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Jeremiah 2
International Standard Version
Jeremiah 2
International Standard Version
Israel’s Initial Fidelity
2 This message from the Lord came to me:
2 “Go and announce to Jerusalem:
‘This is what the Lord says:
“I remember the loyal devotion of your youth,
your love as a bride.
You followed me in the desert,
in a land that was not planted.
3 Israel was consecrated[a] to the Lord,
she was the first fruits[b] of his produce.
All who devoured her became guilty
and disaster came on them,”
declares the Lord.’”
Her Rejection of God’s Love
4 Listen to this message from the Lord,
you descendants of Jacob
and all the families of the descendants of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that they left me,
and pursued worthless things,[c]
and so they became worthless?
6 “They didn’t ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us through the wilderness,
through the land of desert and pits,
through the land of dryness and deep darkness,
a land that people don’t pass through,
and where no one lives?’
7 “I brought you into the fruitful land to eat its fruit
and its good things.
But you came in, defiled my land,
and made my inheritance into an abomination.
8 “The priests didn’t say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
and those handling the Law didn’t know me.
The rulers transgressed against me,
the prophets prophesied by Baal,
and they followed that which does not profit.[d]
9 “Therefore I’ll again accuse you,”
declares the Lord,
“and I’ll accuse your grandchildren.”
10 “Indeed, go over to the coasts of Cyprus and see,
send to Kedar and pay very close attention.
See if there has ever been such a thing as this!
11 Has a nation ever changed gods
when they aren’t even gods?
But my people have exchanged their glory
for that which does not profit.
12 Heavens, be appalled at this,
be shocked, be utterly[e] devastated,”
declares the Lord.
13 “Indeed, my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water,[f]
and they have dug cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
Consequences of Israel’s Unfaithfulness
14 “Is Israel a slave, or was he born a servant?[g]
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Young lions roar at him, they cry out loudly.
They have made his land into a wasteland,
and his cities are destroyed
so they are without inhabitants.
16 Also, people from Memphis and Tahpanhes[h]
have broken[i] your skull.
17 You have done this to yourselves, have you not,
by forsaking the Lord your God, when he
is the one who led you on the way?
18 Now, what are you doing on the road to Egypt,
to drink the waters of the Nile?
And what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
19 Your wickedness will be punished,
and you will be corrected due to your acts of apostasy.
Know and see that it’s evil and bitter for you
to forsake the Lord your God,
but the fear of me is not in you,”
declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
20 “For long ago I broke your yoke
and tore off your bonds,
But you said, ‘I won’t serve you!’
Instead, on every high hill
and under every green tree,
you bend down to commit fornication.
21 I planted you myself as a choice vine,
from the very best seed.[j]
How did you turn against me
into a degenerate and foreign vine?
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Lord God.
Israel’s Passion for Sin
23 “How can you say, ‘I’m not defiled.
I haven’t gone after the Baals.’?[k]
Look at what you’ve done[l] in the valley.
Know what you have done.
You are a swift young camel galloping aimlessly;
24 a wild donkey accustomed to the desert,
sniffing the wind in her passion.
When she’s in heat,
who can turn her away?
None of the males who pursue her need to tire themselves out,
for in her month[m] they’ll find her.”
25 “Don’t run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.[n]
But you say, ‘It’s hopeless!
Because I love foreign gods,[o] I’ll go after them!’”
26 “As a thief is disgraced when he’s caught,
so the house of Israel is disgraced—
they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets,
27 who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
and to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
They have turned their back to me,
but not their faces.
In the time of their trouble, they’ll say,
‘Rise up! Deliver us!’”
28 “But where are your gods
that you made for yourselves?
Let them rise up, if they can deliver you
in the time of your trouble.
You have as many gods as you have towns, Judah.
29 Why do you contend with me?
You have rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord.
30 “I’ve punished your children with no results,[p]
they have accepted no discipline.
Your sword has devoured your prophets
like a destroying lion.”
31 “You, generation,
pay attention to[q] this message from the Lord!
Am I the desert to Israel,
or a land of gloom?
Why do my people say, ‘We’re free to roam?
We won’t come to you anymore.’
32 Will a young woman forget her wedding[r] ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
But my people have forgotten me
days without number.
33 How well you perfect your techniques[s] for seeking love.
Therefore you can teach even the most immoral women[t] your techniques.[u]
34 On your skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor,
even though you didn’t catch them breaking in.
Yet despite all these things,
35 you say, ‘I’m innocent.
Surely his anger has turned away from me.’”
“I’m about to bring charges against you[v]
because you say, ‘I haven’t sinned.’
36 Why do you go about changing your mind so much?
You will also be disappointed[w] by Egypt,
just as you were disappointed[x] by Assyria.
