Isa 59:14-15, Jer 5:1, 9:3-8, Hos 4:1, Mic 7:2-5 | ESV | STEP | Justice is turned back , and righteousness stands far away ; for truth has stumbled in the public squares , and uprightness cannot enter .

14 ^aJustice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far away;
for truth has stumbled in the public squares,
and uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.
The Lord saw it, and it displeased him ^{▼▼Hebrew and it was evil in his eyes}
that there was no justice.

Jeremiah 5:1

Jerusalem Refused to Repent

1 ^cRun to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
look and take note!
Search her squares to see
^dif you can find a man,
one who does justice
and seeks truth,
^ethat I may pardon her.

Jeremiah 9:3-8

3 ^fThey bend their tongue like a bow;
falsehood and not truth has grown strong ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew and not for truth they have grown strong} in the land;
for they proceed from evil to evil,
^hand they do not know me, declares the Lord.
4 ⁱLet everyone beware of his neighbor,
and put no trust in any brother,
for every ^jbrother is a deceiver,
and every neighbor ^kgoes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
^lthey refuse to know me, declares the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, ^mI will refine them and ⁿtest them,
for what else can I do, ^obecause of my people?
8 ^pTheir tongue is a deadly arrow;
^qit speaks deceitfully;
with his mouth ^reach speaks peace to his neighbor,
but in his heart ^she plans an ambush for him.

Hosea 4:1

The Lord Accuses Israel

1 ^tHear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel,
for ^uthe Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love,
and ^vno knowledge of God in the land;

Micah 7:2-5

2 ^wThe godly has perished from the earth,
and ^xthere is no one upright among mankind;
^ythey all lie in wait for blood,
and ^zeach hunts the other with a net.
3 ^aaTheir hands are on what is evil, to do it well;
^abthe prince and ^acthe judge ask for a bribe,
and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;
thus they weave it together.
4 The best of them is ^adlike a brier,
the most upright of them a thorn hedge.
The day of ^aeyour watchmen, of your punishment, has come;
^afnow their confusion is at hand.
5 ^agPut no trust in a neighbor;
have no confidence in a friend;
guard ^ahthe doors of your mouth
from her who lies in your arms; ^{▼▼Hebrew bosom}