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14 Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
    Why then has he become plunder?(A)
15 The lions have roared against him;
    they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
    his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.(B)
16 Moreover, the people of Memphis and Tahpanhes
    have broken the crown of your head.(C)
17 Have you not brought this upon yourself
    by forsaking the Lord your God,
    while he led you in the way?(D)
18 What then do you gain by going to Egypt,
    to drink the waters of the Nile?
Or what do you gain by going to Assyria,
    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?(E)
19 Your wickedness will punish you,
    and your faithlessness will convict you.
Know and see that it is evil and bitter
    for you to forsake the Lord your God;
    the fear of me is not in you,
            says the Lord God of hosts.(F)

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14 Is Israel a slave? Or a slave born in a house?[a]
    Why has he become plunder?
15 The young lions have roared against him,
    they have raised[b] their voices.[c]
And they have made his land as horror;
    his cities are destroyed, without[d] an inhabitant.
16 Moreover, people of Memphis and Tahpanhes
    will shave[e] your skull.[f]
17 Did you not do this to yourself,
    by forsaking Yahweh, your God,
    at the time of your leading in the way?
18 And now why do you go[g] the way of Egypt
    to drink the waters of the Shihor?
And why do you go[h] the way of Assyria
    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?[i]
19 Your wickedness will chastise you,
    and your apostasies will reprove you.
Therefore know and see that it is evil and bitter,
    your forsaking of Yahweh, your God,
and fear of me is not in you,”
    declares[j] the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 2:14 Literally “born of a house”
  2. Jeremiah 2:15 Literally “given”
  3. Jeremiah 2:15 Hebrew “voice”
  4. Jeremiah 2:15 Literally “from not”
  5. Jeremiah 2:16 Literally “pasture”
  6. Jeremiah 2:16 Or “crown of your head”
  7. Jeremiah 2:18 Literally “what for you”
  8. Jeremiah 2:18 Literally “what for you”
  9. Jeremiah 2:18 Literally “river”
  10. Jeremiah 2:19 Literally “a declaration of”