Jer 2, Jer 21 | ESV | STEP | The word of the Lord came to me, saying ,

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 ^ayour youth,
your love ^bas a bride,
^chow you followed me in the wilderness,
^din a land not sown.
3 ^eIsrael was holy to the Lord,
^fthe firstfruits of his harvest.
^gAll 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:

^h“What wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
ⁱand went after ^jworthlessness, and became worthless?
6 They did not say, ^k‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us ^lin 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 ^mAnd I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, ⁿyou defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
^oThose who handle the law did not know me;
^pthe shepherds ^{▼▼Or rulers} transgressed against me;
^rthe prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after ^sthings that do not profit.
9 “Therefore ^tI still contend with you,

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

declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
^acthey have forsaken ^adme,
the fountain of ^aeliving waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 ^af“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 ^agThe lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, ^ahwithout inhabitant.
16 Moreover, the men of ^aiMemphis and ^ajTahpanhes
^akhave shaved ^{▼▼Hebrew grazed} the crown of your head.
17 ^amHave you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when ^anhe led you in the way?
18 ^aoAnd now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of ^apthe Nile?
^aqOr what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of ^arthe Euphrates? ^{▼▼Hebrew the River}
19 ^atYour evil will chastise you,
and ^auyour apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and ^avbitter
for ^awyou 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 ^axbroke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said, ^ay‘I will not serve.’
Yes, ^azon every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed down ^balike a whore.
21 ^bbYet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
^bcHow then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
^bdthe stain of your guilt is still before me,

declares the Lord God.
23 ^beHow can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way ^bfin the valley;
know what you have done—
a restless young camel running here and there,
24 ^bga 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 ^bhyour feet from going unshod
and ^biyour throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
^bjfor 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:
^bkthey, 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 ^blin the time of their trouble they say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But ^bmwhere are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, ^bnif they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for ^boas 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 ^bpstruck your children;
they took no correction;
^bqyour 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 ^brCan a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet ^bsmy 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
^btthe lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them ^bubreaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.’
^bvBehold, I will bring you to judgment
for ^bwsaying, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 ^bxHow much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be ^byput to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 From it too you will come away
with ^bzyour hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper by them.

Jeremiah 21

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him ^caPashhur the son of Malchiah and ^cbZephaniah the priest, the son of ^ccMaaseiah, saying, 2 ^cd“Inquire of the Lord for us, ^cefor Nebuchadnezzar ^{▼▼Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency} king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to ^cgall his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^chBehold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. ^ciAnd I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you ^cjwith outstretched hand and strong arm, ^ckin anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the Lord, ^clI will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. ^cmHe shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’

8 “And to this people you shall say: ^cn‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, ^coI set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who stays in this city shall die ^cpby the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and ^cqsurrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live ^crand shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For ^csI have set my face against this city for harm and ^ctnot for good, declares the Lord: ^cuit shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’

Message to the House of David

11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

^cv“‘Execute justice ^cwin the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
him who has been robbed,
^cxlest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of your evil deeds.’”
13 ^cy“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,

declares the Lord;
you who say, ^cz‘Who shall come down against us,
or who shall enter our habitations?’
14 ^daI will punish you according to ^dbthe fruit of your deeds,

declares the Lord;
^dcI will kindle a fire in her forest,
^ddand it shall devour all that is around her.”