^7:24But they did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They followed the stubborn inclinations of their own wicked hearts. They acted worse and worse instead of better.⁵⁶^7:25From the time your ancestors departed the land of Egypt until now,⁵⁷ I sent my servants the prophets to you again and again,⁵⁸ day after day.⁵⁹^7:26But your ancestors⁶⁰ did not listen to me nor pay attention to me. They became obstinate⁶¹ and were more wicked than even their own forefathers.’ ”

^7:27Then the Lord said to me,⁶² “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you. When you call out to them, they will not respond to you. ^7:28So tell them: ‘This is a nation that has not obeyed the Lord their God and has not accepted correction. Faithfulness is nowhere to be found in it. These people do not even profess it anymore.⁶³

Read in Logos

Footnotes

56 Or “They went backward and not forward”; Heb “They were to the backward and not to the forward.” The two phrases used here appear nowhere else in the Bible and the latter preposition plus adverb elsewhere is used temporally meaning “formerly” or “previously.” The translation follows the proposal of J. Bright, Jeremiah (), 57. Another option is “they turned their backs to me, not their faces,” understanding the line as a variant of a line in 2:27.
57 Heb “from the day your ancestors … until this very day.” However, “day” here is idiomatic for “the present time.”
58 On the Hebrew idiom see the note at .
59 There is some textual debate about the legitimacy of this expression here. The text reads merely “day” (יוֹם, yom). suggests the word is to be deleted as a dittography of the plural ending of the preceding word. The word is in the Greek and Latin, and the represents the typical idiom “day after day” as though the noun were repeated. Either יוֹם has dropped out by haplography or a ם (mem) has been left out, i.e., reading יוֹמָם (yomam, “daily”).
60 Or “But your predecessors …”; Heb “But they.…” There is a confusing interchange in the pronouns in vv. 25–26 which has led to some leveling in the ancient versions and the modern English versions. What is involved here are four levels of referents, the “you” of the present generation (vv. 21–22a), the ancestors who were delivered from Egypt (i.e., the “they” of vv. 22b–24), the “you” of v. 25 which involves all the Israelites from the Exodus to the time of speaking, and the “they” of v. 26 which cannot be the ancestors of vv. 22–24 (since they cannot be more wicked than themselves) but must be an indefinite entity which is a part of the “you” of v. 25, i.e., the more immediate ancestors of the present generation. If this is kept in mind, there is no need to level the pronouns to “they” and “them” or to “you” and “your” as some of the ancient versions and modern English versions have done.
61 Heb “hardened [or made stiff] their neck.”
62 The words, “Then the Lord said to me” are not in the text but are implicit in the shift from the second and third person plural pronouns in vv. 21–26 and the second singular in this verse. The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
63 Heb “Faithfulness has vanished. It is cut off from their lips.” For the need for faithfulness see 5:1, 3.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

“So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’

“When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Yet they didn’t listen or pay attention but followed their own advice and their own stubborn, evil heart. They went backward and not forward. Since the day your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until today, I have sent all my servants the prophets to you time and time again. However, my people wouldn’t listen to me or pay attention but became obstinate; they did more evil than their ancestors.

“When you speak all these things to them, they will not listen to you. When you call to them, they will not answer you. Therefore, declare to them, ‘This is the nation that would not listen to the Lord their God and would not accept discipline. Truth has perished—it has disappeared from their mouths.

NLTNew Living Translation

“But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.

“Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond. Say to them, ‘This is the nation whose people will not obey the Lord their God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Yet they did not obey, and they did not incline their ear, but they walked in their own plans, in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and they became worse instead of better. From the day that your ancestors came out from the land of Egypt until this day I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, day after day, sending again and again. Yet they have not listened to me and they have not inclined their ear, but they have hardened their neck, they did more evil than their ancestors. So you shall speak to them all these words, but they will not listen to you, and you shall call to them, but they will not answer you.

“And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the voice of Yahweh their God, and they have not accepted discipline. The truth has perished, and it is cut off from their mouths.

KJV 1900King James Version

But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.

Public Domain