Jeremiah 5:1-31 They Make Their Faces Harder Than Rock & Refused to Return to God

They Make Their Faces Harder Than Rock & Refused to Return to God

Jeremiah 5:1-31                               The Book of Jeremiah [in Smaller Chunks]

You run [back & forth,] through the streets of Jerusalem, & [look,] now, & know, & seek in [its wide] places, if you can find a man [or] if there [are] any [who carry out] judgment, [a.k.a. justice,] & [seek] the truth; & I will pardon it, [a.k.a. Jerusalem.]

And [although] they say, The Lord [Lives;] surely, they swear falsely. [Mark 7:6-7 [Jesus] answered & said to them, [Elijah has] prophesied [correctly about] you, hypocrites, [like] it is written [in the Scriptures,] This people [honor] Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. [However,] they worship Me in vain, teaching the commandments of men, for doctrines.]

O Lord, aren't Your eyes upon the truth? [John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I Am: the Way, The Truth, & The Life. No man [comes] to the Father, [except] by Me.]

You [have afflicted] them, but they haven't grieved. You [have] consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock, & they have refused to return. [Zephaniah 3:1-3 Woe to her, the [oppressive] city, [who] is filthy & [defiled!] She [didn't obey His] voice, & she [didn't accept] correction. She [didn't draw] near to her God, & she [didn't trust] in the Lord. Within her, her princess are roaring lions; & her judges are wolves [of the night,] & they [don't] [wait] [until tomorrow to] gnaw the bones.]

Therefore, I said, Surely, these are poor, & they are foolish: for they [don't] know the [path] of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God. [Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you [have] rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, [so] that you [shall not] be [priests for] Me. [Since] you [have] forgotten the Law of your God, I will also forget your children.]

I will get [myself] to the [honored] men, & will speak to them; for they have known the [path] of the Lord, & the judgment, [a.k.a. justice,] of their God. But these have altogether broken the yoke, [a.k.a. burden,] & burst the [shackles.]

[Micah 3:9-12 I pray [that] you hear this, you heads, [a.k.a. leaders,] of the house of Jacob, & princes of the house of Israel, [who loathe] judgment, [a.k.a. justice,] & [divert] all equity. They build up Zion with [bloodshed,] & [build up] Jerusalem with [sinfulness.] [It's leaders,] judge for reward, [a.k.a. bribes, its] priests teach for [pay,] & [its] prophets divine for money. Will they [still] lean upon the Lord, & say, Isn't the Lord among us? No evil can come upon us. Therefore, for your sake, Zion shall be plowed [like] a field, & Jerusalem shall become [a ruinous] heap, & the mountain of the [Lord's] house, [shall become] [like] the high places of the forest.]

[For this reason,] a lion out of the forest shall [kill] them, & a wolf [in] the [evening] shall [plunder] them, & a leopard shall watch over their cities. Everyone, [who goes] out [there] shall be torn [into] pieces: because their [sins] are many, & their backslidings [have] increased.

[Hosea 13:1-4 When Ephraim [spoke] trembling, he exalted himself in Israel. But when he offended [by] Baal, he died. And now they sin [even] more & more, & have made [themselves molded] images [from] their silver, & idols according to their own [skill.] All of it [is] the work of craftsmen. They say [to] them, Let the men, [who] sacrifice, kiss the [gold] calves. Therefore, they shall be [like] the morning cloud, & the early dew that [passes] away. [Like] the chaff, [a.k.a. grain hulls,] that [are blown] [away] out of the [threshing] floor [by] the whirlwind, & [like] smoke [drifts away] out of the chimney. [Still,] I Am the Lord your God, from the land of Egypt, & you [shall] know no god, but Me. For there is no [Savior] beside Me.]

How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have [abandoned] Me, & [have] sworn by [what aren't] gods. When I fed them [until] full, then they committed adultery, & assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses.

[Zephaniah 1:4-7 I will also stretch out [My] hand upon Judah, & upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the [rest] of Baal from this place, & the name of the Chemarims, with the priests. And [those, who] upon the housetops, worship the host, [a.k.a. stars & constellations,] of heaven, & [those, who] worship, & swear by the Lord, & [who] [also] swear by Malcham, & [those, who have] turned [their] [backs] from the Lord, & [who] haven't sought the Lord, nor [inquired from] Him. In the presence of the Lord God, hold your peace. For the Day of the Lord is at hand. For the Lord [has] prepared a sacrifice, & He [has invited] His guests.]

