Jeremiah 2
Evangelical Heritage Version
Israel Has Forsaken the Lord
2 The word of the Lord came to me.
2 Go and proclaim this in the hearing of Jerusalem.
This is what the Lord says.
This is what I remember concerning you:
your faithfulness when you were young,
and your love when you were pledged in marriage.
I remember how you followed me in the wilderness,
in a land that has never been planted.
3 Israel was set apart as holy to the Lord,
the firstfruits of his harvest.
All those who devoured Israel became guilty,
and disaster came upon them, declares the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you house of Jacob.
All you families of the house of Israel,
5 this is what the Lord says.
What fault did your fathers find in me,
that they departed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols,
and so they became worthless themselves.
6 They did not say,
“Where is the Lord, who brought us up from the land of Egypt?
Where is the one who led us through the wilderness,
through a desert wasteland filled with ravines,
through a land of drought and the shadow of death,
a land which no one passes through,
a land where no human being lives?”
7 I brought you into a fertile land,
to eat its fruit and its good things.
But you defiled my land
and made my inheritance repulsive.
8 The priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord?”
The experts in the law did not acknowledge me.
Their shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after useless idols.
9 So I am bringing charges against you again, declares the Lord,
and I am bringing charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus[a] and look.
Send someone to Kedar[b] and observe carefully.
See if there has ever been anything like this.
11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods
(even though they are not gods at all)?
Yet my people have exchanged their Glory[c]
for useless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens.
Be horrified and wither away completely, declares the Lord.
13 For my people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned me, the spring of living water,
and they have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that hold no water!
14 Is Israel a servant, born into slavery?
Why then has Israel been plundered?
15 Young lions have roared at him.
They have growled loudly.
They have made his land desolate.
His towns are burned and deserted.
16 The men of Memphis[d] and Tahpanhes
have shaved the top of your head.[e]
17 Have you not brought this on yourself
by deserting the Lord your God
while he led you on the way?
18 So why are you on the road to Egypt
to drink the water of the Shihor?[f]
And why are you on the road to Assyria
to drink the water of the River?[g]
19 It is your own evil that will bring discipline on you.
Your backsliding will judge you.
Know and see how evil and bitter it is for you
to forsake the Lord your God,
to have no fear of me,
declares the Lord God of Armies.
20 Long ago I broke your yoke.
I[h] tore off your chains,
but you said, “I will not serve you!”
Instead, on every high hill
and under every green tree
you sprawl out like a prostitute.
21 But I planted you as a very good vine,
healthy and from reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me?
How then did you turn into a wild vine?
22 Even if you scrub yourself with cleanser
and use a lot of strong soap,
the stain of your guilt is before me, declares the Lord.
23 How can you say, “I have not defiled myself.
I have not gone after the Baals”?
Look what you did in the valley!
Think about what you did!
You were a fast female camel
running wildly all over the place,
24 or a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
sniffing the wind in her passion.
Who can control her when she is in heat?
None of the males who pursue her will become tired.
They will find her in her mating time.
25 Stop before your shoes wear out
and your throat becomes dry!
But you say, “It’s hopeless!
I love strange gods, and I must pursue them.”
26 As a thief is shamed when he is caught,
so the house of Israel will be shamed—
the people, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets.
27 They say to wood, “You are my father.”
They say to stone, “You gave birth to me.”
They have turned their backs to me
and not their faces.
But when a time of trouble comes, they say,
“Get up and save us!”
28 Where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them rise up,
if they are able to save you in a time of trouble.
After all, Judah, you have as many gods as you have towns.
29 Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all rebelled against me, declares the Lord.
30 I punished your people in vain.
They did not respond to correction.
Your own sword has devoured your prophets,
like a raging lion.
31 You people of this generation,
consider the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
or a land of deep darkness?
Why do my people say, “We are free to wander.
We will not come to you anymore”?
32 Does a virgin about to be married forget her jewelry?
Does a bride forget her veil?[i]
But my people have forgotten me for countless days.
33 How practiced you are in the ways that you pursue love!
Even the most evil women could learn from your ways.
34 The lifeblood of poor, innocent people is found on your skirt,
even though you did not catch them breaking in.
In spite of all this, 35 you say, “I am innocent.
He will not be angry with me.”
But I have indeed judged you
because you say, “I have not sinned.”
36 How fickle you are in changing your direction!
You will be disappointed by Egypt,
just as you were by Assyria.
37 So you will leave there with your hands on your head,
because the Lord has rejected the ones you trust.
You will receive no help from them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:10 Hebrew Kittim. The term may include other areas in the Mediterranean basin besides Cyprus.
- Jeremiah 2:10 An area in Arabia
- Jeremiah 2:11 Or their glory. This reading follows the main Hebrew text. An alternate Hebrew reading is my glory.
- Jeremiah 2:16 Hebrew Noph. The English names of Egyptian cities are usually based on the Greek forms of their names rather than the Hebrew forms.
