Jeremiah 2
New Living Translation
The Lord’s Case against His People
2 The Lord gave me another message. He said, 2 “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says:
“I remember how eager you were to please me
as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me
even through the barren wilderness.
3 In those days Israel was holy to the Lord,
the first of his children.[a]
All who harmed his people were declared guilty,
and disaster fell on them.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
4 Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! 5 This is what the Lord says:
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves.
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
where no one lives or even travels?’
7 “And when I brought you into a fruitful land
to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
corrupted the possession I had promised you.
8 The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who taught my word ignored me,
the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
wasting their time on worthless idols.
9 Therefore, I will bring my case against you,”
says the Lord.
“I will even bring charges against your children’s children
in the years to come.
10 “Go west and look in the land of Cyprus[b];
go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
as strange as this?
11 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[c]
for worthless idols!
12 The heavens are shocked at such a thing
and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
says the Lord.
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!
The Results of Israel’s Sin
14 “Why has Israel become a slave?
Why has he been carried away as plunder?
15 Strong lions have roared against him,
and the land has been destroyed.
The towns are now in ruins,
and no one lives in them anymore.
16 Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis[d] and Tahpanhes,
have destroyed Israel’s glory and power.
17 And you have brought this upon yourselves
by rebelling against the Lord your God,
even though he was leading you on the way!
18 “What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt
and your covenants with Assyria?
What good to you are the streams of the Nile[e]
or the waters of the Euphrates River?[f]
19 Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.
Your turning from me will shame you.
You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is
to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him.
I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!
20 “Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you
and tore away the chains of your slavery,
but still you said,
‘I will not serve you.’
On every hill and under every green tree,
you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
21 But I was the one who planted you,
choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best.
How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
22 No amount of soap or lye can make you clean.
I still see the stain of your guilt.
I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
Israel, an Unfaithful Wife
23 “You say, ‘That’s not true!
I haven’t worshiped the images of Baal!’
But how can you say that?
Go and look in any valley in the land!
Face the awful sins you have done.
You are like a restless female camel
desperately searching for a mate.
24 You are like a wild donkey,
sniffing the wind at mating time.
Who can restrain her lust?
Those who desire her don’t need to search,
for she goes running to them!
25 When will you stop running?
When will you stop panting after other gods?
But you say, ‘Save your breath.
I’m in love with these foreign gods,
and I can’t stop loving them now!’
26 “Israel is like a thief
who feels shame only when he gets caught.
They, their kings, officials, priests, and prophets—
all are alike in this.
27 To an image carved from a piece of wood they say,
‘You are my father.’
To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say,
‘You are my mother.’
They turn their backs on me,
but in times of trouble they cry out to me,
‘Come and save us!’
28 But why not call on these gods you have made?
When trouble comes, let them save you if they can!
For you have as many gods
as there are towns in Judah.
29 Why do you accuse me of doing wrong?
You are the ones who have rebelled,”
says the Lord.
30 “I have punished your children,
but they did not respond to my discipline.
You yourselves have killed your prophets
as a lion kills its prey.
31 “O my people, listen to the words of the Lord!
Have I been like a desert to Israel?
Have I been to them a land of darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God!
We don’t need him anymore!’
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet for years on end
my people have forgotten me.
33 “How you plot and scheme to win your lovers.
Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!
34 Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor,
though you didn’t catch them breaking into your houses!
35 And yet you say,
‘I have done nothing wrong.
Surely God isn’t angry with me!’
But now I will punish you severely
because you claim you have not sinned.
36 First here, then there—
you flit from one ally to another asking for help.
But your new friends in Egypt will let you down,
just as Assyria did before.
37 In despair, you will be led into exile
with your hands on your heads,
for the Lord has rejected the nations you trust.
They will not help you at all.
Jeremiah 2
International Standard Version
Israel’s Initial Fidelity
2 This message from the Lord came to me:
2 “Go and announce to Jerusalem:
‘This is what the Lord says:
“I remember the loyal devotion of your youth,
your love as a bride.
You followed me in the desert,
in a land that was not planted.
3 Israel was consecrated[a] to the Lord,
she was the first fruits[b] of his produce.
All who devoured her became guilty
and disaster came on them,”
declares the Lord.’”
Her Rejection of God’s Love
4 Listen to this message from the Lord,
you descendants of Jacob
and all the families of the descendants of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that they left me,
and pursued worthless things,[c]
and so they became worthless?
6 “They didn’t ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us through the wilderness,
through the land of desert and pits,
through the land of dryness and deep darkness,
a land that people don’t pass through,
and where no one lives?’
7 “I brought you into the fruitful land to eat its fruit
and its good things.
But you came in, defiled my land,
and made my inheritance into an abomination.
8 “The priests didn’t say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
and those handling the Law didn’t know me.
The rulers transgressed against me,
the prophets prophesied by Baal,
and they followed that which does not profit.[d]
9 “Therefore I’ll again accuse you,”
declares the Lord,
“and I’ll accuse your grandchildren.”
