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14 Is Israel a slave?
    Is he born into slavery?
    Why has he become a captive?
15 The young lions have roared at him and yelled.
    They have made his land waste.
    His cities are burned up, without inhabitant.
16     The children also of Memphis and Tahpanhes have broken the crown of your head.
17 “Haven’t you brought this on yourself,
    in that you have forsaken Yahweh your God,[a] when he led you by the way?
18 Now what do you gain by going to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Shihor?
    Or why do you to go on the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?[b]
19 “Your own wickedness will correct you,
    and your backsliding will rebuke you.
Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing,
    that you have forsaken Yahweh your God,
    and that my fear is not in you,” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:17 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).
  2. 2:18 i.e., the Euphrates River

14 (A)“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
    Why then has he become a prey?
15 (B)The lions have roared against him;
    they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
    his cities are in ruins, (C)without inhabitant.
16 Moreover, the men of (D)Memphis and (E)Tahpanhes
    (F)have shaved[a] the crown of your head.
17 (G)Have you not brought this upon yourself
    by forsaking the Lord your God,
    when (H)he led you in the way?
18 (I)And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
    to drink the waters of (J)the Nile?
(K)Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
    to drink the waters of (L)the Euphrates?[b]
19 (M)Your evil will chastise you,
    and (N)your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and (O)bitter
    for (P)you to forsake the Lord your God;
    the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 2:16 Hebrew grazed
  2. Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew the River