Jeremiah 2:1–25
1 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
2 “Go and aproclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,
“I remember concerning you the 1bdevotion of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
cYour following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 “Israel was aholy to the Lord,
The bfirst of His harvest.
cAll who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’ ”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.
“aWhat injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after bemptiness and became empty?
6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who abrought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who bled us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of 1deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no man dwelt?’
7 “I brought you into the afruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and bdefiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
8 “The apriests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the law bdid not know Me;
The 1rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the cprophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after dthings that did not profit.
9 “Therefore I will yet acontend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.
10 “For across to the coastlands of 1Kittim and see,
And send to bKedar and observe closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
When athey were not gods?
But My people have bchanged their glory
For that which does not profit.
12 “Be appalled, aO heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The afountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves bcisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.
14 “Is Israel aa slave? Or is he a homeborn servant?
Why has he become a prey?
15 “The young alions have roared at him,
They have 1roared loudly.
And they have bmade his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 “Also the 1men of aMemphis and Tahpanhes
Have 2shaved the bcrown of your head.
17 “Have you not adone this to yourself
By your forsaking the Lord your God
When He aled you in the way?
18 “But now what are you doing aon the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the 1bNile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the 2Euphrates?
19 “aYour own wickedness will correct you,
And your bapostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and cbitter
For you to forsake the Lord your God,
And dthe dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord 1God of hosts.
20 “For long ago 1aI broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every bhigh hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.
21 “Yet I aplanted you a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the bdegenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 “Although you awash yourself with lye
And 1use much soap,
The bstain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord 2God.
23 “aHow can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the bBaals’?
Look at your way in the cvalley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel dentangling her ways,
24 A awild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
In the time of her 1heat who can turn her away?
All who seek her will not become weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 “Keep your feet from being unshod
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘aIt is 1hopeless!
No! For I have bloved strangers,
And after them I will walk.’