Jeremiah 2:4-8

Expanded Bible

⁴ Hear the word of the Lord, ·family [^Lhouse] of Jacob,
all you ·family groups [^Lclans of the house] of Israel.

⁵ This is what the Lord says:
“·I was fair to your ancestors,
    so why did they turn away from me? [^LWhat wrong did your ancestors/fathers find in me
    that they removed themselves from me?]
Your ·ancestors [fathers] ·worshiped [^Lwent after] ·useless idols [worthless/meaningless things]
    and became ·useless [worthless; meaningless] themselves.
⁶ Your ·ancestors [fathers] didn’t say,
    ‘Where is the Lord who brought us out of Egypt?
He led us through the ·desert [wilderness],
    through a ·dry [barren] and ·rocky [broken] land,
through a dangerous [parched] and dark land.
    He led us where no one ·travels [passes through] or lives.’
⁷ I brought you into a ·fertile land [orchard; land of plenty]
    so you could eat its fruit and produce.
But you came and made my land unclean [^Cin a ritual sense];
    you made ·it [^Lmy inheritance] a ·hateful place [abomination].
⁸ The priests didn’t ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
The people who ·know [handle; deal with] the ·teachings [laws; instructions; ^LTorah] didn’t know me.
    The ·leaders [^Lshepherds] turned against me.
The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal [Deut. 13:1–5]
    and ·worshiped useless idols [^Lwent after unprofitable things].