37 You will also go out from this place
with your hands over your heads.[y]
For the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you won’t prosper through them.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:3 Or set apart
- Jeremiah 2:3 I.e. the first and best
- Jeremiah 2:5 I.e. idols or false gods
- Jeremiah 2:8 I.e. idols or false gods
- Jeremiah 2:12 Lit. very
- Jeremiah 2:13 I.e. fresh water
- Jeremiah 2:14 Lit. was he a home born servant (cf. Exod 21:4)
- Jeremiah 2:16 I.e. Egyptian cities
- Jeremiah 2:16 Or shaved
- Jeremiah 2:21 Lit. faithful seed
- Jeremiah 2:23 I.e. images of the Canaanite storm god
- Jeremiah 2:23 Lit. at your way
- Jeremiah 2:24 I.e. at mating time
- Jeremiah 2:25 Lit. Hold back your feet from being bare and your throat from being dry
- Jeremiah 2:25 Or foreigners
- Jeremiah 2:30 Lit. in vain
- Jeremiah 2:31 Or see
- Jeremiah 2:32 The Heb. lacks wedding
- Jeremiah 2:33 Lit. your way
- Jeremiah 2:33 Lit. the wicked women
- Jeremiah 2:33 Lit. your ways
- Jeremiah 2:35 Lit. enter into judgment with you
- Jeremiah 2:36 Or put to shame
- Jeremiah 2:36 Or put to shame
- Jeremiah 2:37 I.e. in a gesture indicating mourning
Jeremiah 2
New International Version
Jeremiah 2
New International Version
Israel Forsakes God
2 The word(A) of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
“This is what the Lord says:
“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,(B)
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,(C)
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy(D) to the Lord,(E)
the firstfruits(F) of his harvest;
all who devoured(G) her were held guilty,(H)
and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
all you clans of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols(I)
and became worthless(J) themselves.
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,
who brought us up out of Egypt(K)
and led us through the barren wilderness,
through a land of deserts(L) and ravines,(M)
a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land where no one travels(N) and no one lives?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce.(O)
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable.(P)
8 The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;(Q)
the leaders(R) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,(S)
following worthless idols.(T)
9 “Therefore I bring charges(U) against you again,”
declares the Lord.
“And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus(V) and look,
send to Kedar[a](W) and observe closely;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods(X) at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious(Y) God
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken(Z) me,
the spring of living water,(AA)
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave(AB) by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Lions(AC) have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid waste(AD) his land;
his towns are burned(AE) and deserted.(AF)
16 Also, the men of Memphis(AG) and Tahpanhes(AH)
have cracked your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourselves(AI)
by forsaking(AJ) the Lord your God
when he led you in the way?
18 Now why go to Egypt(AK)
to drink water from the Nile[b]?(AL)
And why go to Assyria(AM)
to drink water from the Euphrates?(AN)
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding(AO) will rebuke(AP) you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter(AQ) it is for you
when you forsake(AR) the Lord your God
and have no awe(AS) of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke(AT)
and tore off your bonds;(AU)
you said, ‘I will not serve you!’(AV)
Indeed, on every high hill(AW)
and under every spreading tree(AX)
you lay down as a prostitute.(AY)
21 I had planted(AZ) you like a choice vine(BA)
of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
into a corrupt,(BB) wild vine?
22 Although you wash(BC) yourself with soap(BD)
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord.(BE)
23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled;(BF)
I have not run after the Baals’?(BG)
See how you behaved in the valley;(BH)
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running(BI) here and there,
24 a wild donkey(BJ) accustomed to the desert,(BK)
sniffing the wind in her craving—
in her heat who can restrain her?
Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;
at mating time they will find her.
25 Do not run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use!(BL)
I love foreign gods,(BM)
and I must go after them.’(BN)
26 “As a thief is disgraced(BO) when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priests(BP) and their prophets.(BQ)
27 They say to wood,(BR) ‘You are my father,’
and to stone,(BS) ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs(BT) to me
and not their faces;(BU)
yet when they are in trouble,(BV) they say,
‘Come and save(BW) us!’
28 Where then are the gods(BX) you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble!(BY)
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns.(BZ)
29 “Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all(CA) rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord.
30 “In vain I punished your people;
they did not respond to correction.(CB)
Your sword has devoured your prophets(CC)
like a ravenous lion.
31 “You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord:
“Have I been a desert to Israel
or a land of great darkness?(CD)
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?(CE)
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten(CF) me,
days without number.
33 How skilled you are at pursuing(CG) love!
Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
34 On your clothes is found
the lifeblood(CH) of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in.(CI)
Yet in spite of all this
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;(CJ)
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment(CK) on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’(CL)
36 Why do you go about so much,
changing(CM) your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egypt(CN)
as you were by Assyria.
37 You will also leave that place
with your hands on your head,(CO)
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helped(CP) by them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:10 In the Syro-Arabian desert
- Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew Shihor; that is, a branch of the Nile
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.