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Jeremiah 2:14-28
New American Standard Bible 1995
Jeremiah 2:14-28
New American Standard Bible 1995
14 “Is Israel (A)a slave? Or is he a homeborn servant?
Why has he become a prey?
15 “The young (B)lions have roared at him,
They have [a]roared loudly.
And they have (C)made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 “Also the [b]men of (D)Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [c]shaved the (E)crown of your head.
17 “Have you not (F)done this to yourself
By your forsaking the Lord your God
When He (G)led you in the way?
18 “But now what are you doing (H)on the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the [d](I)Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the [e]Euphrates?
19 “(J)Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your (K)apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and (L)bitter
For you to forsake the Lord your God,
And (M)the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [f]God of hosts.
20 “For long ago [g](N)I broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every (O)high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.
21 “Yet I (P)planted you a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the (Q)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 “Although you (R)wash yourself with lye
And [h]use much soap,
The (S)stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord [i]God.
23 “(T)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the (U)Baals’?
Look at your way in the (V)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel (W)entangling her ways,
24 A (X)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
In the time of her [j]heat 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, ‘(Y)It is [k]hopeless!
No! For I have (Z)loved strangers,
And after them I will walk.’
26 “As the (AA)thief is shamed when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their princes
And their priests and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their (AB)back to Me,
And not their face;
But in the (AC)time of their [l]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’
28 “But where are your (AD)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can (AE)save you
In the time of your [m]trouble;
For (AF)according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:15 Lit given their voice
- Jeremiah 2:16 Or sons
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit grazed
- Jeremiah 2:18 Heb Shihor
- Jeremiah 2:18 Lit River
- Jeremiah 2:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:20 Or you
- Jeremiah 2:22 Lit cause to be great to you
- Jeremiah 2:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:24 Lit occasion
- Jeremiah 2:25 Or desperate
- Jeremiah 2:27 Or evil
- Jeremiah 2:28 Or evil
Jeremiah 2:14-28
New International Version
Jeremiah 2:14-28
New International Version
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave(A) by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Lions(B) have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid waste(C) his land;
his towns are burned(D) and deserted.(E)
16 Also, the men of Memphis(F) and Tahpanhes(G)
have cracked your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourselves(H)
by forsaking(I) the Lord your God
when he led you in the way?
18 Now why go to Egypt(J)
to drink water from the Nile[a]?(K)
And why go to Assyria(L)
to drink water from the Euphrates?(M)
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding(N) will rebuke(O) you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter(P) it is for you
when you forsake(Q) the Lord your God
and have no awe(R) of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke(S)
and tore off your bonds;(T)
you said, ‘I will not serve you!’(U)
Indeed, on every high hill(V)
and under every spreading tree(W)
you lay down as a prostitute.(X)
21 I had planted(Y) you like a choice vine(Z)
of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
into a corrupt,(AA) wild vine?
22 Although you wash(AB) yourself with soap(AC)
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.(AD)
23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;(AE)
I have not run after the Baals’?(AF)
See how you behaved in the valley;(AG)
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running(AH) here and there,
24 a wild donkey(AI) accustomed to the desert,(AJ)
sniffing the wind in her craving—
in her heat who can restrain her?
Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;
at mating time they will find her.
25 Do not run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use!(AK)
I love foreign gods,(AL)
and I must go after them.’(AM)
26 “As a thief is disgraced(AN) when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priests(AO) and their prophets.(AP)
27 They say to wood,(AQ) ‘You are my father,’
and to stone,(AR) ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs(AS) to me
and not their faces;(AT)
yet when they are in trouble,(AU) they say,
‘Come and save(AV) us!’
28 Where then are the gods(AW) you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble!(AX)
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns.(AY)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew Shihor; that is, a branch of the Nile
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.