Jeremiah 2
English Standard Version
Israel Forsakes the Lord
2 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord,
“I remember the devotion of (A)your youth,
your love (B)as a bride,
(C)how you followed me in the wilderness,
(D)in a land not sown.
3 (E)Israel was holy to the Lord,
(F)the firstfruits of his harvest.
(G)All who ate of it incurred guilt;
disaster came upon them,
declares the Lord.”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord:
(H)“What wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
(I)and went after (J)worthlessness, and became worthless?
6 They did not say, (K)‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us (L)in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes through,
where no man dwells?’
7 (M)And I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, (N)you defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
(O)Those who handle the law did not know me;
(P)the shepherds[a] transgressed against me;
(Q)the prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after (R)things that do not profit.
9 “Therefore (S)I still contend with you,
declares the Lord,
and (T)with your children's children I will contend.
10 For cross to the coasts of (U)Cyprus and see,
or send to (V)Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
11 (W)Has a nation changed its gods,
(X)even though they are no gods?
But my people (Y)have changed their glory
for (Z)that which does not profit.
12 Be appalled, (AA)O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
(AB)they have forsaken (AC)me,
the fountain of (AD)living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 (AE)“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 (AF)The lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, (AG)without inhabitant.
16 Moreover, the men of (AH)Memphis and (AI)Tahpanhes
(AJ)have shaved[b] the crown of your head.
17 (AK)Have you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when (AL)he led you in the way?
18 (AM)And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of (AN)the Nile?
(AO)Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of (AP)the Euphrates?[c]
19 (AQ)Your evil will chastise you,
and (AR)your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and (AS)bitter
for (AT)you to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.
20 “For long ago I (AU)broke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said, (AV)‘I will not serve.’
Yes, (AW)on every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed down (AX)like a whore.
21 (AY)Yet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
(AZ)How then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
(BA)the stain of your guilt is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
23 (BB)How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way (BC)in the valley;
know what you have done—
a restless young camel running here and there,
24 (BD)a wild donkey used to the wilderness,
in her heat sniffing the wind!
Who can restrain her lust?
None who seek her need weary themselves;
in her month they will find her.
25 Keep (BE)your feet from going unshod
and (BF)your throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
(BG)for I have loved foreigners,
and after them I will go.’
26 “As a thief is shamed when caught,
so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
(BH)they, their kings, their officials,
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 back to me,
and not their face.
But (BI)in the time of their trouble they say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But (BJ)where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, (BK)if they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for (BL)as many as your cities
are your gods, O Judah.
29 “Why do you contend with me?
You have all transgressed against me,
declares the Lord.
30 In vain have I (BM)struck your children;
they took no correction;
(BN)your own sword devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.
31 And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
we will come no more to you’?
32 (BO)Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet (BP)my people have forgotten me
days without number.
33 “How well you direct your course
to seek love!
So that even to wicked women
you have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
(BQ)the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them (BR)breaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.’
(BS)Behold, I will bring you to judgment
for (BT)saying, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 (BU)How much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be (BV)put to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 From it too you will come away
with (BW)your hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper by them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:8 Or rulers
- Jeremiah 2:16 Hebrew grazed
- Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew the River
Jeremiah 2
Common English Bible
God’s people abandon their God
2 The Lord’s word came to me:
2 Go and proclaim to the people of Jerusalem,
The Lord proclaims:
I remember your first love,[a]
your devotion as a young bride,
how you followed me in the wilderness,
in an unplanted land.
3 Israel was devoted to the Lord,
the early produce of the harvest.
Whoever ate from it became guilty;
disaster overtook them,
declares the Lord.
4 Listen to the Lord’s word,
people of Judah,
all you families of the Israelite household.
5 This is what the Lord says:
What wrong did your ancestors find in me
that made them wander so far?
They pursued what was worthless
and became worthless.
6 They didn’t ask,
“Where’s the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us through the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and ravines,
in a land of drought and darkness,
in a land of no return,
where no one survives?”
