Jeremiah 2:28–37

²⁸“Where are the gods that you made for yourselves? When you are in trouble, let them save you—if they can! Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities. ²⁹What is your complaint? Why have you rebelled against me? ³⁰I punished you, but it did no good; you would not let me correct you. Like a raging lion, you have murdered your prophets. ³¹People of Israel, listen to what I am saying. Have I been like a desert to you, like a dark and dangerous land? Why, then, do you say that you will do as you please, that you will never come back to me? ³²Does a young woman forget her jewellery, or a bride her wedding dress? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can be counted. ³³You certainly know how to chase after lovers. Even the worst of women can learn from you. ³⁴Your clothes are stained with the blood of the poor and innocent, not with the blood of burglars.

“But in spite of all this, ³⁵you say, ‘I am innocent; surely the Lord is no longer angry with me.’ But I, the Lord, will punish you because you deny that you have sinned. ³⁶You have cheapened yourself by turning to the gods of other nations. You will be disappointed by Egypt, just as you were by Assyria. ³⁷You will turn away from Egypt, hanging your head in shame. I, the Lord, have rejected those you trust; you will not gain anything from them.”