30 In vain have I (A)struck your children;
    they took no correction;
(B)your own sword devoured your prophets
    like a ravening lion.
31 And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
    or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
    we will come no more to you’?
32 (C)Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
    or a bride her attire?
Yet (D)my people have forgotten me
    days without number.

Read full chapter

30 I have struck down your children in vain;
they would not accept discipline.(A)
Your own sword has devoured your prophets(B)
like a ravaging lion.
31 Evil generation,
pay attention to the word of the Lord!
Have I been a wilderness to Israel
or a land of dense darkness?(C)
Why do My people claim,
“We will go where we want;[a]
we will no longer come to You”?
32 Can a young woman forget her jewelry(D)
or a bride her wedding sash?
Yet My people have forgotten Me(E)
for countless days.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 2:31 Or We have taken control, or We can roam