The Sin of Jerusalem
1 People of Jerusalem, run through your streets!
Look around! See for yourselves!
Search the marketplaces!
Can you find one person
who does what is right
and tries to be faithful to God?
If you can, the Lord will forgive Jerusalem.
2 Even though you claim to worship the Lord,
you do not mean what you say.
3 Surely the Lord looks for faithfulness.
He struck you, but you paid no attention;
he crushed you, but you refused to learn.
You were stubborn and would not turn from your sins.
4 Then I thought, “These are only the poor and ignorant.
They behave foolishly;
they don't know what their God requires,
what the Lord wants them to do.
5 I will go to the people in power
and talk with them.
Surely they know what their God requires,
what the Lord wants them to do.”
But all of them have rejected the Lord's authority
and refuse to obey him.
6 That is why lions from the forest will kill them;
wolves from the desert will tear them to pieces,
and leopards will prowl through their towns.
If those people go out, they will be torn apart
because their sins are numerous
and time after time they have turned from God.
7 The Lord asked, “Why should I forgive the sins of my people?
They have abandoned me
and have worshiped gods that are not real.
I fed my people until they were full,
but they committed adultery
and spent their time with prostitutes.
8 They were like well-fed stallions wild with desire,
each lusting for his neighbor's wife.
9 Shouldn't I punish them for these things
and take revenge on a nation such as this?
10 I will send enemies to cut down my people's vineyards,
but not to destroy them completely.
I will tell them to strip away the branches,
because those branches are not mine.
11 The people of Israel and Judah
have betrayed me completely.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Lord Rejects Israel
12 The Lord's people have denied him and have said, “He won't really do anything. We won't have hard times; we won't have war or famine.” 13-14 They have said that the prophets are nothing but windbags and that they have no message from the Lord. The Lord God Almighty said to me, “Jeremiah, because these people have said such things, I will make my words like a fire in your mouth. The people will be like wood, and the fire will burn them up.”
15 People of Israel, the Lord is bringing a nation from far away to attack you. It is a strong and ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know. 16 Their archers are mighty soldiers who kill without mercy. 17 They will devour your crops and your food; they will kill your sons and your daughters. They will slaughter your flocks and your herds and destroy your vines and fig trees. The fortified cities in which you trust will be destroyed by their army.
18 The Lord says, “Yet even in those days I will not completely destroy my people. 19 When they ask why I did all these things, tell them, Jeremiah, that just as they turned away from me and served foreign gods in their own land, so they will serve strangers in a land that is not theirs.”
God Warns His People
20 The Lord says, “Tell the descendants of Jacob, tell the people of Judah: 21 Pay attention, you foolish and stupid people, who have eyes, but cannot see, and have ears, but cannot hear. 22 I am the Lord; why don't you fear me? Why don't you tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary of the sea, a permanent boundary that it cannot cross. The sea may toss, but it cannot go beyond it; the waves may roar, but they cannot break through. 23 But you people! You are stubborn and rebellious; you have turned aside and left me. 24 You never thought to honor me, even though I send the autumn rains and the spring rains and give you the harvest season each year. 25 Instead, your sins have kept these good things from you.
26 “Evildoers live among my people; they lie in wait like those who lay nets to catch birds, but they have set their traps to catch people. 27 Just as a hunter fills a cage with birds, they have filled their houses with loot. That is why they are powerful and rich, 28 why they are fat and well fed. There is no limit to their evil deeds. They do not give orphans their rights or show justice to the oppressed.
29 “But I, the Lord, will punish them for these things; I will take revenge on this nation. 30 A terrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 prophets speak nothing but lies; priests rule as the prophets command, and my people offer no objections. But what will they do when it all comes to an end?”
Jeruzālemes bezdievība
1 Klīstiet pa Jeruzālemes ielām,
jel raugiet un ziniet! –
Meklējiet laukumos,
vai vēl kādu atradīsiet!?
Ja tur ir kāds,
kas dara tiesu un meklē taisnību,
tad es tev piedošu!
2 Ja arī tie teiks:
dzīvs Kungs! –
būs melīgi zvērējuši!
3 Kungs, vai tavas acis neredz patiesību?
Tu viņus sit,
bet tie nebīstas,
tu dari tiem galu,
bet tie liedzas laboties, –
cietāk par klinti
nocietinājuši savas sejas,
liedzas atgriezties.
4 Es teicu:
tie taču niekkalbji,
jo nezina Kunga ceļu,
sava Dieva tiesu.
