Jeremias 2
1 And he said, Thus saith the Lord,
And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,
2 I remember the kindness of thy youth, and the love of thine espousals,
'Go, and thou hast called in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus said Jehovah: I have remembered for thee The kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, Thy going after Me in a wilderness, in a land not sown.
3 in following the Holy One of Israel, saith the Lord, Israel was the holy [people] to the Lord, [and] the first-fruits of his increase: all that devoured him shall offend; evils shall come upon them, saith the Lord.
Holy [is] Israel to Jehovah, The first-fruit of His increase, All consuming him are guilty, Evil cometh in unto them, an affirmation of Jehovah.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and every family of the house of Israel.
Hear a word of Jehovah, O house of Jacob, And all ye families of the house of Israel.
5 Thus saith the Lord, What trespass have your fathers found in me, that they have revolted far from me, and gone after vanities, and become vain?
Thus said Jehovah: What — have your fathers found in Me perversity, That they have gone far off from Me, And go after the vanity, and become vain,
6 And they said not, Where is the Lord, who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who guided us in the wilderness, in an untried and trackless land, in a land which no man at all went through, and no man dwelt there?
And have not said, Where [is] Jehovah, Who bringeth us up out of the land of Egypt, Who leadeth us in a wilderness, In a land of deserts and pits, In a dry land, and of death-shade, In a land — none hath passed through it, Nor dwelt hath man there?'
7 And I brought you to Carmel, that ye should eat the fruits thereof, and the good thereof; and ye went in, and defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
Yea, I bring you in to a land of fruitful fields, To eat its fruit and its goodness, And ye come in and defile My land, And Mine inheritance have made an abomination.
8 The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that held by the law knew me not: the shepherds also sinned against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after that which profited not.
The priests have not said, 'Where [is] Jehovah?' And those handling the law have not known Me. And the shepherds transgressed against Me, And the prophets have prophesied by Baal, And after those who profit not have gone.
9 Therefore I will yet plead with you, and will plead with your children's children.
Therefore, yet I plead with you, An affirmation of Jehovah, And with your sons' sons I plead.
10 For go to the isles of the Chettians, and se; and send to Kedar, and observe accurately, and see if such things have been done;
For, pass to the isles of Chittim, and see, And to Kedar send, and consider well, And see if there hath been like this:
11 if the nations will change their gods, though they are not gods: but my people have changed their glory, [for that] from which they shall not be profited.
Hath a nation changed gods? (And they [are] no gods!) And My people hath changed its honour For that which doth not profit.
12 The heaven is amazed at this, and is very exceedingly horror-struck, saith the Lord.
Be astonished, ye heavens, at this, Yea, be frightened, be greatly wasted, An affirmation of Jehovah.
13 For my people has committed two [faults], and evil ones: they have forsaken me, the fountain of water of life, and hewn out for themselves broken cisterns, which will not be able to hold water.
For two evils hath My people done, Me they have forsaken, a fountain of living waters, To hew out for themselves wells — broken wells, That contain not the waters.
14 Is Israel a servant, or a home-born slave? why has he become a spoil?
A servant [is] Israel? Is he a child of the house? Wherefore hath he been for a prey?
15 The lions roared upon him, and uttered their voice, which have made his land a wilderness: and his cities are broken down, that they should not be inhabited.
Against him roar do young lions, They have given forth their voice, And make his land become a desolation, His cities have been burnt without inhabitant.
16 Also the children of Memphis and Taphnas have known thee, and mocked thee.
Also sons of Noph and Tahapanes Consume thee — the crown of the head!
17 Has not thy forsaking me brought these things upon thee? saith the Lord thy God.
Dost thou not do this to thyself? [By] thy forsaking Jehovah thy God, At the time He is leading thee in the way?
18 And now what hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Geon? and what hast thou to do with the way of the Assyrians, to drink the water of rivers?
And now, what — to thee in the way of Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? And what — to thee in the way of Asshur, To drink the waters of the River?
19 Thine apostasy shall correct thee, and thy wickedness shall reprove thee: know then, and see, that thy forsaking me [has been] bitter to thee, saith the Lord thy God; and I have taken no pleasure in thee, saith the Lord thy God.
Instruct thee doth thy wickedness, And thy backslidings reprove thee, Know and see that an evil and a bitter thing [Is] thy forsaking Jehovah thy God, And My fear not being on thee, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah of Hosts.
20 For of old thou hast broken thy yoke, and plucked asunder thy bands; and thou has said, I will not serve thee, but will go upon every high hill, and under every shady tree, there will I indulge in my fornication.
