Jer 2:14-19 | ESV | STEP | Is Israel a slave ? Is he a homeborn servant? Why then has he become a prey ?

Jeremiah 2:14-19

14 ^a“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 ^bThe lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, ^cwithout inhabitant.
16 Moreover, the men of ^dMemphis and ^eTahpanhes
^fhave shaved ^{▼▼Hebrew grazed} the crown of your head.
17 ^hHave you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when ⁱhe led you in the way?
18 ^jAnd now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of ^kthe Nile?
^lOr what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of ^mthe Euphrates? ^{▼▼Hebrew the River}
19 ^oYour evil will chastise you,
and ^pyour apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and ^qbitter
for ^ryou to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,

declares the Lord God of hosts.