5 Es iešu pie stiprajiem
un runāšu ar tiem,
tie zinās Kunga ceļu,
sava Dieva tiesu! –
Kā vieni, tā otri
jūgu salauzuši
un saites sarāvuši!
6 Tādēļ tos aprīs
biezokņu lauva,
klajumu vilks
tos saplēsīs,
leopards viņu pilsētām uzglūn, –
kas iznāks – to saplosīs,
jo tiem grēku daudz,
un liela to atkrišana!
7 “Kā lai piedodu tev?
Tavi dēli mani ir atmetuši
un zvērējuši tiem,
kas pat nav dievi!
Es viņus baroju,
bet tie pārkāpa laulību
un bariem slāja uz mauku māju!
8 Kā vaisli un baroti zirgi
tie zviedz pēc sava tuvākā sievas!
9 Vai tādus lai atstāju mierā? –
saka Kungs,
vai tādai tautai
lai es neatriebju pats?
10 Kāpiet viņas vīnadārzos
un graujiet tos,
tik neizpostiet pavisam!
Izraujiet viņas stīgas,
jo tās nepieder Kungam!
11 Jo viltin pievīlis mani
Israēla nams un Jūdas nams,
saka Kungs,
12 tie noliedz Kungu
un saka: tas nav viņš!
Pār mums nenāks ļaunums,
ne badu, ne zobenu
mēs neredzēsim. –
13 Pravieši ķers vēju,
un vārda tiem nebūs –
tā tiem tiks darīts!”
Sprieduma vēstījums
14 Nu saka Kungs,
Pulku Dievs:
“Tādēļ ka jūs tā teicāt,
redzi, es likšu savus vārdus
tavā mutē kā uguni,
un šo tautu par malku,
lai uguns tos aprij!
15 Redzi, Israēla nams,
es uzsūtīšu
tev tautu no tālienes,
saka Kungs,
tā ir sīksta tauta,
tā ir sena tauta,
tās mēli tu nezini,
un, ko tie saka,
tu nesaproti.
16 Viņu bultu maks
ir kā atvērts kaps,
viņi visi ir varoņi!
17 Tie aprīs tavus graudus un maizi,
aprīs tavus dēlus un meitas,
aprīs tavas avis un vēršus,
aprīs tavus vīģes kokus un vīnakokus,
tavas nocietinātās pilsētas,
uz ko tu paļaujies,
tie sagraus ar zobenu.
18 Bet pat tajās dienās, saka Kungs, es tevi nenobeigšu pavisam! 19 Un, kad tie prasīs: kādēļ Kungs, mūsu Dievs, mums visu to darīja? – saki tiem: kā jūs atmetāt mani un savā zemē kalpojāt svešiem dieviem, tā jūs kalposiet svešiniekiem zemē, kas nebūs jūsu!”
20 Stāstiet to Jēkaba namam
un vēstījiet Jūdā:
21 “Klausies nu,
muļķu un bezsiržu tauta,
jums ir acis,
bet jūs neredzat,
jums ir ausis,
bet jūs nedzirdat!
22 Vai manis jūs nebīstaties,
saka Kungs,
vai nedrebat manā priekšā?
Es liku smiltis par robežu jūrai –
mūžīgu šķērsli, kam netikt pāri!
Tā gan sitas, bet nevar,
krāc viļņus, bet pāri netiek!
23 Šai tautai bija
spītīga un iecirtīga sirds,
tā novērsās un aizgāja prom.
24 Tie neteica savās sirdīs:
lai bīstamies Kunga,
mūsu Dieva,
kas mums laikā dod
lietu, lītavas un rasu
un īstajā reizē
rūpē mums ražu.
25 To jums atņēma jūsu vainas,
un jūsu grēki liedza jums labu!
26 Jo manā tautā atradās ļaundari,
tie glūn un liecas
kā putnu ķērāji,
tie lamatas izliek
un cilvēkus ķer.
27 Kā būrī pilns putnu,
tā viņu mājās pilns laupījuma,
tie tapuši lieli un bagāti,
28 tie treknumā ļum,
pārplūst no ļaundarības,
taisnu tiesu tie nespriež,
bāreņiem tiesā nepalīdz,
nabagu taisnību neaizstāv.
29 Vai tādēļ lai tos atstāju mierā? –
saka Kungs,
vai tādai tautai
lai es neatriebju pats?”
30 Šausmas un šaušalas
notikušas uz zemes –
31 pravieši pravieto melus,
priesteri valda, kā tīk,
un manai tautai tas tīk!
Ko darīsiet, kad nāks gals?
