Jeremias 2
1 Og Herrens Ord kom til mig, idet han sagde:
The Lord's message came to me, saying,
2 Gak hen, og raab for Jerusalems Øren og sig: Saa siger Herren: Jeg ihukommer dig din Ungdoms Hengivenhed og din Trolovelsesstands Kærlighed, at du gik efter mig i Ørken, i Landet, som ikke var besaaet.
Go and announce to the people of Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says: I remember when you were young how devoted to me you were. I remember how you loved me when you were my bride. I remember how you followed me in the desert, in a land where nothing is grown.
3 Israel var Herrens Helligdom, hans Førstegrøde; alle, som vilde fortære ham, bleve skyldige, Ulykke kom over dem, siger Herren.
Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. Anyone who ate this harvest was guilty of sin, and they experienced the disastrous results, declares the Lord.
4 Hører Herrens Ord, Jakobs Hus og alle Israels Huses Slægter!
Listen to the Lord's message, descendants of Jacob, all you Israelites.
5 Saa siger Herren: Hvad Uret have eders Fædre fundet hos mig, at de have holdt sig langt fra mig? og at de vandrede efter Forfængelighed og bleve til Forfængelighed?
This is what the Lord says: What did your forefathers think was wrong with me that they went so far away from me? They went off to worship useless idols, and as a result became useless themselves!
6 Og de sagde ikke: Hvor er Herren, han, som førte os op af Ægyptens Land, han, som ledede os i Ørken, i et Land, som var øde og fuldt af Huller, i Tørheds og Dødens Skygges Land, i et Land, som ingen havde vandret igennem, og hvor intet Menneske havde boet?
They didn't ask themselves, “Where is the Lord who led us from Egypt, who led us through the wasteland, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and darkness, a land that no one travels through and where no one lives?”
7 Og jeg førte eder ind udi et frugtbart Land, at I skulde æde dets Frugt og dets Gode; men der I kom derind, da besmittede I mit Land og gjorde min Arv til en Vederstyggelighed.
I led you into a productive land to eat all the good things that grow there. But you came and made my land unclean, making it offensive to me.
8 Præsterne sagde ikke: Hvor er Herren? og de, som omgikkes med Loven, kendte mig ikke, og Hyrderne gjorde Overtrædelse imod mig; og Profeterne spaaede ved Baal og vandrede efter dem, der ikke kunde gavne.
Your priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord?” Your teachers of the law no longer believed in me, and your leaders rebelled against me. Your prophets prophesied by calling on Baal and followed worthless idols.
9 Derfor maa jeg endnu trætte med eder, siger Herren, og med eders Børnebørn maa jeg trætte.
So I'm going to confront you again, declares the Lord, and I will bring charges against your children's children.
10 Thi drager over til Kithims Øer, og ser til og sender Bud til Kedar, og lægger nøje Mærke og ser, om noget saadant er sket.
Travel over to the islands of Cyprus and take a look; go to the land of Kedar and examine carefully to see if anything like this has ever happened before.
11 Mon et Hedningefolk har skiftet Guder, som dog ikke vare Guder? men mit Folk har omskiftet sin Herlighed med det, som ikke kan gavne.
Has a nation ever changed its gods? —even though they're not gods at all! Yet my people have traded their glorious God for worthless idols.
12 Gyser over det, I Himle! og vorder forfærdede, ja vorder saare forskrækkede, siger Herren.
You heavens, you should be appalled, shocked and horrified! declares the Lord.
13 Thi tvende onde Ting har mit Folk gjort: Mig, den levende Vandkilde, have de forladt for at hugge sig Brønde, revnede Brønde, som ikke kunde holde Vand.
For my people have done two evil things. They have abandoned me, the source of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that can't hold water.
14 Er Israel en købt Træl, eller er han en hjemfødt Træl? hvorfor er han bleven til Bytte?
Are Israelites slaves? Were they born into slavery? So why have they become victims?
15 Unge Løver brølede imod ham, de lode deres Røst høre, og de gjorde hans Land til en Ødelæggelse, hans Stæder ere opbrændte, at ingen bor deri.
The young lions roared at you; they growled loudly. They have devastated your country; your towns lie in ruins. No one lives there.
16 Ogsaa Nofs og Takfanes Børn gjorde din Hovedisse skaldet.
The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved your heads.
17 Hvad der volder dig saadant, er det ikke dette, at du har forladt Herren, din Gud, den Tid, han ledede dig paa Vejen?
Didn't you bring this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God when he was leading you in the right way?
18 Og nu, hvad har du at gøre med Vejen til Ægypten for at drikke Sihors Vand? og hvad har du at gøre med Vejen til Assur for at drikke Flodens Vand?
Now what will you benefit as you travel back to Egypt to drink the waters of Shihor River? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 Din Ondskab skal tugte dig og dine Afvigelser straffe dig; vid da og se, at det er ondt og besk, at du har forladt Herren din Gud, og at Frygt for mig ikke er hos dig, siger Herren, den Herre Zebaoth.
Your own wickedness will discipline you; your own disobedience will teach you a lesson. Think about it and you'll recognize what a bitter evil it is for you to abandon the Lord your God and not to respect me, declares the Lord God Almighty.
20 Thi jeg har fra fordums Tid sønderbrudt dit Aag, sønderrevet dine Baand, men du sagde: Jeg vil ikke tjene; thi du gav dig hen paa alle ophøjede Høje og under hvert grønt Træ som en Skøge.