- Jeremiah 2:16 Or have cracked your skull
- Jeremiah 2:18 A branch of the Nile
- Jeremiah 2:18 That is, the Euphrates
- Jeremiah 2:20 The translation follows the Hebrew reading. The Greek Old Testament reads you.
- Jeremiah 2:32 Literally sash
Jeremiah 2
New Century Version
Israel Turns from God
2 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 2 “Go and speak to the people of Jerusalem, saying: This is what the Lord says:
‘I remember how faithful you were to me when you were a young nation.
You loved me like a young bride.
You followed me through the desert,
a land that had never been planted.
3 The people of Israel were holy to the Lord,
like the firstfruits from his harvest.
Those who tried to hurt Israel were judged guilty.
Disasters struck them,’” says the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, family of Jacob,
all you family groups of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“I was fair to your ancestors,
so why did they turn away from me?
Your ancestors worshiped useless idols
and became useless themselves.
6 Your ancestors didn’t say,
‘Where is the Lord who brought us out of Egypt?
He led us through the desert,
through a dry and rocky land,
through a dark and dangerous land.
He led us where no one travels or lives.’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
so you could eat its fruit and produce.
But you came and made my land unclean;
you made it a hateful place.
8 The priests didn’t ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
The people who know the teachings didn’t know me.
The leaders turned against me.
The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal
and worshiped useless idols.
9 “So now I will again tell what I have against you,” says the Lord.
“And I will tell what I have against your grandchildren.
10 Go across the sea to the island of Cyprus and see.
Send someone to the land of Kedar to look closely.
See if there has ever been anything like this.
11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods?
(Of course, its gods are not really gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious God
for idols worth nothing.
12 Skies, be shocked at the things that have happened
and shake with great fear!” says the Lord.
13 “My people have done two evils:
They have turned away from me,
the spring of living water.
And they have dug their own wells,
which are broken wells that cannot hold water.
14 Have the people of Israel become slaves?
Have they become like someone who was born a slave?
Why were they taken captive?
15 Enemies have roared like lions at Israel;
they have growled at Israel.
They have destroyed the land of Israel.
The cities of Israel lie in ruins,
and all the people have left.
16 The men from the cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have disgraced you by shaving the top of your head.
17 Haven’t you brought this on yourselves
by turning away from the Lord your God
when he was leading you in the right way?
18 It did not help to go to Egypt
and drink from the Shihor River.
It did not help to go to Assyria
and drink from the Euphrates River.
19 Your evil will bring punishment to you,
and the wrong you have done will teach you a lesson.
Think about it and understand
that it is a terrible evil to turn away from the Lord your God.
It is wrong not to fear me,”
says the Lord God All-Powerful.
20 “Long ago you refused to obey me as an ox breaks its yoke.
You broke the ropes I used to hold you
and said, ‘I will not serve you!’
In fact, on every high hill
and under every green tree
you lay down as a prostitute.
21 But I planted you as a special vine,
as a very good seed.
How then did you turn
into a wild vine that grows bad fruit?
22 Although you wash yourself with cleanser
and use much soap,
I can still see the stain of your guilt,” says the Lord God.
23 “How can you say to me, ‘I am not guilty.
I have not worshiped the Baal idols’?
Look at the things you did in the valley.
Think about what you have done.
You are like a she-camel in mating season
that runs from place to place.
24 You are like a wild donkey that lives in the desert
and sniffs the wind at mating time.
At that time who can hold her back?
Any male who chases her will easily catch her;
at mating time, it is easy to find her.
25 Don’t run until your feet are bare
or until your throat is dry.
But you say, ‘It’s no use!
I love those other gods,
and I must chase them!’
26 “A thief is ashamed when someone catches him stealing.
In the same way, the family of Israel is ashamed—
they, their kings, their officers,
their priests, and their prophets.
27 They say to things of wood, ‘You are my father,’
and to idols of stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
Those people won’t look at me;
they have turned their backs to me.
But when they get into trouble, they say,
‘Come and save us!’
28 Where are the idols you made for yourselves?
Let them come and save you
when you are in trouble!
People of Judah, you have as many idols
as you have towns!
29 “Why do you complain to me?
All of you have turned against me,” says the Lord.
30 “I punished your people, but it did not help.
They didn’t come back when they were punished.
With your swords you killed your prophets
like a hungry lion.
31 “People of Judah, pay attention to the word of the Lord:
Have I been like a desert to the people of Israel
or like a dark and dangerous land?
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to wander.
We won’t come to you anymore’?
32 A young woman does not forget her jewelry,
and a bride does not forget the decorations for her dress.
But my people have forgotten me
for more days than can be counted.
33 You really know how to chase after love.
Even the worst women can learn evil ways from you.
34 Even on your clothes you have the blood
of poor and innocent people,
but they weren’t thieves you caught breaking in.
You do all these things,
35 but you say, ‘I am innocent.
God is not angry with me.’
But I will judge you guilty of lying,
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 It is so easy for you to change your mind.
Even Egypt will let you down,
as Assyria let you down.
37 You will eventually leave that place
with your hands on your head, like captives.
You trusted those countries,
but you will not be helped by them,
because the Lord has rejected them.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
