Jeremiah 2:26-29
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
26 As a thief is shamed when caught,
so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
they, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets,(A)
27 who say to a tree, “You are my father,”
and to a stone, “You gave me birth.”
For they have turned their backs to me
and not their faces.
But in the time of their trouble they say,
“Come and save us!”(B)
28 But where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them come, if they can save you,
in your time of trouble,
for you have as many gods
as you have towns, O Judah.(C)
29 Why do you complain against me?
You have all rebelled against me,
says the Lord.(D)
Jeremiah 2:26-29
New English Translation
26 Just as a thief has to suffer dishonor when he is caught,
so the people of Israel[a] will suffer dishonor for what they have done.[b]
So will their kings and officials,
their priests and their prophets.
27 They say to a wooden idol,[c] ‘You are my father.’
They say to a stone image, ‘You gave birth to me.’[d]
Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me.[e]
Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’
28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them save you when you are in trouble.
The sad fact is that[f] you have as many gods
as you have towns, Judah.
29 Why do you try to refute me?[g]
All of you have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:26 tn Heb “house of Israel.”
- Jeremiah 2:26 tn The words “for what they have done” are implicit in the comparison and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Jeremiah 2:27 tn Heb “wood…stone…”
- Jeremiah 2:27 sn The reference to wood and stone is, of course, a pejorative reference to idols made by human hands. See the next verse where reference is made to “the gods you have made.”
- Jeremiah 2:27 tn Heb “they have turned [their] backs to me, not [their] faces.”
- Jeremiah 2:28 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki, “for, indeed”) contextually.
- Jeremiah 2:29 sn This is still part of the Lord’s case against Israel. See 2:9 for the use of the same Hebrew verb. The Lord here denies their counterclaims that they do not deserve to be punished.
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