They were [like] horses fed in the morning. Everyone neighed after his neighbor's wife. The Lord [says,] Shall I not [punish] for these things? And [shouldn't] My soul be avenged on a nation such as this?

[Jeremiah 10:2-6 The Lord [says this, Don't] learn the way of the heathen, & [don't] be [discouraged] at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are [discouraged by] them. For the customs of the people are vain. For [someone cuts] a tree out of the forest, the ax work of the [lumberman's] hands. They [decorate] it with: silver & gold.

They fasten it with nails, with hammers, [so] that it [does't] move. They are upright [like] the palm tree, but [the idols ][don't] speak. They must be [carried,] because they can't [walk.] [Don't] be afraid of them; for they can't do evil, & also neither is it in them to do good. [Since] there [are] none like You, O Lord, You [are] great, & Your Name is great in [strength.]

You go up upon her walls, & destroy. Take away her battlements, [a.k.a. fortifications,] for they aren't the Lord's; but [don't] make a [total] end [of it.] For the house of Israel, & the house of Judah have [behaved] very treacherously against Me, [says] the Lord. They have [given a false impression,] [against] the Lord, & said, Isn't it He, [but the Lord God didn't say:] neither shall [disaster] come upon us. Neither shall we see [swords,] nor famine. And the [Lord's] Word isn't in them, & [like this] it shall be done to them, & the [false] prophets shall become [like] wind [that disappears.]

[Jeremiah 14:13-14 Then, I said, Ah, Lord God! [Look,] the prophets say to them, You shall not see the sword, & neither shall you have famine. But I will give you [certain] peace in this place. Then, the Lord said to me, The prophets prophesy lies in My Name. I [didn't send] them, neither have I commanded them, & neither [did I speak] to them. They prophesy to you a false vision, & divination, a [worthless] thing, & the deceit of their heart.]

[For this reason,] the Lord God of Hosts says [this,] Because you speak this word; [watch,] I will make My Words in your mouth, fire, & this people wood, & it shall devour them. [Jeremiah 23:29-32 The Lord [says,] Isn't My Word: like a fire & like a hammer that breaks [rocks] in pieces? Therefore, [look,] I am against the prophets, & everyone [who steals] My Words from his [neighbor.]

The Lord [says, Look,] I Am against the prophets [who] use their tongues, & say, [God says.] [See,] I Am against [those, who] prophesy false dreams, & tell them, & cause My people to err, [a.k.a. go astray,] by their lies, & by their [indifference.] [Still,] I [didn't send] them, nor [command] them. Therefore, they shall not at all, [benefit] this people, [says] the Lord.]

The Lord says, [Look,] I will bring a nation upon you from far [away,] O house of Israel. It is a mighty nation, & an ancient nation, whose language you [don't know,] & neither [do you] understand what they say. They are all mighty men, & their [archer's] quiver is [like] an open [tomb.] [Isaiah 5:28 Whose arrows are sharp, & all their bows [are] bent, & their horses' [hooves] shall be [considered] like flint, & their wheels like a whirlwind.]

And they shall eat up your harvest, & your bread, which your sons & daughters should eat. They shall eat up your: flocks & herds, & your [vineyards,] & fig trees. They shall [make] your fenced, [a.k.a. fortified,] cities, [in which] you [trusted, impoverished, by] the sword. The Lord [says, Still,] in those days, I won't make a [total] end [of] you.

[Jeremiah 30:10-11 The Lord [says,] Therefore, [don't] fear, O My servant, Jacob, & neither be [discouraged,] O Israel: for [look,]I will save you from afar, & [I will save] your seed, [a.k.a. descendants,] from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall return, & shall be [at] rest, & [peaceful.]

And none shall make him afraid. For I Am with you, [says] the Lord, to save you. [Although,] I make a [total] end of all nations [where] I have scattered you, I [still] won't make a [total] end of you. But I will correct you in [due time,] & I won't leave you [totally] unpunished.]

And it shall [happen,] when you shall say, [For what reason,] does] the Lord our God [do] all these things to us? Then, you [shall] answer them, Like you have [abandoned] Me, & served strange gods in your land, [similarly] you shall serve strangers in land that isn't yours.

Declare this in the house of Jacob, & [proclaim] it in Judah, saying, Now, hear this, O foolish people, without understanding, [who] have eyes, & [don't] see, [who] have ears, & [don't] hear: The Lord [says, Don't] you fear, [a.k.a. respect,] Me? Won't you tremble at My presence.

