5:4 Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God;
because a spirit of idolatry 1 controls their heart, 2
and they do not acknowledge the Lord.
7:2 They do not realize 3
that I remember all of their wicked deeds.
Their evil deeds have now surrounded them;
their sinful deeds are always before me. 4
1 tn Heb “a spirit of harlotries”; NIV “a spirit of prostitution”; TEV “Idolatry has a powerful hold on them.” However, CEV takes this literally: “your constant craving for sex keeps you from knowing me.”
2 tn Heb “is in their heart” (so NIV); NASB, NRSV “is within them.”
3 tn Heb “and they do not say in their heart”; TEV “It never enters their heads.”
4 tn Heb “they [the sinful deeds] are before my face” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NCV “they are right in front of me.”