You broke off your yoke and ripped off your chains long ago. “I won't worship you!” you declared. On the contrary, you lay down like a prostitute on every high hill and under every green tree.
21 Og jeg har plantet dig som ædle Vinkviste, ægte Planter til Hobe; hvorledes har du da forvendt dig for mig til Ranker af et fremmed Vintræ?
I was the one who planted you like the finest vine, grown from the very best seed. How could you degenerate into a useless wild vine?
22 Thi om du end vilde to dig med Lud og tage dig megen Sæbe, saa pletter din Misgerning dig dog for mit Ansigt, siger den Herre, Herre.
Even bleach and plenty of soap can't get rid of your guilty stains. I still see them, declares the Lord God.
23 Hvorledes kan du sige: Jeg er ikke uren, jeg vandrer ikke efter Baalerne? se hen til din Gang i Dalen, kend, hvad du har gjort, du lette Kamelhoppe! der løber hid og did paa egne Veje,
How dare you say, “I'm not unclean! I haven't gone to worship the Baals!” Look at what you've been doing down in the valley. Admit what you've done! You're a young female camel, racing around everywhere.
24 som Vildæselinden, der er vant til Ørken og i sin Sjæls Begæring snapper efter Vejret; naar hun er i Brynde, hvo kan holde hende tilbage? alle de, som søge hende, behøve ikke at trætte sig, de ville finde hende i hendes Maaned.
You're a female donkey living in the desert, sniffing the wind for a mate because she's in heat. No one can control her at mating time. All those who're looking for her won't have trouble finding her when she's in heat.
25 „Hold din Fod tilbage fra at blive barfodet og din Strube fra at blive tørstig‟; men du siger: Det er forgæves! Nej! thi jeg elsker fremmede, og efter dem vil jeg gaa.
You don't have to run around barefoot or have your throat go dry. But you reply, “No, it's impossible! I'm in love with foreign gods—I must go to them.”
26 Ligesom en Tyv bliver til Skamme, naar han gribes, saa ere de af Israels Hus blevne til Skamme, de, deres Konger, deres Fyrster og deres Præster og deres Profeter,
In the same way that a thief feels guilty when they're caught, so the people of Israel have been shamed. All of them—their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets.
27 som sige til Træ: Du er min Fader, og til Sten: Du fødte mig; thi de have vendt Ryg til mig og ikke Ansigt; men i deres Ulykkes Tid sige de: Staa op og frels os!
They say to an idol made of wood, “You are my father,” and one made of stone, “You gave birth to me.” They turn their backs on me, and hide their faces from me. But when they're in trouble they come begging to me, saying, “Please come and save us!”
28 Hvor ere dine Guder, som du har gjort dig? lad dem staa op, om de kunne frelse dig i din Ulykkes Tid; thi saa mange som dine Stæder ere, vare dine Guder, Juda!
So where are these “gods” of yours that you made for yourselves? Let them come and help you when you're in trouble! Let them save you if they can, because you Israelites have as many gods as you have towns.
29 Hvorfor ville I trætte med mig? I have alle gjort Overtrædelse imod mig, siger Herren.
Why are you complaining to me? It's all of you who have all rebelled against me! declares the Lord.
30 Jeg slog eders Børn forgæves, de annammede ikke Tugt; eders Sværd fortærede eders Profeter ligesom en ødelæggende Løve.
It was pointless of me to punish your children because they refused to accept any discipline. You used your own swords to kill your prophets, destroying them like a ferocious lion.
31 O Slægt, som I ere, ser hen til Herrens Ord! Er jeg bleven Israel til en Ørk eller til et Mørkheds Land? hvorfor sagde da mit Folk: Vi have gjort os frie, vi ville ikke mere komme til dig.
You people of today, think about what the Lord is saying: Israel, have I treated you like an empty desert, or a land of thick darkness? Why are my people saying, “We can go where we like! We don't have to come and worship you any more”?
32 Mon en Jomfru glemmer sin Prydelse, en Brud sine Hovedbaand? men mit Folk har glemt mig utallige Dage.
Does a girl forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding dress? Yet my people have forgotten me for too many years to count.
33 Hvor godt ved du dog at vælge din Vej for at søge Kærlighed, derfor har du ogsaa lært dine Veje at kende det onde.
How cleverly you look for your lovers! Even prostitutes could learn something from you!
34 Tilmed findes paa dine Flige de arme uskyldige Sjæles Blod; du har ikke grebet dem, der de brøde ind, men det var for alle disse Tings Skyld.
On top of that, your clothes are stained with the blood of the poor and the innocent. It's not like you killed them breaking into your homes. Despite all this,
35 Og dog sagde du: Jeg er uskyldig, hans Vrede har vendt sig fra mig; se, jeg vil gaa i Rette med dig, fordi du siger: Jeg har ikke syndet.
you go on saying, “I'm innocent! Surely he can't still be upset with me!” Watch out! I'm going to punish you because you go on saying, “I haven't sinned.”
36 Hvorfor løber du saa ivrigt bort for at omskifte din Vej? ogsaa ved Ægypten skal du blive til Skamme, ligesom du blev til Skamme ved Assyrien.
You're just so fickle—you keep on changing your mind! You will end up just as disappointed by your alliance with Egypt as you were with Assyria.
37 Ogsaa derfra skal du gaa ud, med Hænderne over dit Hoved; thi Herren forkaster dem, til hvilke du satte Lid, og du skal ikke faa Lykke ved dem.
In fact you will go into exile with your hands on your head as prisoners, because the Lord will have nothing to do with those you trust; they will be no help to you.
