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15 But my people are not so reliable, for they have deserted me;
    they burn incense to worthless idols.
They have stumbled off the ancient highways
    and walk in muddy paths.

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15 Yet my people have forgotten(A) me;
    they burn incense(B) to worthless idols,(C)
which made them stumble(D) in their ways,
    in the ancient paths.(E)
They made them walk in byways,
    on roads not built up.(F)

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Judah Rejects the Lord’s Way

16 This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
    Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
    But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’

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16 This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,(A)
ask where the good way(B) is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest(C) for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

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But the more I called to him,
    the farther he moved from me,[a]
offering sacrifices to the images of Baal
    and burning incense to idols.

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Footnotes

  1. 11:2 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads the more they called to him, the farther he moved from them.

But the more they were called,
    the more they went away from me.[a](A)
They sacrificed to the Baals(B)
    and they burned incense to images.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 11:2 Septuagint; Hebrew them

32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
    or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet for years on end
    my people have forgotten me.

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32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
    a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten(A) me,
    days without number.

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God Forgives the Repentant

14 God says, “Rebuild the road!
    Clear away the rocks and stones
    so my people can return from captivity.”

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Comfort for the Contrite

14 And it will be said:

“Build up, build up, prepare the road!(A)
    Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”(B)

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But you priests have left God’s paths. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

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But you have turned from the way(A) and by your teaching have caused many to stumble;(B) you have violated the covenant(C) with Levi,”(D) says the Lord Almighty.

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13 “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!

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13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken(A) me,
    the spring of living water,(B)
and have dug their own cisterns,
    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

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13 O Lord, the hope of Israel,
    all who turn away from you will be disgraced.
They will be buried in the dust of the earth,
    for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water.

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13 Lord, you are the hope(A) of Israel;
    all who forsake(B) you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust(C)
    because they have forsaken the Lord,
    the spring of living water.(D)

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15 Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!
    On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.

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15 They are worthless,(A) the objects of mockery;
    when their judgment comes, they will perish.

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29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things.
    All your idols are as empty as the wind.

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29 See, they are all false!
    Their deeds amount to nothing;(A)
    their images(B) are but wind(C) and confusion.

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In this way, you say they don’t need to honor their parents.[a] And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition.

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Footnotes

  1. 15:6 Greek their father; other manuscripts read their father or their mother.

they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

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13 I will punish her for all those times
    when she burned incense to her images of Baal,
when she put on her earrings and jewels
    and went out to look for her lovers
but forgot all about me,”
    says the Lord.

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13 I will punish her for the days
    she burned incense(A) to the Baals;(B)
she decked herself with rings and jewelry,(C)
    and went after her lovers,(D)
    but me she forgot,(E)
declares the Lord.(F)

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Jeremiah’s Prayer of Confidence

19 Lord, you are my strength and fortress,
    my refuge in the day of trouble!
Nations from around the world
    will come to you and say,
“Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage,
    for they worshiped worthless idols.

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19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
    my refuge(A) in time of distress,
to you the nations will come(B)
    from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,(C)
    worthless idols(D) that did them no good.(E)

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