Jeremiah 2

Israel Accused of Apostasy

1The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and announce directly to Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says:

I remember the loyalty of your youth, a
your love as a bride
how you followed Me in the wilderness,
in a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the Lord, b
the
firstfruits: The agricultural products harvested first and given to God as an offering; also the first of more products to come
firstfruits of His harvest. d
All who ate of it found themselves
guilt/guilty: The liability to be punished for a fault, a sin, an act, or an omission unless there is forgiveness or atonement; the term normally concerns an objective fact, not a subjective feeling.
guilty; f
disaster came on them.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.

4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob
and all families of the house of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:

What fault did your fathers find in Me g
that they went so far from Me,
followed worthless idols, h
and became worthless themselves? i
6 They stopped asking, “Where is the Lord j
who brought us from the land of Egypt,
who led us through the wilderness, k
through a land of deserts and ravines,
through a land of drought and darkness,
Or shadow of death

a land no one traveled through
and where no one lived?”
7 I brought you to a fertile land m
to eat its fruit and bounty,
but after you entered, you defiled My land; n
you made My inheritance o detestable.
8 The priests quit asking, “Where is the Lord?”
The experts in the law no longer knew Me, p
and the rulers q rebelled against Me.
The prophets prophesied by
= in the name of
Baal: A fertility god who was the main god of the Canaanite religion and the god of rain and thunderstorms; also the Hebrew word meaning "lord," "master," "owner," or "husband"
Baal t
and followed useless idols. u

9 Therefore, I will bring a case against you again.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

I will bring a case against your children’s children. v
10 Cross over to Cyprus
Lit to the islands of Kittim
,
x and take a look.
Send someone to Kedar y and consider carefully;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? z
(But they were not gods! aa)
Yet My people have exchanged their
Ancient Jewish tradition reads My
Glory
for useless idols. ac
12 Be horrified at this, heavens; ad
be shocked and utterly appalled.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

13 For My people have committed a double evil:
They have abandoned Me, ae
the fountain of living water, af
and dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot hold water. ag

Consequences of Apostasy

14 Is Israel a slave?
Was he born into slavery?
Lit born of a house

Why else has he become a prey?
15 The young lions have roared at him; ai
they have roared loudly.
They have laid waste his land. aj
His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.
16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes ak
have also broken your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourself al
by abandoning the Lord your God
while He was leading you along the way?
18 Now what will you gain
by traveling along the way to Egypt am
to drink the waters of the Nile?
Lit of Shihor

What will you gain
by traveling along the way to Assyria ao
to drink the waters of the Euphrates? ap
19 Your own evil will discipline you; aq
your own apostasies will reprimand you.
Think it over and see how evil and bitter ar it is
for you to abandon the Lord your God
and to have no
fear(s) God or the Lord/ the fear of the Lord: No single English word conveys every aspect of the word fear in this phrase. The meaning includes worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect to the covenant-keeping God of Israel.
fear of Me.
This is the declaration

of the Lord God of
Hosts/hosts: Military forces consisting of God's angels, sometimes including the sun, moon, and stars, and occasionally, Israel
Hosts
.

20 For long ago I
LXX reads you
broke your yoke; av
I
LXX reads you
tore off your chains.
You insisted, “I will not serve!”
On every high hill
and under every green tree ax
you lie down like a prostitute. ay

21 I planted you, a choice vine az
from the very best seed.
How then could you turn into
a degenerate, foreign vine? ba

22 Even if you wash with lye
and use a great amount of soap, bb
the stain of your sin is still in front of Me. bc
This is the Lord God’s declaration.

23 How can you protest, “I am not defiled;
I have not followed the Baals”? bd
Look at your behavior in the valley;
acknowledge what you have done. be
You are a swift young camel
twisting and turning on her way,
24 a wild donkey bf at home
Lit donkey taught
in the wilderness.
She sniffs the wind in the heat of her desire.
Who can control her passion?
All who look for her will not become tired;
they will find her in her mating season.
Lit her month

25 Keep your feet from going bare
and your throat from thirst.
But you say, “It’s hopeless; bi
I love strangers, bj
and I will continue to follow them.”

26 Like the shame of a thief when he is caught,
so the house of Israel has been put to shame. bk
They, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets bl
27 say to a tree, “You are my father,”
and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.”
For they have turned their back to Me
and not their face, bm
yet in their time of disaster bn they beg,
“Rise up and save us!”
28 But where are your gods you made for yourself?
Let them rise up and save you bo
in your time of disaster if they can,
for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.

Judgment Deserved

29 Why do you bring a case against Me? bp
All of you have rebelled against Me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

30 I have struck down your children in vain;
they would not accept discipline. bq
Your own sword has devoured your prophets br
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? bs
Why do My people claim,
“We will go where we want;
Or We have taken control, or We can roam

we will no longer come to You”?
32 Can a young woman forget her jewelry bu
or a bride her wedding sash?
Yet My people have forgotten Me bv
for countless days.
33 How skillfully you pursue love;
you also teach evil women your ways.
34 Moreover, your skirts are stained
with the blood of the innocent poor. bw
You did not catch them breaking and entering. bx
But in spite of all these things
35 you claim, “I am innocent. by
His anger is sure to turn away from me.”
But I will certainly judge you
because you have said, “I have not sinned.” bz
36 How unstable you are, ca
constantly changing your ways!
You will be put to shame by Egypt cb
just as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 Moreover, you will be led out from here
with your hands on your head cc
since the Lord has rejected those you trust; cd
you will not succeed even with their help.
Lit with them

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