Jeremiah 2:10–13
The NET BibleOther versions
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- GW GOD’S WORD Translation
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- MSG The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language
- NASB95 New American Standard Bible (1995)
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- TNIV Today’s New International Version
- YLT Young’s Literal Translation
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2:10Go west25 across the sea to the coasts of Cyprus26 and see.
Send someone east to Kedar27 and have them look carefully.
See if such a thing as this has ever happened:
2:11Has a nation ever changed its gods
(even though they are not really gods at all)?
But my people have exchanged me, their glorious God,28
for a god that cannot help them at all!29
2:12Be amazed at this, O heavens!30
Be shocked and utterly dumbfounded,”
says the Lord.
2:13“Do so because my people have committed a double wrong:
they have rejected me,
the fountain of life-giving water,31
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water.”
Footnotes
- 25 Heb “For go west.”
- 26 Heb “pass over to the coasts of Kittim.” The words “west across the sea” in this line and “east of” in the next are implicit in the text and are supplied in the translation to give geographical orientation. The Hebrew term translated Cyprus (“Kittim”) originally referred to the island of Cyprus but later was used for the lands in the west, including Macedonia (1 Macc 1:1; 8:5) and Rome (Dan 11:30). It is used here as part of a figure called merism to denote the lands in the west as opposed to Kedar which was in the east. The figure includes polar opposites to indicate totality, i.e., everywhere from west to east.
- 27 Kedar is the home of the Bedouin tribes in the Syro-Arabian desert. See Gen 25:18 and Jer 49:38. See also the previous note for the significance of the reference here.
- 28 Heb “have exchanged their glory [i.e., the God in whom they glory].” This is a case of a figure of speech where the attribute of a person or thing is put for the person or thing. Compare the common phrase in Isaiah, the Holy One of Israel, obviously referring to the Lord, the God of Israel.
- 29 Heb “what cannot profit.” The verb is singular and the allusion is likely to Baal. See the translator’s note on for the likely pun or wordplay.
- 30 In earlier literature the heavens (and the earth) were called on to witness Israel’s commitment to the covenant (Deut 30:12) and were called to serve as witnesses to Israel’s fidelity or infidelity to it (Isa 1:2; Mic 6:1).
- 31 It is difficult to decide whether to translate “fresh, running water” which the Hebrew term for “living water” often refers to (e.g., Gen 26:19; Lev 14:5), or “life-giving water” which the idiom “fountain of life” as source of life and vitality often refers to (e.g., Ps 36:9; Prov 13:14; 14:27). The contrast with cisterns, which collected and held rain water, suggests “fresh, running water,” but the reality underlying the metaphor contrasts the Lord, the source of life, health, and vitality, with useless idols that cannot do anything.
The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press
In other versions
ESVEnglish Standard Version
For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,
or send to Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles
NIVNew International Version (2011)
Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look,
send to Kedar and observe closely;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols.
Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
“My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.
CSBChristian Standard Bible
Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look.
Send someone to Kedar and consider carefully;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
Has a nation ever exchanged its gods?
(But they were not gods!)
Yet my people have exchanged their Glory
for useless idols.
Be appalled at this, heavens;
be shocked and utterly desolated!
This is the Lord’s declaration.
For my people have committed a double evil:
They have abandoned me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug cisterns for themselves—
cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.
Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
NLTNew Living Translation
“Go west and look in the land of Cyprus;
go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
as strange as this?
Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols!
The heavens are shocked at such a thing
and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
says the Lord.
“For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all!
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
LEBThe Lexham English Bible
For go over to the coasts of Cyprus and look,
and send to Kedar and consider very closely,
and see if there has been a thing like this:
Has a nation exchanged gods? And they are not gods!
But my people have exchanged their glory for that which does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder;
be utterly desolate,” declares Yahweh.
“For my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me, the source of living water,
to hew out for themselves cisterns, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.
Copyright 2012 Lexham Press
KJV 1900King James Version
For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Public Domain