10 “Indeed, go over to the coasts of Cyprus and see,
send to Kedar and pay very close attention.
See if there has ever been such a thing as this!
11 Has a nation ever changed gods
when they aren’t even gods?
But my people have exchanged their glory
for that which does not profit.
12 Heavens, be appalled at this,
be shocked, be utterly[e] devastated,”
declares the Lord.
13 “Indeed, my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water,[f]
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
Consequences of Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14 “Is Israel a slave, or was he born a servant?[g]
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Young lions roar at him, they cry out loudly.
They have made his land into a wasteland,
and his cities are destroyed
so they are without inhabitants.
16 Also, people from Memphis and Tahpanhes[h]
have broken[i] your skull.
17 You have done this to yourselves, have you not,
by forsaking the Lord your God, when he
is the one who led you on the way?
18 Now, what are you doing on the road to Egypt,
to drink the waters of the Nile?
And what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
19 Your wickedness will be punished,
and you will be corrected due to your acts of apostasy.
Know and see that it’s evil and bitter for you
to forsake the Lord your God,
but the fear of me is not in you,”
declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
20 “For long ago I broke your yoke
and tore off your bonds,
But you said, ‘I won’t serve you!’
Instead, on every high hill
and under every green tree,
you bend down to commit fornication.
21 I planted you myself as a choice vine,
from the very best seed.[j]
How did you turn against me
into a degenerate and foreign vine?
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Lord God.
Israel’s Passion for Sin
23 “How can you say, ‘I’m not defiled.
I haven’t gone after the Baals.’?[k]
Look at what you’ve done[l] in the valley.
Know what you have done.
You are a swift young camel galloping aimlessly;
24 a wild donkey accustomed to the desert,
sniffing the wind in her passion.
When she’s in heat,
who can turn her away?
None of the males who pursue her need to tire themselves out,
for in her month[m] they’ll find her.”
25 “Don’t run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.[n]
But you say, ‘It’s hopeless!
Because I love foreign gods,[o] I’ll go after them!’”
26 “As a thief is disgraced when he’s caught,
so the house of Israel is disgraced—
they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets,
27 who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
and to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
They have turned their back to me,
but not their faces.
In the time of their trouble, they’ll say,
‘Rise up! Deliver us!’”
28 “But where are your gods
that you made for yourselves?
Let them rise up, if they can deliver you
in the time of your trouble.
You have as many gods as you have towns, Judah.
29 Why do you contend with me?
You have rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord.
30 “I’ve punished your children with no results,[p]
they have accepted no discipline.
Your sword has devoured your prophets
like a destroying lion.”
31 “You, generation,
pay attention to[q] this message from the Lord!
Am I the desert to Israel,
or a land of gloom?
Why do my people say, ‘We’re free to roam?
We won’t come to you anymore.’
32 Will a young woman forget her wedding[r] ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
But my people have forgotten me
days without number.
33 How well you perfect your techniques[s] for seeking love.
Therefore you can teach even the most immoral women[t] your techniques.[u]
34 On your skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor,
even though you didn’t catch them breaking in.
Yet despite all these things,
35 you say, ‘I’m innocent.
Surely his anger has turned away from me.’”
“I’m about to bring charges against you[v]
because you say, ‘I haven’t sinned.’
36 Why do you go about changing your mind so much?
You will also be disappointed[w] by Egypt,
just as you were disappointed[x] by Assyria.
37 You will also go out from this place
with your hands over your heads.[y]
For the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you won’t prosper through them.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:3 Or set apart
- Jeremiah 2:3 I.e. the first and best
- Jeremiah 2:5 I.e. idols or false gods
- Jeremiah 2:8 I.e. idols or false gods
- Jeremiah 2:12 Lit. very
- Jeremiah 2:13 I.e. fresh water
- Jeremiah 2:14 Lit. was he a home born servant (cf. Exod 21:4)
- Jeremiah 2:16 I.e. Egyptian cities
- Jeremiah 2:16 Or shaved
- Jeremiah 2:21 Lit. faithful seed
- Jeremiah 2:23 I.e. images of the Canaanite storm god
- Jeremiah 2:23 Lit. at your way
- Jeremiah 2:24 I.e. at mating time
- Jeremiah 2:25 Lit. Hold back your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry
- Jeremiah 2:25 Or foreigners
- Jeremiah 2:30 Lit. in vain
- Jeremiah 2:31 Or see
- Jeremiah 2:32 The Heb. lacks wedding
- Jeremiah 2:33 Lit. your way
- Jeremiah 2:33 Lit. the wicked women
- Jeremiah 2:33 Lit. your ways
- Jeremiah 2:35 Lit. enter into judgment with you
- Jeremiah 2:36 Or put to shame
- Jeremiah 2:36 Or put to shame
- Jeremiah 2:37 I.e. in a gesture indicating mourning
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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