7 I brought you into a land of plenty,
to enjoy its gifts and goodness,
but you ruined my land;
you disgraced my heritage.
8 The priests didn’t ask,
“Where’s the Lord?”
Those responsible for the Instruction didn’t know me;
the leaders rebelled against me;
the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
going after what has no value.
9 That is why I will take you to court
and charge even your descendants,
declares the Lord.
10 Look to the west as far as the shores of Cyprus
and to the east as far as the land of Kedar.
Ask anyone there:
Has anything this odd ever taken place?
11 Has a nation switched gods,
though they aren’t really gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glory
for what has no value.
12 Be stunned at such a thing, you heavens;
shudder and quake,
declares the Lord.
13 My people have committed two crimes:
They have forsaken me, the spring of living water.
And they have dug wells, broken wells that can’t hold water.
14 Is Israel a slave,
a servant by birth?
If not, why then has he become prey?
15 Lions roar at him; they growl.
They destroy his land
and make his towns desolate
until nothing is left.
16 As well, the people of Memphis and Tahpanhes
lay open your scalp.
17 Haven’t you brought this on yourself
by abandoning the Lord your God,
who has directed your paths?
18 So why take the path to Egypt
to drink water from the Nile?
Why travel the path to Assyria
to drink water from the Euphrates?
19 Your wrongdoing will punish you.
Your acts of unfaithfulness will find you out.
Don’t you understand how terribly bitter
it is to abandon the Lord your God
and not fear me?
declares the Lord of heavenly forces.
20 Long ago I broke your yoke;
I shattered your chains.
But even then you said, “I won’t serve you.”
On every high hill and under every lush tree,
you have acted like a prostitute.
21 Yet it was I who planted you, a precious vine of fine quality;
how could you turn into a wild vine
and become good for nothing?
22 Even though you scrub yourself with soap or strong powder,
the stain of your sin is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
23 How can you say,
“I’m not dirty;
I haven’t gone after Baals.”
Look what you have done in the valley;
consider what you have done there.
You are like a frenzied young camel,
racing around,
24 a wild donkey in the wilderness,
lustfully sniffing the wind.
Who can restrain such passion?
Those who desire her need not give up;
with little effort they will find her in heat.
25 Don’t run about until your feet are blistered
and your throat is parched.
But you say, “What’s the use?
I have fallen in love with foreign gods,
and I must pursue them.”
26 As a thief is ashamed when caught in his tracks,
so the people of Israel are ashamed—
their kings, officials, priests, and prophets—
27 when they say to a piece of wood, “You are my father,”
and to a stone, “You gave me birth.”
They have turned their backs to me
and not their faces.
Yet in their time of trouble they say,
“Arise and save us!”
28 Where are the gods
you have made for yourselves?
Let’s see if they will come through for you in your time of trouble.
You have as many gods, Judah,
as you have towns.
29 Why would you bring charges against me?
You have all rebelled against me,
declares the Lord.
30 I have disciplined your children in vain;
they have rejected my correction.
You have devoured your prophets
like a hungry lion.
31 People of this generation, listen closely to the Lord’s word:
Have I been a wasteland to Israel
or a land of dense darkness?
Why then do my people say,
“We have wandered far away;
we’ll come to you no longer”?
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry
or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet you have forgotten me days without end!
33 So skilled are you at pursuing lovers[b]
that you instruct even the most wicked.[c]
34 Your garments are stained
with the blood of the innocent poor,
even though you didn’t catch them
breaking and entering.
Yet, despite all this,[d] 35 you still insist,
“I’m innocent;
as a result he will turn his anger away from me.”
Because you claim not to have sinned,
I will pass judgment against you.
36 You change sides so casually!
But Egypt will shame you
no less than Assyria.
37 From there you will go out
with your hands on your heads,
because the Lord has rejected those you rely on;
they won’t help you.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:2 Or the love of your youth
- Jeremiah 2:33 Or love
- Jeremiah 2:33 Or you have taught your ways to wicked women.
- Jeremiah 2:34 Heb uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible