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Jeremiah 2-3
New American Standard Bible
Jeremiah 2-3
New American Standard Bible
Judah’s Apostasy
2 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and (A)proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“I remember regarding you the [a](B)devotion of your youth,
Your love when you were a bride,
(C)Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 Israel was (D)holy to the Lord,
The (E)first of His harvest.
(F)All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says:
“(G)What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me,
And walked after (H)emptiness and became empty?
6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who (I)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who (J)led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of [b]deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no person lived?’
7 I brought you into the (K)fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and (L)defiled My land,
And you made My inheritance an abomination.
8 The (M)priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the Law (N)did not know Me;
The [c]rulers also revolted against Me,
And the (O)prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after (P)things that were of no benefit.
9 “Therefore I will still (Q)contend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And I will contend with your sons’ sons.
10 For (R)cross to the coastlands of [d]Kittim and see,
And send to (S)Kedar and observe closely,
And see if there has been anything like this!
11 Has a nation changed gods,
When (T)they were not gods?
But My people have (U)exchanged their glory
For that which is of no benefit.
12 Be appalled at this, (V)you heavens,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned Me,
The (W)fountain of living waters,
To carve out for themselves (X)cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That do not hold water.
14 “Is Israel (Y)a slave? Or is he a servant born in the home?
Why has he become plunder?
15 The young (Z)lions have roared at him,
They have [e]roared loudly.
And they have (AA)made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 Also the [f]men of (AB)Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [g]shaved (AC)your head.
17 Have you not (AD)done this to yourself
By your abandoning the Lord your God
When He (AE)led you in the way?
18 But now what are you doing (AF)on the road to Egypt,
Except to drink the waters of the [h](AG)Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 (AH)Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your (AI)apostasies will punish you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and (AJ)bitter
For you to abandon the Lord your God,
And (AK)the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [i]God of armies.
20 “For long ago [j](AL)I broke your yoke
And tore off your restraints;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every (AM)high hill
And under every leafy tree
You have lain down as a prostitute.
21 Yet I (AN)planted you as a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the (AO)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you (AP)wash yourself with lye
And [k]use much soap,
The (AQ)stain of your guilt is before Me,” declares the Lord [l]God.
23 “(AR)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the (AS)Baals’?
Look at your way in the (AT)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel (AU)running about senselessly on her ways,
24 A (AV)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
Who can turn her away in her mating season?
None who seek her will grow weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 Keep your feet from being bare,
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘(AW)It is [m]hopeless!
No! For I have (AX)loved strangers,
And I will walk after them.’
26 “Like the shame of a (AY)thief when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their leaders,
Their priests, and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their (AZ)backs to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the (BA)time of their [n]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But where are your (BB)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can (BC)save you
In the time of your [o]trouble!
For (BD)as many as the number of your cities
Are your gods, Judah.
29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have (BE)all revolted against Me,” declares the Lord.
30 “(BF)In vain I have struck your sons;
They did not accept discipline.
Your (BG)sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 You generation, look to the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a (BH)land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘(BI)We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 Can a virgin forget her jewelry,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have (BJ)forgotten Me
For days without number.
33 How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even to the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
The (BK)lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them (BL)breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 You said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will (BM)enter into judgment with you
Because you (BN)say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you (BO)go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, (BP)you will be put to shame by Egypt,
Just as you were put to shame by (BQ)Assyria.
37 From this place as well you will go out
With (BR)your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected (BS)those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”
The Defiled Land
3 God [p]says, “(BT)If a husband divorces his wife
And she leaves him
And becomes another man’s wife,
Will he return to her again?
Would that land not be completely defiled?
But you (BU)are a prostitute with many [q]lovers;
Yet you (BV)turn to Me,” declares the Lord.
2 “Raise your eyes to the (BW)bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
You have (BX)sat for them by the roads
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have (BY)defiled a land
With your prostitution and your wickedness.
3 Therefore the (BZ)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a (CA)prostitute’s [r]forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.
4 Have you not just now called to Me,
‘(CB)My Father, You are the (CC)friend of my (CD)youth?
5 (CE)Will He be angry forever,
Or keep His anger to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have [s]had your own way.”
