Jeremiah 1:1

1The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one aof the priests who were in bAnathoth in the land of Benjamin,

Jeremiah 2

Israel Forsakes the Lord

1The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord,

“I remember the devotion of cyour youth,
your love das a bride,
ehow you followed me in the wilderness,
fin a land not sown.
3 gIsrael was holy to the Lord,
hthe firstfruits of his harvest.
iAll who ate of it incurred guilt;
disaster came upon them,

declares the Lord.”
4Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5Thus says the Lord:

jWhat wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
kand went after lworthlessness, and became worthless?
6They did not say, mWhere is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us nin the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes through,
where no man dwells?’
7 oAnd I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, pyou defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
8The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
qThose who handle the law did not know me;
rthe shepherds
Or rulers
transgressed against me;
tthe prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after uthings that do not profit.
9 Therefore vI still contend with you,

declares the Lord,
and wwith your children’s children I will contend.
10For cross to the coasts of xCyprus and see,
or send to yKedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
11 zHas a nation changed its gods,
aaeven though they are no gods?
But my people abhave changed their glory
for acthat which does not profit.
12Be appalled, adO heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,

declares the Lord,
13for my people have committed two evils:
aethey have forsaken afme,
the fountain of agliving waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 ah“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 aiThe lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, ajwithout inhabitant.
16Moreover, the men of akMemphis and alTahpanhes
amhave shaved
Hebrew grazed
the crown of your head.
17 aoHave you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when aphe led you in the way?
18 aqAnd now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of arthe Nile?
asOr what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of atthe Euphrates?
Hebrew  the River

19 avYour evil will chastise you,
and awyour apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and axbitter
for ayyou to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,

declares the Lord God of hosts.
20 For long ago I azbroke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said, ba‘I will not serve.’
Yes, bbon every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed down bclike a whore.
21 bdYet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
beHow then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
22Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
bfthe stain of your guilt is still before me,

declares the Lord God.
23 bgHow can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way bhin the valley;
know what you have done
a restless young camel running here and there,
24 bia wild donkey used to the wilderness,
in her heat sniffing the wind!
Who can restrain her lust?
None who seek her need weary themselves;
in her month they will find her.
25Keep bjyour feet from going unshod
and bkyour throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
blfor I have loved foreigners,
and after them I will go.’
26 “As a thief is shamed when caught,
so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
bmthey, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets,
27who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their back to me,
and not their face.
But bnin the time of their trouble they say,
Arise and save us!’
28But bowhere are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, bpif they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for bqas many as your cities
are your gods, O Judah.
29 Why do you contend with me?
You have all transgressed against me,

declares the Lord.
30In vain have I brstruck your children;
they took no correction;
bsyour own sword devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.
31And 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 btCan a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet bumy people have forgotten me
days without number.
33 How well you direct your course
to seek love!
So that even to wicked women
you have taught your ways.
34Also on your skirts is found
bvthe lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them bwbreaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
35you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.’
bxBehold, I will bring you to judgment
for bysaying, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 bzHow much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be caput to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37From it too you will come away
with cbyour hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper by them.
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