Jeremiah 2:17–19

Have you not brought this upon yourself

by forsaking the Lord your God,

when he led you in the way?

And now what do you gain by going to Egypt

to drink the waters of the Nile?

Or what do you gain by going to Assyria

to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

Your evil will chastise you,

and your apostasy will reprove 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,

declares the Lord God of hosts.

Have you not brought this on yourselves

by forsaking the Lord your God

when he led you in the way?

Now why go to Egypt

to drink water from the Nile?

And why go to Assyria

to drink water from the Euphrates?

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.

Have you not brought this on yourself

by abandoning the Lord your God

while he was leading you along the way?

Now what will you gain

by traveling along the way to Egypt

to drink the water of the Nile?

What will you gain

by traveling along the way to Assyria

to drink the water of the Euphrates?

Your own evil will discipline you;

your own apostasies will reprimand you.

Recognize 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 Armies.

And you have brought this upon yourselves

by rebelling against the Lord your God,

even though he was leading you on the way!

“What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt

and your covenants with Assyria?

What good to you are the streams of the Nile

or the waters of the Euphrates River?

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!

Did you not do this to yourself,

by forsaking Yahweh, your God,

at the time of your leading in the way?

And now why do you go the way of Egypt

to drink the waters of the Shihor?

And why do you go the way of Assyria

to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

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.

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