Faithless Israel
6 Then the Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She (CF)went up on every high hill and under every leafy tree, and she prostituted herself there. 7 Yet (CG)I [t]thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her (CH)treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the [u]adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and (CI)given her a certificate of divorce, yet her (CJ)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and prostituted herself also. 9 And because of the thoughtlessness of her prostitution, she (CK)defiled the land and committed [v]adultery with (CL)stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in (CM)deception,” declares the Lord.
God Invites Repentance
11 And the Lord said to me, “(CN)Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘(CO)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘(CP)I will not [w]look at you in anger.
For I am (CQ)gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Only [x](CR)acknowledge your wrongdoing,
That you have revolted against the Lord your God,
And have (CS)scattered your [y]favors to the strangers (CT)under every leafy tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, you faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a (CU)master to you,
And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
And (CV)bring you to Zion.’
15 “Then I will give you (CW)shepherds [z]after My own heart, who will (CX)feed you knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall be in those days when you become numerous and are fruitful in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will (CY)no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The (CZ)Throne of the Lord,’ and (DA)all the nations will assemble at it, at Jerusalem, for the (DB)name of the Lord; and they will no longer (DC)follow the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 (DD)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together (DE)from the land of the north to the (DF)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
19 “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among [aa]My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most (DG)beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, (DH)My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 However, as a woman treacherously leaves her lover,
So you have (DI)dealt treacherously with Me,
House of Israel,” declares the Lord.
21 A voice is heard on the (DJ)bare heights,
The weeping, the pleading of the sons of Israel.
Because they have perverted their way,
They have (DK)forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you faithless sons,
(DL)I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the Lord our God.
23 Certainly (DM)the hills are a deception,
[ab]Commotion on the mountains.
Certainly in the (DN)Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 “But (DO)the shame has consumed the product of our fathers’ labor since our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our (DP)shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, (DQ)from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:2 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 2:6 Or the shadow of death
- Jeremiah 2:8 Lit shepherds
- Jeremiah 2:10 I.e., Cyprus and other islands
- Jeremiah 2:15 Lit given their voice
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit sons
- Jeremiah 2:16 Lit grazed
- Jeremiah 2:18 Heb Shihor
- Jeremiah 2:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:20 Or you
- Jeremiah 2:22 Lit acquire much soap for yourself
- Jeremiah 2:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Jeremiah 2:25 Or desperate
- Jeremiah 2:27 Or evil
- Jeremiah 2:28 Or evil
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit saying
- Jeremiah 3:1 Lit companions
- Jeremiah 3:3 I.e., calloused appearance
- Jeremiah 3:5 Lit been able
- Jeremiah 3:7 Lit said
- Jeremiah 3:8 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:9 I.e., idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:12 Lit make My face fall
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit know
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit ways
- Jeremiah 3:15 I.e., with hearts like Mine
- Jeremiah 3:19 Lit the
- Jeremiah 3:23 I.e., from idolatrous rituals
Jeremiah 2-3
New International Version
Jeremiah 2-3
New International Version
Israel Forsakes God
2 The word(A) of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
“This is what the Lord says:
“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,(B)
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,(C)
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy(D) to the Lord,(E)
the firstfruits(F) of his harvest;
all who devoured(G) her were held guilty,(H)
and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
all you clans of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols(I)
and became worthless(J) themselves.
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,
who brought us up out of Egypt(K)
and led us through the barren wilderness,
through a land of deserts(L) and ravines,(M)
a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land where no one travels(N) and no one lives?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.(O)
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.(P)
8 The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;(Q)
the leaders(R) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,(S)
following worthless idols.(T)
9 “Therefore I bring charges(U) against you again,”
declares the Lord.
“And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus(V) and look,
send to Kedar[a](W) and observe closely;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods(X) at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious(Y) God
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken(Z) me,
the spring of living water,(AA)
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave(AB) by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Lions(AC) have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid waste(AD) his land;
his towns are burned(AE) and deserted.(AF)
16 Also, the men of Memphis(AG) and Tahpanhes(AH)
have cracked your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourselves(AI)
by forsaking(AJ) the Lord your God
when he led you in the way?
