Parallel Verses

Darby Translation

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have no intelligence; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

New American Standard Bible

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.”

King James Version

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.

Holman 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.”

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."

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.

Amplified


“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.”

Bible in Basic English

For my people are foolish, they have no knowledge of me; they are evil-minded children, without sense, all of them: they are wise in evil-doing, but have no knowledge of doing good.

Julia Smith Translation

For my people are foolish, they knew me not; foolish sons are they and they not understanding; wise are they to do evil, and to do good they knew not

King James 2000

For my people are foolish, they have not known me; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but how to do good they have no knowledge.

Lexham Expanded Bible

"For my people [are] foolish, they have not known me. They [are] foolish children, and they do not have insight. They [are] skillful at doing evil, and they do not know [how] to do good."

Modern King James verseion

For My people are foolish; they have not known Me; they are stupid sons, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

"Nevertheless this shall come upon them because my people is become foolish, and hath utterly no understanding. They are the children of foolishness, and without any discretion. To do evil, they have wit enough: but to do well, they have no wisdom."

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 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."

The Emphasized Bible

Surely, perverse, is my people Me, have they not known, Foolish sons, they are, Yea without understanding, they are: Wise, they are to commit wickedness, But how to do well, they know not!

Webster

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 to do good they have no knowledge."

Youngs 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.

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
For my people
עם 
`am 
Usage: 1867

is foolish
אויל 
'eviyl 
Usage: 26

סכל 
Cakal 
Usage: 7

חכם 
Chakam 
Usage: 137

to do evil
רעע 
Ra`a` 
Usage: 98

but to do good
יטב 
Yatab 
Usage: 115

References

Fausets

Morish

Context Readings

An Invasion From The North

21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have no intelligence; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23 I beheld the earth, and lo, it was waste and empty; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Cross References

Romans 16:19

For your obedience has reached to all. I rejoice therefore as it regards you; but I wish you to be wise as to that which is good, and simple as to evil.

1 Corinthians 14:20

Brethren, be not children in your minds, but in malice be babes; but in your minds be grown men.

Isaiah 1:3

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; Israel doth not know, my people hath no intelligence.

Jeremiah 5:4

And I said, Surely these are the wretched ones, they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, the judgment of their God.

Jeremiah 5:21

Hear now this, O foolish and heartless people, who have eyes and see not; who have ears, and hear not.

Romans 1:22

professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

Deuteronomy 32:6

Do ye thus requite Jehovah, Foolish and unwise people? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee? Hath he not made thee and established thee?

Deuteronomy 32:28

For they are a nation void of counsel, And understanding is not in them.

2 Samuel 13:3

And Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.

2 Samuel 16:21-23

And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to thy father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art become odious with thy father; and the hands of all that are with thee shall be strong.

Psalm 14:1-4

{To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They have corrupted themselves, they have done abominable works: there is none that doeth good.

Isaiah 6:9-10

And he said, Go; and thou shalt say unto this people, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive.

Isaiah 27:11

When its branches are withered they shall be broken off; women shall come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no intelligence; therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he who formed them will shew them no favour.

Isaiah 29:10-12

For Jehovah hath poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes; the prophets and your chiefs, the seers, hath he covered.

Isaiah 42:19-20

Who is blind, but my servant? and deaf, as my messenger whom I sent? Who is blind as he in whom I have trusted, and blind as Jehovah's servant,

Jeremiah 8:7-9

Even a stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times, and the turtle-dove and the swallow and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of Jehovah.

Jeremiah 10:8

But they are one and all senseless and foolish; the teaching of vanities is a stock.

Jeremiah 13:23

Can an Ethiopian change his skin, or a leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.

Hosea 4:1

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.

Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; for thou hast rejected knowledge, and I will reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.

Hosea 5:4

Their doings do not allow them to return unto their God; for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and they know not Jehovah.

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.

Matthew 23:16-26

Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.

Luke 16:8

And the lord praised the unrighteous steward because he had done prudently. For the sons of this world are, for their own generation, more prudent than the sons of light.

John 16:3

and these things they will do because they have not known the Father nor me.

Romans 1:28

And according as they did not think good to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind to practise unseemly things;

Romans 3:11

there is not the man that understands, there is not one that seeks after God.

1 Corinthians 1:20-21

Where is the wise? where scribe? where disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

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New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

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Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain