Jeremiah 2:19–21

19 Your wickedness will punish you;

your backsliding will rebuke you.

Consider then and realize

how evil and bitter it is for you

when you forsake the Lord your God

and have no awe of me,”

declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke

and tore off your bonds;

you said, ‘I will not serve you!’

Indeed, on every high hill

and under every spreading tree

you lay down as a prostitute.

21 I had planted you like a choice vine

of sound and reliable stock.

How then did you turn against me

into a corrupt, wild vine?

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?

19 Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.

Your turning from me will shame you.

You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is

to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him.

I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!

20 “Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you

and tore away the chains of your slavery,

but still you said,

‘I will not serve you.’

On every hill and under every green tree,

you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.

21 But I was the one who planted you,

choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best.

How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?

19 Your own wickedness will correct you,

And your backslidings will rebuke you.

Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing

That you have forsaken the Lord your God,

And the fear of Me is not in you,”

Says the Lord God of hosts.

20 “For of old I have broken your yoke and burst your bonds;

And you said, ‘I will not transgress,’

When on every high hill and under every green tree

You lay down, playing the harlot.

21 Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality.

How then have you turned before Me

Into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?

19 Your evil will bring punishment to you,

and the wrong you have done will teach you a lesson.

Think about it and understand

that it is a terrible evil to turn away from the Lord your God.

It is wrong not to fear me,”

says the Lord God All-Powerful.

20 “Long ago you refused to obey me as an ox breaks its yoke.

You broke the ropes I used to hold you

and said, ‘I will not serve you!’

In fact, on every high hill

and under every green tree

you lay down as a prostitute.

21 But I planted you as a special vine,

as a very good seed.

How then did you turn

into a wild vine that grows bad fruit?

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

20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bonds; and thou saidst, I will not serve; for upon every high hill and under every green tree thou didst bow thyself, playing the harlot. 21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate branches of a foreign vine unto me?

19 Thine own wickedness chastiseth thee, and thy backslidings reprove thee: know then and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou hast forsaken Jehovah thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

20 For of old thou hast broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not serve. For upon every high hill, and under every green tree, thou bowest down, playing the harlot. 21 And I, —I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed; how then art thou turned into the degenerate shoots of a strange vine unto me?

19 Your own wickedness will correct you, 

and your unfaithful ways will punish you. 

You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for you 

if you abandon the Lord your God and do not fear me,” 

declares the Almighty Lord of Armies. 

20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke,tore off your chains, 

and said that you wouldn’t be a slave. 

You lay down and acted like a prostitute 

on every high hill and under every large tree. 

21 I planted you like a choice grapevine from the very best seed. 

Now you have turned against me and have become a wild vine. 

19 Your own evil will discipline you;

your own apostasies will reprimand you.

Think it over and see how evil and bitter it is

for you to abandon the Lord your God

and to have no fear of Me.

This is the declaration

of the Lord God of Hosts.

20 For long ago I broke your yoke;

I tore off your chains.

You insisted, “I will not serve!”

On every high hill

and under every green tree

you lie down like a prostitute.

21 I planted you, a choice vine

from the very best seed.

How then could you turn into

a degenerate, foreign vine?

19 Your wickedness will punish you,

and your faithlessness will convict you.

Know and see that it is evil and bitter

for you to forsake the Lord your God;

the fear of me is not in you,

says the Lord God of hosts.

20 For long ago you broke your yoke

and burst your bonds,

and you said, “I will not serve!”

On every high hill

and under every green tree

you sprawled and prostituted yourself.

21 Yet I planted you as a choice vine

from the purest stock.

How then did you turn degenerate

and become a wild vine?

19 Your wickedness will chastise you,

and your apostasies will reprove you.

Therefore know and see that it is evil and bitter,

your forsaking of Yahweh, your God,

and fear of me is not in you,”

declares the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

20 “For from long ago you have broken your yoke,

you tore to pieces your bonds.

And you said, ‘I will not serve!’

But on every high hill and under every leafy tree

you were lying down as a prostitute.

21 Yet I planted you as a choice vine,

all of it a seed of trustworthiness.

How then have you altered before me

into something that is degenerate, the foreign vine?

19 You will be punished because you have sinned.

You will be corrected for turning away from me.

I am the Lord your God.

If you desert me, bad things will happen to you.

If you do not respect me, you will suffer bitterly.

I want you to understand that,”

announces the Lord who rules over all.

20 “Long ago you broke off the yoke I put on you.

You tore off the ropes I tied you up with.

You said, ‘I won’t serve you!’

In fact, on every high hill

you lay down like a prostitute.

You worshiped other gods under every green tree.

21 You were like a good vine when I planted you.

You were a healthy plant.

Then how did you turn against me?

How did you become a bad, wild vine?

19 “Your own wickedness will correct you,

And your apostasies will reprove you;

Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter

For you to forsake the Lord your God,

And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord God of hosts.

20 “For long ago I broke your yoke

And tore off your bonds;

But you said, ‘I will not serve!’

For on every high hill

And under every green tree

You have lain down as a harlot.

21 “Yet I planted you a choice vine,

A completely faithful seed.

How then have you turned yourself before Me

Into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?