18 Now why go to Egypt(AK)
to drink water from the Nile[b]?(AL)
And why go to Assyria(AM)
to drink water from the Euphrates?(AN)
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding(AO) will rebuke(AP) you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter(AQ) it is for you
when you forsake(AR) the Lord your God
and have no awe(AS) of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke(AT)
and tore off your bonds;(AU)
you said, ‘I will not serve you!’(AV)
Indeed, on every high hill(AW)
and under every spreading tree(AX)
you lay down as a prostitute.(AY)
21 I had planted(AZ) you like a choice vine(BA)
of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
into a corrupt,(BB) wild vine?
22 Although you wash(BC) yourself with soap(BD)
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.(BE)
23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;(BF)
I have not run after the Baals’?(BG)
See how you behaved in the valley;(BH)
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running(BI) here and there,
24 a wild donkey(BJ) accustomed to the desert,(BK)
sniffing the wind in her craving—
in her heat who can restrain her?
Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;
at mating time they will find her.
25 Do not run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use!(BL)
I love foreign gods,(BM)
and I must go after them.’(BN)
26 “As a thief is disgraced(BO) when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priests(BP) and their prophets.(BQ)
27 They say to wood,(BR) ‘You are my father,’
and to stone,(BS) ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs(BT) to me
and not their faces;(BU)
yet when they are in trouble,(BV) they say,
‘Come and save(BW) us!’
28 Where then are the gods(BX) you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble!(BY)
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns.(BZ)
29 “Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all(CA) rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord.
30 “In vain I punished your people;
they did not respond to correction.(CB)
Your sword has devoured your prophets(CC)
like a ravenous lion.
31 “You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord:
“Have I been a desert to Israel
or a land of great darkness?(CD)
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?(CE)
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten(CF) me,
days without number.
33 How skilled you are at pursuing(CG) love!
Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
34 On your clothes is found
the lifeblood(CH) of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in.(CI)
Yet in spite of all this
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;(CJ)
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment(CK) on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’(CL)
36 Why do you go about so much,
changing(CM) your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egypt(CN)
as you were by Assyria.
37 You will also leave that place
with your hands on your head,(CO)
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helped(CP) by them.
3 “If a man divorces(CQ) his wife
and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
Would not the land be completely defiled?(CR)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(CS)—
would you now return to me?”(CT)
declares the Lord.
2 “Look up to the barren heights(CU) and see.
Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside(CV) you sat waiting for lovers,
sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land(CW)
with your prostitution(CX) and wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers have been withheld,(CY)
and no spring rains(CZ) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen(DA) look of a prostitute;
you refuse to blush with shame.(DB)
4 Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,(DC) my friend from my youth,(DD)
5 will you always be angry?(DE)
Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
but you do all the evil you can.”
Unfaithful Israel
6 During the reign of King Josiah,(DF) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(DG) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(DH) and has committed adultery(DI) there. 7 I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(DJ) Judah saw it.(DK) 8 I gave faithless Israel(DL) her certificate of divorce(DM) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(DN) she also went out and committed adultery. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(DO) and committed adultery(DP) with stone(DQ) and wood.(DR) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(DS) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(DT)” declares the Lord.(DU)
11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(DV) than unfaithful(DW) Judah.(DX) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(DY)
“‘Return,(DZ) faithless(EA) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(EB) declares the Lord,
‘I will not be angry(EC) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(ED) your guilt—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(EE)
under every spreading tree,(EF)
and have not obeyed(EG) me,’”
declares the Lord.
14 “Return,(EH) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(EI) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(EJ) after my own heart,(EK) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(EL) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(EM) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(EN) of the Lord, and all nations(EO) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(EP) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(EQ) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(ER) and together(ES) they will come from a northern(ET) land to the land(EU) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19 “I myself said,
“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,(EV)
the most beautiful inheritance(EW) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(EX)
and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(EY) to me,”
declares the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(EZ)
the weeping(FA) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten(FB) the Lord their God.
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(FF)
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation(FG) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(FH) gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(FI)
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(FJ) against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;(FK)
from our youth(FL) till this day
we have not obeyed(FM) the Lord our God.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:10 In the Syro-Arabian desert
- Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew Shihor; that is, a branch of the Nile
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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