Jeremiah 2

1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

3 Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of His harvest. All who devoured her were found guilty; disaster came upon them,’” declares the LORD.

4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all you families of the house of Israel.

5 This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves.

6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’

7 I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but you came and defiled My land and made My inheritance detestable.

8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ The experts in the law no longer knew Me, and the leaders rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal and followed useless idols.

9 Therefore, I will contend with you again, declares the LORD, and I will bring a case against your children’s children.

10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look; send to Kedar and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this:

11 Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.

12 Be stunned by this, O heavens; be shocked and utterly appalled,” declares the LORD.

13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

14 Is Israel a slave? Was he born into slavery? Why then has he become prey?

15 The young lions have roared at him; they have sounded their voices. They have laid waste his land; his cities lie in ruins, without inhabitant.

16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved the crown of your head.

17 Have you not brought this on yourself by forsaking the LORD your God when He led you in the way?

18 Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

19 Your own evil will discipline you; your own apostasies will reprimand you. Consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the LORD your God and to have no fear of Me,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

20 “For long ago you broke your yoke and tore off your chains, saying, ‘I will not serve!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down as a prostitute.

21 I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?

22 Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.

23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; I have not run after the Baals’? Look at your behavior in the valley; acknowledge what you have done. You are a swift young she-camel galloping here and there,

24 a wild donkey at home in the wilderness, sniffing the wind in the heat of her desire. Who can restrain her passion? All who seek her need not weary themselves; in mating season they will find her.

25 You should have kept your feet from going bare and your throat from being thirsty. But you said, ‘It is hopeless! For I love foreign gods, and I must go after them.’

26 As the thief is ashamed when he is caught, so the house of Israel is disgraced. They, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets

27 say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Yet in the time of trouble, they say, ‘Rise up and save us!’

28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them rise up in your time of trouble and save you if they can; for your gods are as numerous as your cities, O Judah.

29 Why do you bring a case against Me? You have all rebelled against Me,” declares the LORD.

30 “I have struck your sons in vain; they accepted no discipline. Your own sword has devoured your prophets like a voracious lion.”

31 You people of this generation, consider the word of the LORD: “Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of dense darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to You no more’?

32 Does a maiden forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding sash? Yet My people have forgotten Me for days without number.

33 How skillfully you pursue love! Even the most immoral of women could learn from your ways.

34 Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor, though you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things

35 you say, ‘I am innocent. Surely His anger will turn from me.’ Behold, I will judge you, because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’

36 How impulsive you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.

37 Moreover, you will leave that place with your hands on your head, for the LORD has rejected those you trust; you will not prosper by their help.”

1 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land [that was] not sown.

3 Israel [was] holiness unto the LORD, [and] the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

4 Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:

5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

6 Neither said they, Where [is] the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

8 The priests said not, Where [is] the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after [things that] do not profit.

9 ¶ Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.

10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.

11 Hath a nation changed [their] gods, which [are] yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for [that which] doth not profit.

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.

13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

14 ¶ [Is] Israel a servant? [is] he a homeborn [slave]? why is he spoiled?

15 The young lions roared upon him, [and] yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.

16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.

17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?

18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?

19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that [it is] an evil [thing] and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear [is] not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

20 ¶ For of old time I have broken thy yoke, [and] burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.

21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, [yet] thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: [thou art] a swift dromedary traversing her ways;

24 A wild ass used to the wilderness, [that] snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.

25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.

26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,

27 Saying to a stock, Thou [art] my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned [their] back unto me, and not [their] face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

28 But where [are] thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for [according to] the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

29 ¶ Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.

30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?

32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, [or] a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.

34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.

35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.

37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.

2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see how thou doest whoredom in every place. By the highways thou sittest, and waitest for them, as an Arabian in the wilderness, and defileest the land with thy whoredom and thy wickedness.

3 Therefore also the early rain must fail, and the late rain must not come. Thou hast a whore's forehead, thou wilt not be ashamed any more.

4 Hear the word of the LORD, ye of the house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.

4 and yet cries unto me, Dear father, thou master of my youth!

5 Thus saith the LORD; How your fathers have erred in me, in that they have departed from me, and have walked after vain idols, when they obtained nothing,

5 Wilt thou then be angry for ever, and not cease from wrath? Behold, thou teachest, and doest evil, and sufferest not to be taxed.

