Jeremiah 5:20-22

5:20 “Proclaim ¹  this message among the descendants of Jacob. ² 

Make it known throughout Judah.

5:21 Tell them: ‘Hear this,

you foolish people who have no understanding,

who have eyes but do not discern,

who have ears but do not perceive: ³ 

5:22 “You should fear me!” says the Lord.

“You should tremble in awe before me! ⁴ 

I made the sand to be a boundary for the sea,

a permanent barrier that it can never cross.

Its waves may roll, but they can never prevail.

They may roar, but they can never cross beyond that boundary.” ⁵ 

[5:20]  ¹ sn The verbs are second plural here. Jeremiah, speaking for the Lord, addresses his people, calling on them to make the message further known.

[5:20]  ² tn Heb “in the house of Jacob.”

[5:21]  ³ tn Heb “they have eyes but they do not see, they have ears but they do not hear.”

[5:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “Should you not fear me? Should you not tremble in awe before me?” The rhetorical questions expect the answer explicit in the translation.

[5:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “it.” The referent is made explicit to avoid any possible confusion.