Jeremiah 2:22-24
New English Translation
22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,”[a]
says the Sovereign Lord.[b]
23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to[c] the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom![d]
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.[e]
24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male.[f]
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find.[g]
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:22 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
- Jeremiah 2:22 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
- Jeremiah 2:23 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
- Jeremiah 2:23 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
- Jeremiah 2:23 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the Lord’s control.
- Jeremiah 2:24 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Jeremiah 2:24 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
Jeremiah 2:22-24
New International Version
22 Although you wash(A) yourself with soap(B)
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.(C)
23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;(D)
I have not run after the Baals’?(E)
See how you behaved in the valley;(F)
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running(G) here and there,
24 a wild donkey(H) accustomed to the desert,(I)
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.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
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.