Jeremiah 2
1 The Lord's message came to me, saying,
And there is a word of YHWH to me, saying,
2 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.
“Go, and you have called in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus said YHWH: I have remembered for you The kindness of your youth, the love of your espousals, Your going after Me in a wilderness, in a land not sown.
3 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.
Israel [is] holy to YHWH, The first-fruit of His increase, All consuming him are guilty, Calamity comes to them,” A declaration of YHWH.
4 Listen to the Lord's message, descendants of Jacob, all you Israelites.
Hear a word of YHWH, O house of Jacob, And all you families of the house of Israel—
5 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!
Thus said YHWH: “What perversity have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far off from Me, And go after vanity, and become vain,
6 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?”
And have not said, Where [is] YHWH, Who brings us up out of the land of Egypt, Who leads us in a wilderness, In a land of deserts and pits, In a dry land, and of death-shade, In a land that none has passed through, Nor has man dwelt there?
7 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.
Indeed, I bring you into a land of fruitful fields, To eat its fruit and its goodness, And you come in and defile My land, And have made My inheritance an abomination.
8 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.
The priests have not said, Where [is] YHWH? And those handling the Law have not known Me. And the shepherds transgressed against Me, And the prophets have prophesied by Ba‘al, And have gone after those who do not profit.
9 So I'm going to confront you again, declares the Lord, and I will bring charges against your children's children.
Therefore, I yet plead with you,” A declaration of YHWH, “And I plead with your sons’ sons.
10 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.
For pass to the islands of Chittim and see, And send to Kedar and consider well, And see if there has been [anything] like this:
11 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.
Has a nation changed gods? (And they [are] no gods!) And My people has changed its glory For that which does not profit.
12 You heavens, you should be appalled, shocked and horrified! declares the Lord.
Be astonished, you heavens, at this, Indeed, be frightened, be greatly desolated,” A declaration of YHWH.
13 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.
“For My people have done two evils, They have forsaken Me, a fountain of living waters, To hew out for themselves wells—broken wells, That do not contain the waters.
14 Are Israelites slaves? Were they born into slavery? So why have they become victims?
[Is] Israel a servant? Is he a child of the house? Why has he been for a prey?
15 The young lions roared at you; they growled loudly. They have devastated your country; your towns lie in ruins. No one lives there.
Young lions roar against him, They have given forth their voice, And make his land become a desolation, His cities have been burned without inhabitant.
16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved your heads.
Also sons of Noph and Tahapanes Consume you—the crown of the head!
17 Didn't you bring this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God when he was leading you in the right way?
Do you not do this to yourself? [By] your forsaking your God YHWH, At the time He is leading you in the way?
18 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?
And now, why do you [go] in the way of Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? And why do you [go] in the way of Asshur, To drink the waters of the River?
19 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.
Your wickedness instructs you, And your backslidings reprove you, Know and see that an evil and a bitter thing [is] your forsaking your God YHWH, And My fear not being on you,” A declaration of Lord YHWH of Hosts.
20 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.
“For from of old you have broken your yoke, Drawn away your bands, and say, I do not serve, For on every high height, and under every green tree, You are wandering—a harlot.
21 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?
And I planted you [as] a choice vine, wholly of true seed, And how have you been turned Into the degenerate shoots of a strange vine to Me?
22 Even bleach and plenty of soap can't get rid of your guilty stains. I still see them, declares the Lord God.
But though you wash with natron, And multiply soap to yourself, Your iniquity is marked before Me,” A declaration of Lord YHWH.
23 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.
“How can you say, I have not been defiled, I have not gone after the Ba‘alim? See your way in a valley, know what you have done, A swift dromedary winding her ways,
24 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.
A wild donkey accustomed to a wilderness, She has swallowed up wind in the desire of her soul, Her meeting—who turns her back? None seeking her weary themselves, In her month they find her.
25 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.”
Withhold your foot from being unshod, And your throat from thirst, And you say, It is incurable, No, for I have loved strangers, and I go after them.
26 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.
As the shame of a thief when he is found, So has the house of Israel been put to shame, They, their kings, their heads, And their priests, and their prophets,
27 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!”
Saying to wood, You [are] my father! And to a stone, You have brought me forth, For they turned to me the back and not the face, And in the time of their distress, They say, Arise, and save us.
28 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.
And where [are] your gods, that you have made to yourself? Let them arise, if they may save you, In the time of your distress, For—the number of your cities have been your gods, O Judah,
29 Why are you complaining to me? It's all of you who have all rebelled against me! declares the Lord.
Why do you strive with Me? All of you have transgressed against Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
30 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.
“I have struck your sons in vain, They have not accepted instruction, Your sword has devoured your prophets, As a destroying lion.
31 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”?
O generation, see the word of YHWH: Have I been a wilderness to Israel? A land of thick darkness? Why have My people said, We wandered freely, We do not come to You again.
32 Does a girl forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding dress? Yet my people have forgotten me for too many years to count.
Does a virgin forget her ornaments? A bride her bands? And My people have forgotten Me [for] days without number.
33 How cleverly you look for your lovers! Even prostitutes could learn something from you!
Why do you make your ways pleasing to seek love? Therefore you have even taught the wicked your ways.
34 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,
Also the blood of innocent needy souls Has been found on your skirts, I have not found them by digging, But on all these.
35 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.”
And you say, Because I have been innocent, Surely His anger has turned back from me? Behold, I have been judged with you, Because of your saying, I have not sinned.
36 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.
What? You are very vile to repeat your way, You are even ashamed of Egypt, As you have been ashamed of Asshur,
37 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.
Also you go out from this, And your hands on your head, For YHWH has kicked at your confidences, And you do not give prosperity to them!”