6 And never once thought, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, and led us in the wilderness, in the wild land, in the land of no man, in the parched land, in the land of darkness, in the land where no man walked, nor where any man dwelt?

7 And I brought you into a good land, to eat the fruit thereof, and the goods thereof: and ye entered therein, and polluted my land, and made my inheritance an abomination unto me.

8 The priests thought not, Where is the LORD? and the scholars regarded me not, and the shepherds led men away from me, and the prophets prophesied of Baal, and worshipped useless idols.

9 I must always reproach myself with you, and with your children's children, saith the LORD.

10 Go ye into the isles of Chittim, and look, and send into Kedar, and mark diligently, and see whether it be so there,

11 Whether the heathen change their gods, though they be not gods? And yet my people have changed their glory for a vain idol.

12 If the heavens were astonished, and terrified, and greatly exalted, saith the LORD.

13 For my people have sinned a twofold sin: for they have forsaken me, the living fountain, and have made for themselves wells which are hewn out here and there, but they have holes, and give no water.

14 Is Israel then a bondman, or bondwoman, that he should be every man's spoil?

15 For the lions roared against him, and cried, and laid waste his land, and burned his cities, that none dwelt therein.

16 And they of Noph and Thachpanhes shall bruise thy head.

17 This do thou unto thyself, that thou trust in the LORD thy God, when he leadeth thee in the way.

18 What profit is it that thou goest into Egypt, and wilt drink the water of Sihor? And what profit is it that thou goest to Assyria, and wilt drink the water of Phrath?

19 It is the fault of thy wickedness that thou art beaten, and of thy disobedience that thou art punished: Thou shalt therefore know and know the sorrow and the heartache of forsaking the LORD thy God, and shalt not fear him, saith the LORD of hosts.

20 For thou hast always broken thy yoke, and rent thy bands, saying, I will not be so subdued: but upon every high hill, and under every green tree, thou hast lain in whoredom.

21 But I had planted thee for a sweet vine, an altogether upright seed. How then hast thou become unto me a bitter and wild vine?

22 Though thou wash thyself with lye, and take much soap, yet thy iniquity shineth the more before me, saith the LORD GOD.

23 How canst thou say, I am not unclean, I am not attached to Baalim? Behold, how thou doest it in the valley, and consider how thou hast done it.

24 Thou walkest about as a she-camel in heat, and as a wild beast in the wilderness, when it is in a great heat, and runneth, that no man can stop it. If you want to know, you must not run far; on the holiday you can see it.

25 Hold thou, I pray thee, and run not so hard. But thou sayest, I will not; I must court the strangers, and run after them.

26 As a thief is put to shame when he is taken, so shall the house of Israel be put to shame, and their kings, and their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,

27 Who say unto the wood, Thou art my father; and unto the stone, Thou hast begotten me. For they turn their backs upon me, and not their faces. But when trouble cometh, they say: Arise, and help us.

28 But where are thy gods, which thou hast made thee? Let them arise; Let them see if they can help thee in thy trouble. For many a city, many a god, hast thou, O Judah.

29 Why are ye yet right against me? Ye are all fallen from me, saith the LORD.

30 All the blows are lost upon your children; yet they cannot be drawn. For your sword devoureth your prophets like a fierce lion.

31 Thou wicked manner; mark the word of the LORD. Am I Israel a desolation, or a waste land? Why sayest thou my people, We are lords, and need not follow thee?

32 Forget not a virgin her jewels, nor a bride her veil: but my people forget me for ever.

33 Why hast thou much adorned thy doings, that I should be gracious unto thee? Under these appearances thou doest more and more wickedness.

34 About which the blood of poor and innocent souls is found with thee in every place, and is not secret, but manifest in the same places.

35 Nor sayest thou: I am innocent: turn away his wrath from me. Behold, I will be even with thee, and thou shalt say, I have not sinned.

36 How gladly wilt thou yield, and fall now hither, now hither! But thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou hast been ashamed of Assyria.

37 For thou also must depart thence, and smite thine hands together upon thy head: for the LORD will make thy hope fail, and thou shalt not prosper with them. Ch. 3, v. 1. And saith, If a man put away his wife, and she depart from him, and take another husband, may he receive her again? Is it not so, that the land is polluted? But thou hast dealt with many lovers: but come again unto me, saith the LORD.