Jer 1-2 | ESV | STEP | The words of Jeremiah , the son of Hilkiah , one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin ,

1 The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one ^aof the priests who were in ^bAnathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of ^cJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in ^dthe thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of ^eJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and ^funtil the end of the eleventh year of ^gZedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, ^huntil the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

The Call of Jeremiah

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

5 ⁱ“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born ^jI consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet ^kto the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, ^lI do not know how to speak, ^mfor I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and ⁿwhatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 ^oDo not be afraid of them,
^pfor I am with you to deliver you,

declares the Lord.”
9 ^qThen the Lord put out his hand and ^rtouched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,

“Behold, I have put ^smy words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day ^tover nations and over kingdoms,
^uto pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^v“Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond ^{▼▼ Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12)} branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”

13 The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see ^xa boiling pot, facing away ^yfrom the north.” 14 Then the Lord said to me, ^z“Out of the north disaster ^{▼▼The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah} shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For behold, ^abI am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, ^acand they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And ^adI will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil ^aein forsaking me. ^afThey have made offerings to other gods and ^agworshiped the works of their own hands. 17 But you, ^ahdress yourself for work; ^{▼▼Hebrew gird up your loins} arise, and ^ajsay to them everything that I command you. ^akDo not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18 And I, behold, I make you this day ^ala fortified city, ^aman iron pillar, and ^anbronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19 ^aoThey will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for ^apI am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”

Jeremiah 2

Israel Forsakes the Lord

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

“I remember the devotion of ^aqyour youth,
your love ^aras a bride,
^ashow you followed me in the wilderness,
^atin a land not sown.
3 ^auIsrael was holy to the Lord,
^avthe firstfruits of his harvest.
^awAll who ate of it incurred guilt;
disaster came upon them,

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

^ax“What wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
^ayand went after ^azworthlessness, and became worthless?
6 They did not say, ^ba‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us ^bbin 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 ^bcAnd I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, ^bdyou defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
^beThose who handle the law did not know me;
^bfthe shepherds ^{▼▼Or rulers} transgressed against me;
^bhthe prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after ^bithings that do not profit.
9 “Therefore ^bjI still contend with you,

declares the Lord,
and ^bkwith your children’s children I will contend.
10 For cross to the coasts of ^blCyprus and see,
or send to ^bmKedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
11 ^bnHas a nation changed its gods,
^boeven though they are no gods?
But my people ^bphave changed their glory
for ^bqthat which does not profit.
12 Be appalled, ^brO heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,

declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
^bsthey have forsaken ^btme,
the fountain of ^buliving waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 ^bv“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 ^bwThe lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, ^bxwithout inhabitant.
16 Moreover, the men of ^byMemphis and ^bzTahpanhes
^cahave shaved ^{▼▼Hebrew grazed} the crown of your head.
17 ^ccHave you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when ^cdhe led you in the way?
18 ^ceAnd now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of ^cfthe Nile?
^cgOr what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of ^chthe Euphrates? ^{▼▼Hebrew the River}
19 ^cjYour evil will chastise you,
and ^ckyour apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and ^clbitter
for ^cmyou 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 ^cnbroke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said, ^co‘I will not serve.’
Yes, ^cpon every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed down ^cqlike a whore.
21 ^crYet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
^csHow then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
^ctthe stain of your guilt is still before me,

declares the Lord God.
23 ^cuHow can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way ^cvin the valley;
know what you have done—
a restless young camel running here and there,
24 ^cwa 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.
25 Keep ^cxyour feet from going unshod
and ^cyyour throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
^czfor 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:
^dathey, their kings, their officials,
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 back to me,
and not their face.
But ^dbin the time of their trouble they say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But ^dcwhere are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, ^ddif they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for ^deas 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.
30 In vain have I ^dfstruck your children;
they took no correction;
^dgyour 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 ^dhCan a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet ^dimy 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.
34 Also on your skirts is found
^djthe lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them ^dkbreaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.’
^dlBehold, I will bring you to judgment
for ^dmsaying, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 ^dnHow much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be ^doput to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 From it too you will come away
with ^dpyour hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper by them.