Jeremiah 5:7
How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses. How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
The verse was spoken to Israel and Judah as part of a warning just before the Babylonian captivity. Chapter 5 belongs to the section of Jeremiah in chapters 2-11 that some identify as prophecies Baruch wrote after Jehoiakim burned the first scroll.
The verse charges that God's people forsook Him and swore by them that are no gods, meaning false gods and idols. The charge of forsaking God is applied to parents who allowed their children to wander from Him. When God had fed them to the full and provided abundantly, they turned that abundance into an occasion for unfaithfulness and committed adultery. They assembled themselves by troops in groups in the harlots' houses of prostitution.
The prophecies around the verse are denunciations of sin and sorrowful appeals to heed God's instruction and return to Him, met by little response. Refusal to turn back was followed by Jerusalem's destruction and captivity. The verse presents this unfaithfulness as grounds for God's judgment, which came upon the nation, raising how God shall pardon it.
The verse is applicable to the present day and not only to ancient Israel. It applies to contemporary sexual exploitation, where assembling in groups at houses of prostitution creates demand for the white slave trade. Lack of justice allows criminals to receive protection from law officers. It applies its charge of forsaking God to parents who allow their children to wander from Him, presenting neglect of children and youth as Israel's crowning wrong, more grievous than its other sins and especially difficult to pardon because parents failed their sacred responsibility. It calls for caring for children's spiritual education through church schools, industrial schools, and colleges that prepare them for useful work.