Jeremiah 1:9

9 aThen the Lord put out his hand and btouched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

Behold, I have put cmy words in your mouth.

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 dyour youth,
your love eas a bride,
fhow you followed me in the wilderness,
gin a land not sown.
3 hIsrael was holy to the Lord,
ithe firstfruits of his harvest.
jAll 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:

kWhat wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
land went after mworthlessness, and became worthless?
6They did not say, nWhere is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us oin 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 pAnd I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, qyou defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
8The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
rThose who handle the law did not know me;
sthe shepherds
Or rulers
transgressed against me;
uthe prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after vthings that do not profit.
9 Therefore wI still contend with you,

declares the Lord,
and xwith your children’s children I will contend.
10For cross to the coasts of yCyprus and see,
or send to zKedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
11 aaHas a nation changed its gods,
abeven though they are no gods?
But my people achave changed their glory
for adthat which does not profit.
12Be appalled, aeO heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,

declares the Lord,
13for my people have committed two evils:
afthey have forsaken agme,
the fountain of ahliving waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 ai“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 ajThe lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, akwithout inhabitant.
16Moreover, the men of alMemphis and amTahpanhes
anhave shaved
Hebrew grazed
the crown of your head.
17 apHave you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when aqhe led you in the way?
18 arAnd now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of asthe Nile?
atOr what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of authe Euphrates?
Hebrew  the River

19 awYour evil will chastise you,
and axyour apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and aybitter
for azyou 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 babroke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said, bb‘I will not serve.’
Yes, bcon every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed down bdlike a whore.
21 beYet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
bfHow then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
22Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
bgthe stain of your guilt is still before me,

declares the Lord God.
23 bhHow can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way biin the valley;
know what you have done
a restless young camel running here and there,
24 bja 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 bkyour feet from going unshod
and blyour throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
bmfor 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:
bnthey, 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 boin the time of their trouble they say,
Arise and save us!’
28But bpwhere are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, bqif they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for bras 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 bsstruck your children;
they took no correction;
btyour 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 buCan a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet bvmy 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
bwthe lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them bxbreaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
35you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.’
byBehold, I will bring you to judgment
for bzsaying, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 caHow much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be cbput to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37From it too you will come away
with ccyour 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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