Jeremiah 5:28

²⁶ For among My people are wicked men; they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap to catch men.

²⁷ Like cages full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit. Therefore they have become powerful and rich.

They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

²⁹ Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?

³⁰ A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.
KJV: They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
WEB: They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they don’t defend the rights of the needy.
ASV: They are waxed fat, they shine: yea, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they plead not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
DARBY: They are become fat, they shine, yea, they surpass in deeds of wickedness; they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, and they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not adjudge.
BLB: they have grown fat; they are sleek. Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; they do not judge justly the cause of the fatherless, and they prosper, and the justice of the needy ones they have not vindicated.

ÅB: De er blitt fete, de glinser, de strømmer over av ondt, de dømmer ikke rett i noen sak, ikke i den farløses sak, så de fremmer den, og fattigfolk hjelper de ikke til deres rett.
OTB: De har blitt fete og glatte. Deres onde gjerninger har ingen grenser; de søker ikke rettferdighet. De forsvarer ikke de farløses sak, heller ikke opprettholder de de fattiges rettigheter.
B1930: De er blitt fete, de glinser, de strømmer over av ondt, de dømmer ikke rett i nogen sak, ikke i den farløses sak, så de fremmer den, og fattigfolk hjelper de ikke til deres rett.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 1:23
Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.
Read in context
Deuteronomy 32:15
But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.
Read in context
Psalms 73:12
Behold, these are the wicked— always carefree as they increase their wealth.
Read in context
Zechariah 7:10
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’
Read in context
Jeremiah 7:6
if you no longer oppress the foreigner and the fatherless and the widow, and if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods to your own harm,
Read in context
Job 15:27–28
Though his face is covered with fat and his waistline bulges with flesh,
Read in context
Psalms 72:4
May he vindicate the afflicted among the people; may he save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
Read in context
Amos 4:1
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy, who say to your husbands, “Bring us more to drink.”
Read in context