish a nation such as this.
30“A shocking and horrible thing has happened in the land.
31The prophets prophesy lies, # 5:31 Or “The prophets prophesy in the name of The Lie [Baal].”
and the priests lead out of their own self-interest.
And my people love it that way.
But what will they do when judgment comes?”
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Jeremiah 5: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationJeremiah 5
5
God’s Right to Judge
1“Roam the streets of Jerusalem;
search her streets and public squares,
and note what you see.
See if you can find even one person who pursues justice.
If you find even one acting with integrity,
I will surely spare Jerusalem. # 5:1 Jeremiah 5 unveils the total depravity of Jerusalem and Judah. One righteous person could not be found. They stubbornly refused to repent (see v. 3); practiced inhuman sexual perversion (see vv. 7–8); rejected the prophet’s warning (see vv. 12–13); and were given over to deceit, oppression, and extortion (see vv. 26–28). The government was rotten, and the people loved it that way (see vv. 30–31). People only wanted false prophecy (see 23:9–40).
2Though they take an oath, saying,
‘As surely as Yahweh lives,’
Yet they are taking my name in vain.”
3Yahweh, your eyes search for truth.
You struck them down,
but they felt no pain.
You nearly destroyed them,
but they still refused to accept correction.
Their stubborn faces hardened like rock;
they defiantly refused to repent.
4I thought, “These poor people are senseless,
for they know neither God’s ways
nor the justice of Yahweh.
5Let me go to the people in power,
and let me speak to them.
Surely, they must know what Yahweh demands
and what God requires of them.”
Yet they, too, have renounced obedience to God
and have torn themselves away from him. # 5:5 Or “They have broken the yoke and torn off the yoke straps.” The yoke likely refers to the covenant between God and Israel. They were unwilling to be in covenant with God any longer and refused to follow his ways.
6Therefore, a lion from the forest will attack them,
and a desert wolf will ravage them.
A leopard # 5:6 One can interpret these verses, like many others, literally and figuratively. The lion, desert wolf, and leopard are likely metaphors for the coming invaders. is prowling around their cities,
waiting to tear those apart who venture out.
For the people are rebellious;
they’ve sinned repeatedly.
7“On what basis can I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn by gods that are not real.
Even though I satisfied my people to the full,
they committed adultery, beating a path to a whorehouse.
8They’re like well-fed stallions lusting for mares;
each man ‘neighs’ with lust after his neighbor’s wife.
9Because of these things,
will I not hold my people accountable?
Am I not justified to punish a nation such as this?
I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
Rejection of the Message
10-11“Here is what I, Yahweh, have decreed:
‘I will send your enemies to cut the branches from your vines,
but they won’t destroy them completely.
I will tell them to strip away your branches.
The people of Judah and Israel
have been utterly unfaithful to me
and are no longer mine.’ ”
12They have lied about Yahweh, saying,
“No disaster is coming.
We won’t experience sword or famine.
He won’t let anything happen to us.
13The prophets are full of hot air,
and they do not have the word of Yahweh in them.
May their threats backfire upon themselves!”
14Therefore, because the people have spoken these lies,
Yahweh, the God of Angel Armies, said to me:
“See! The words I put in your mouth will be as a fire.
My words will consume these people like kindling.
15I, Yahweh, say to the people of Israel:
‘I am stirring up a distant nation,
an ancient, warring nation to attack you.
Her people will speak a language you do not know,
a language you won’t understand. # 5:15 See Deut. 28:49–52; Isa. 5:26–29; Hab. 1:6–11.
16The quivers of her mighty warriors
are like a welcoming tomb,
inviting death and destruction,
for all her warriors are proven in battle.
17They will devour your harvest and your food.
They will devour your sons and your daughters.
They will devour your flocks and your herds,
and devour your vines and your fig trees.
You put your trust in your fortified cities, but they will ransack them
and slaughter the inhabitants.’ ”
Refusal to Worship Yahweh
18“Yet even then,” Yahweh said to me, “I will not completely eliminate you. 19And when people ask you, ‘Why did Yahweh our God bring this tragedy upon us?’ You will answer, ‘As you have forsaken Yahweh and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a foreign land.’
20“Declare this to the descendants of Jacob and spread it throughout Judah:
21‘Pay attention, you foolish and senseless people. # 5:21 Or “[people] without heart.”
They have eyes but refuse to see.
They have ears but refuse to hear. # 5:21 See Ps. 115:4–8; Prov. 20:12; Isa. 6:10; Ezek. 12:2; Mark 8:18; Rom. 11:8. The idea is that people become like what they worship. Psalm 115 makes it clear that when people worship idols, they become like them (neither seeing nor hearing). Jeremiah here was echoing this language and reminding the people of this judgment.
22I, Yahweh, am speaking to you.
Do you not fear?
Do you not tremble in awe in my presence?
I made the sand as a border for the sea,
an ancient barrier that it does not pass.
Though the waves roar and beat against it,
they can neither go beyond it nor break through it. # 5:22 God was saying to his rebellious people that, just as waves can’t prevail against the shore, they, too, will not succeed in defying him.
23But these people have stubborn, rebellious hearts.
They all turn aside and go their own way.
24They never say in their heart,
“Let us now give reverence to Yahweh our God
who gives us showers at the time of his favor,
the early and latter rain in its season,
and graciously gives us a harvest each year.” # 5:24 Or “the appointed weeks of harvest.”
25The guilt of your sins has upset nature’s order
and withheld my blessings # 5:25 Or “withheld the good from you.” from you.
Your sins have kept these good things from you!’ ”
The People’s Sins against Others
26“Lurking among my people are wicked criminals.
They are like hunters hiding to catch birds in their nets, # 5:26 See Ps. 91:3; Prov. 6:5; Hos. 9:8.
setting their traps to catch people.
27Like cages full of captured birds,
they fill their houses with lies and deceit. # 5:27 See Jer. 8:5; 9:6.
This is how they have become rich and powerful,
28fat and prosperous.
Indeed, their wickedness knows no bounds.
There is no true justice in their judgments—
they neither stand up for the rights of the orphans,
nor help the needy receive their fair portion. # 5:28 God says the poor have rights, and he commands that they receive fair treatment. Every seven years, the poor were to be forgiven their loans (see Deut. 15:1–4). God will come to the help of the righteous poor when there is no one else to defend their rights (see 1 Sam. 2:8; Job 5:15; Ps. 132:15).
29I, Yahweh, promise to hold them accountable for these things.
I will be justified to punish a nation such as this.
30“A shocking and horrible thing has happened in the land.
31The prophets prophesy lies, # 5:31 Or “The prophets prophesy in the name of The Lie [Baal].”
and the priests lead out of their own self-interest.
And my people love it that way.
But what will they do when judgment comes?”
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The Passion Translation® is a registered trademark of Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc.
Learn More About The Passion Translation