[Who has] placed the sand for the [boundaries] of the sea, by a [continual] decree, that it can't pass it, [although its] waves toss themselves. [Still] they [can't] prevail, [although] they roar, they [still] can't pass over it? But this [people's] heart [revolts, & rebels.] They [have] revolted, & [left.] [Psalm 104:5-9 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it shouldn't be removed forever. You [covered] it with the deep [waters] [like] with a garment. The waters stood above the mountains. At Your [correction,] they fled. At the [sound] of Your thunder, they [hurried] away. They go up by the mountains, & they go down by the valleys [into] the place [that] You [have established] for them. You [have put] a [boundary] that they may not pass over; [so] that they [don't return] again to cover the earth.]

Neither [did] they say [within] their heart, Let's now fear, [a.k.a. respect,] the Lord our God, [Who gives] rain, both the [previous] [rain,] & the [Spring rain,] in [its] season. He [reserves, a.k.a. sets aside, for] us, the appointed weeks [for] the harvest. Your iniquities have turned these things away, & your sins have [withheld] good things from you. [Judges 10:10-14 And the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel cried [out] to the Lord, saying, We have sinned against You, both: because we have [abandoned] our God, & also served Baalim. And the Lord said to the [people,] of Israel, [Didn't] I deliver you from the: Egyptians, Amorites, the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Ammon, & from the Philistines? Also: the Zidonians, [a.k.a. Sidonians,] Amalekites, & the Maonites, [who] [oppressed] you. And you cried [out] to Me, & I delivered you out of their hand. [Still,] you have [abandoned] Me, & served other gods. [For this reason,] I will no [longer] deliver you. Go, & cry [out] to the gods, [that] you have chosen. Let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.]

For wicked men are found among My people. They lay [in] wait  [to ambush,] [like] he, [who sets traps.] They set a trap, & they catch men. [Joel 3:3-7 And they have cast lots for My people; & have given a boy [in exchange] for a harlot, & sold a girl [in exchange] for wine, [so] that they might drink. [Yes,] & what [do] you have to do with Me, O Tyre, & Zidon, [a.k.a. Sidon,] & all the coasts of Palestine? Will you [give] Me a [repayment,] & if you [repay] Me, I will swiftly, & speedily return your [repayment] upon your own head; because you have taken My silver, & My gold, & have carried My [beautiful] pleasant things into your temple. Also, you have sold to the [Greeks,] the children on Judah, & the children of Jerusalem, [so] that you might remove them far from their [borders.]

Their houses are full of deceit, [like] a cage is full of birds. Therefore, they [have] become [important,] & [grow] rich. They [have grown] fat, & they [excel.] [Yes,] they [surpass,] the deeds of the wicked.

They [don't] judge the [case] of the fatherless, & [still,] they prosper, & they don't judge the [rights] of the needy. [Isaiah 1:23-24 Your princes are rebellious, & companions of thieves. Everyone [loves] gifts, & [follows] after rewards, [a.k.a. bribes.] They [don't] [fairly] judge the fatherless, & neither [does] the [case] of the widow come to them. Therefore, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, [says,] Ah, I will ease [Myself] of [My] adversaries, & avenge [Myself] of [My] enemies.]

The Lord [says, Shouldn't] I [punish] for these things? [Shouldn't] My soul be avenged on a nation such as this? [An amazing,] & horrible thing is committed in the land. [Jeremiah 23:11-14 For both the [prophets & priests] are profane. [Yes,] I have found their wickedness in My house, [says] the Lord. [For this reason,] their [road] shall be to them [like] slippery [roads] in the darkness. They shall be driven on, & fall [on them.] For I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, [a.k.a. punishment, says] the Lord. And I have seen [foolishness] in the prophets of Samaria. They prophesied [about] Baal, & caused My people, Israel, to [go astray.] I have also seen [a] horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem. They commit adultery, & walk, [a.k.a. follow,] [what are:] lies. They also strengthen the hands of [those who] [do evil, so] that none [returns] from his wickedness. They are, all of them to Me [like] Sodom, & the [residents of it like] Gomorrah.]

The prophets prophesy falsely, & the priests rule, by their [own] [methods,] & My people love to have it [this way.] What will you do in the end [of it?]  [2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they won't endure sound doctrine; but they [will go astray] after their own lusts, [a.k.a. desires,] & having itching ears, [to hear something,] they [shall] heap [up] teachers to themselves. And they shall turn their ears away from the Truth, & shall be turned to fables.]