Jeremiah 2:20–25

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.

²¹But 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?

²²Although you wash yourself with cleanser

and use much soap,

I can still see the stain of your guilt,” says the Lord God.

²³“How can you say to me, ‘I am not guilty.

I have not worshiped the Baal idols’?

Look at the things you did in the valley.

Think about what you have done.

You are like a she-camel in mating season

that runs from place to place.

²⁴You are like a wild donkey that lives in the desert

and sniffs the wind at mating time.

At that time who can hold her back?

Any male who chases her will easily catch her;

at mating time, it is easy to find her.

²⁵Don’t run until your feet are bare

or until your throat is dry.

But you say, ‘It’s no use!

I love those other gods,

and I must chase them!’