For from of old thou hast broken thy yoke, Drawn away thy bands, and sayest, 'I do not serve,' For, on every high height, and under every green tree, Thou art wandering — a harlot.
21 Yet I planted thee a fruitful vine, entirely of the right sort: how art thou a strange vine turned to bitterness!
And I planted thee a choice vine, wholly a true seed, And how hast thou been turned to Me, To the degenerate shoots of a strange vine?
22 Though thou shouldest wash thyself with nitre, and multiply to thyself soap, [still] thou art stained by thine iniquities before me, saith the Lord.
But though thou dost wash with nitre, And dost multiply to thyself soap, Marked is thine iniquity before Me, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
23 How wilt thou say, I am not polluted, and have not gone after Baal? behold thy ways in the burial-ground, and know what thou hast done: her voice has howled in the evening:
How sayest thou, 'I have not been defiled, After the Baalim I have not gone?' See thy way in a valley, know what thou hast done, A swift dromedary winding her ways,
24 she has extended her ways over the waters of the desert; she was hurried along by the lusts of her soul; she is given up [to them], who will turn her back? none that seek her shall be weary; at [the time of] her humiliation they shall find her.
A wild ass accustomed to a wilderness, In the desire of her soul she hath swallowed up wind, Her meeting — who doth turn her back? None seeking her do weary themselves, In her month they find her.
25 Withdraw thy foot from a rough way, and thy throat from thirst: but she said I will strengthen myself: for she loved strangers, and went after them.
Withhold thy foot from being unshod, And thy throat from thirst, And thou sayest, 'It is incurable, No, for I have loved strangers, and after them I go.'
26 As is the shame of a thief when he is caught, so shall the children of Israel be ashamed; they, and their kings, and their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.
As the shame of a thief when he is found, So put to shame have been the house of Israel, They, their kings, their heads, And their priests, and their prophets,
27 They said to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou has begotten me: and they have turned [their] backs to me, and not their faces: yet in the time of their afflictions they will say, Arise, and save us.
Saying to wood, 'My father [art] thou!' And to a stone, 'Thou hast brought me forth,' For they turned unto me the back and not the face, And in the time of their vexation, They say, 'Arise Thou, and save us.'
28 And where are thy gods, which thou madest for thyself? will they arise and save in the time of thine affliction? for according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Juda; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem they sacrificed to Baal.
And where [are] thy gods, that thou hast made to thyself? Let them arise, if they may save thee, In the time of thy vexation, For — the number of thy cities have been thy gods, O Judah,
29 Wherefore do ye speak unto me? ye all have been ungodly, and ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord.
Why do ye strive with Me? All of you have transgressed against Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
30 In vain have I smitten your children; ye have not received correction: a sword has devoured your prophets as a destroying lion; yet ye feared not.
In vain I have smitten your sons, Instruction they have not accepted, Devoured hath your sword your prophets, As a destroying lion.
31 Hear ye the word of the Lord: thus saith the Lord, Have I been a wilderness or a dry land to Israel? wherefore has my people said, We will not be ruled over, and will not come to thee any more?
O generation, see ye the word of Jehovah: A wilderness have I been to Israel? A land of thick darkness? Wherefore have My people said, 'We mourned, We come not in again unto Thee.'
32 Will a bride forget her ornaments, or a virgin her girdle? but my people has forgotten me days without number.
Doth a virgin forget her ornaments? A bride her bands? And My people have forgotten Me days without number.
33 What fair device wilt thou yet employ in thy ways, so as to seek love? [it shall] not [be] so; moreover thou has done wickedly in corrupting thy ways;
What — dost thou make pleasing thy ways to seek love? Therefore even the wicked thou hast taught thy ways.
34 and in thine hands has been found the blood of innocent souls; I have not found them in holes, but on every oak.
Also in thy skirts hath been found the blood of innocent needy souls, Not by digging have I found them, but upon all these.
35 Yet thou saidst, I am innocent: only let his wrath be turned away from me. Behold, I [will] plead with thee, whereas thou sayest, I have not sinned.
And thou sayest, 'Because I have been innocent, Surely turned back hath His anger from me?' Lo, I have been judged with thee, Because of thy saying, 'I have not sinned.'
36 For thou has been so exceedingly contemptuous as to repeat thy ways; but thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assur.
What? thou art very vile to repeat thy way, Even of Egypt thou art ashamed, As thou hast been ashamed of Asshur,
37 For thou shalt go forth thence also with thine hands upon thine head; for the Lord has rejected thine hope, and thou shalt not prosper in it.
Also from this thou goest out, And thy hands on thy head, For Jehovah hath kicked at thy confidences, And thou dost not give prosperity to them!
