Jeremiah 4:22
New International Version
“My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.”

New Living Translation
“My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the LORD. “They are stupid children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right!”

English Standard Version
“For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

Berean Standard Bible
“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”

King James Bible
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

New King James Version
“For My people are foolish, They have not known Me. They are silly children, And they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge.”

New American Standard Bible
“For My people are foolish, They do not know Me; They are foolish children And have no understanding. They are skillful at doing evil, But they do not know how to do good.”

NASB 1995
“For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, But to do good they do not know.”

NASB 1977
“For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children, And they have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, But to do good they do not know.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“For My people are ignorant fools, They know Me not; They are simpleminded children And have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, But to do good they do not know.”

Amplified Bible
“For My people are stupid and foolish,” [says the LORD to Jeremiah]; “They do not know Me; They are foolish children And have no understanding. They are shrewd [enough] to do evil, But they do not know [how] to do good.”

Christian Standard Bible
“For my people are fools; they do not know me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“For My people are fools; they do not know Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing what is evil, but they do not know how to do what is good.”

American Standard Version
For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because my people are insane and they have not known me. They are foolish children and they have not been wise. They are wise for evil and they do not know good

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For the princes of my people have not known me, they are foolish and unwise children: they are wise to do evil, but how to do good they have not known.

Contemporary English Version
I heard the LORD say, "My people ignore me. They are foolish children who do not understand that they will be punished. All they know is how to sin."

Douay-Rheims Bible
For my foolish people have not known me: they are foolish and senseless children: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

English Revised Version
For my people is foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"My people are fools. They don't know me. They are stupid people. They don't understand. They are experts in doing wrong, and they don't know how to do good."

Good News Translation
The LORD says, "My people are stupid; they don't know me. They are like foolish children; they have no understanding. They are experts at doing what is evil, but failures at doing what is good."

International Standard Version
"For my people are foolish, they don't know me. They're stupid children, they have no understanding. They're skilled at doing evil, but how to do good, they don't know."

JPS Tanakh 1917
For My people is foolish, They know Me not; They are sottish children, And they have no understanding; They are wise to do evil, But to do good they have no knowledge.

Literal Standard Version
“For My people [are] foolish, | They have not known Me, | They [are] foolish sons, | Indeed, they [are] not intelligent, | They [are] wise to do evil, | And they have not known to do good.”

Majority Standard Bible
“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”

New American Bible
My people are fools, they do not know me; They are senseless children, without understanding; They are wise at evil, but they do not know how to do good.

NET Bible
The LORD answered, "This will happen because my people are foolish. They do not know me. They are like children who have no sense. They have no understanding. They are skilled at doing evil. They do not know how to do good."

New Revised Standard Version
“For my people are foolish, they do not know me; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but do not know how to do good.”

New Heart English Bible
"For my people are foolish, they do not know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

Webster's Bible Translation
For my people are foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

World English Bible
“For my people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil, but they don’t know how to do good.”

Young's Literal Translation
For my people are foolish, me they have not known, Foolish sons are they, yea, they are not intelligent, Wise are they to do evil, And to do good they have not known.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Lamentation for Judah
21How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the horn? 22“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.” 23I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void; I looked to the heavens, and they had no light.…

Cross References
Romans 1:22
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,

Romans 16:19
Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.

1 Corinthians 14:20
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

Psalm 36:3
The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.

Psalm 53:4
Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon God.

Psalm 82:5
They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Jeremiah 2:8
The priests did not ask, 'Where is the LORD?' The experts in the law no longer knew Me, and the leaders rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed useless idols.


Treasury of Scripture

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are silly children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

For my.

Jeremiah 5:4,21
Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God…

Jeremiah 8:7-9
Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD…

Deuteronomy 32:6,28
Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? …

they have.

Hosea 5:4
They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they have not known the LORD.

John 16:3
And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Romans 1:28
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

they are wise.

2 Samuel 13:3
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.

2 Samuel 16:21-23
And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong…

Micah 2:1
Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

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Jeremiah 4
1. God calls Israel by his promise
3. He exhorts Judah to repentance by fearful judgments
19. A grievous lamentation for Judah














(22) For my people is foolish.--Jehovah answers the prophet's question. The misery comes to punish the folly and sottishness of the people. It shall last as long as they last, or till it has accomplished its work of chastisement.

Verse 22. - For my people is foolish. The Lord gives no direct answer to the complaining question in ver. 21. He simply states the moral ground for Judah's calamity, and implies that this will last so long as the people continue to be "foolish," i.e. virtual deniers of the true God.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“For
כִּ֣י ׀ (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

My people
עַמִּ֗י (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

are fools;
אֱוִ֣יל (’ĕ·wîl)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 191: Foolish

they have not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

known Me.
יָדָ֔עוּ (yā·ḏā·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

They
הֵ֔מָּה (hêm·māh)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

are foolish
סְכָלִים֙ (sə·ḵā·lîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5530: A fool

children,
בָּנִ֤ים (bā·nîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1121: A son

without
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

understanding.
נְבוֹנִ֖ים (nə·ḇō·w·nîm)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand

They
הֵ֑מָּה (hêm·māh)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

are skilled
חֲכָמִ֥ים (ḥă·ḵā·mîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2450: Wise

in doing evil,
לְהָרַ֔ע (lə·hā·ra‘)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7489: To spoil, to make, good for, nothing, bad

but they do not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

know
יָדָֽעוּ׃ (yā·ḏā·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3045: To know

how to do good.”
וּלְהֵיטִ֖יב (ū·lə·hê·ṭîḇ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3190: To be good, well, glad, or pleasing


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 4:22 For my people are foolish they don't (Jer.)
Jeremiah 4:21
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