Jeremiah 2

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

HERRENS Ord kom til mig saaledes:

2 Go and call out before the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus hath said the Lord, I remember unto thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thy espousals, thy going after me in the wilderness, through a land that is not sown.

Gaa hen og raab Jerusalem i Ørene: Saa siger HERREN: Jeg mindes din Kærlighed som ung, din Elskov som Brud, at du fulgte mig i Ørkenen, et Land, hvor der ikke saas;

3 A holy thing is Israel unto the Lord, the first of his fruits: all that devour him shall incur guilt; evil shall come over them, saith the Lord.

Israel var helliget HERREN, hans Førstegrøde, alle, som aad det, maatte bøde, Ulykke ramte dem, lyder det fra HERREN.

4 Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all ye families of the house of Israel.

Hør HERRENS Ord, Jakobs Hus og alle Slægter i Israels Hus:

5 Thus hath said the Lord, What fault did your fathers find in me, that they went away far from me, and walked after vanity, and became vain?

Saa siger HERREN: Hvad ondt fandt eders Fædre hos mig, siden de gik bort fra mig og holdt sig til Tomhed, til de selv blev tomme?

6 That they said not, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of wildness, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land through which no one had passed, and where no man had dwelt?

De spurgte ikke: »Hvor er HERREN, som førte os op fra Ægypten og ledte os i Ørkenen, Ødemarkens og Kløfternes Land, Tørkens og Mulmets Land, Landet, hvor ingen færdes eller bor?«

7 And I brought you into the land of fruitful fields, to eat its fruit and its goodly products; but ye came and ye made unclean my land, and my heritage ye rendered an abomination.

Jeg bragte eder til Frugthavens Land, at I kunde nyde dets Frugt og Goder; men da I kom derind, gjorde I mit Land urent og min Arvelod vederstyggelig.

8 The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the law knew me not; and the shepherds transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied in the name of Ba'al, and after things that cannot profit did they walk.

Præsterne spurgte ikke: »Hvor er HERREN?« De, der syslede med Loven, kendte mig ikke, Hyrderne faldt fra mig, og Profeterne profeterede ved Ba'al og holdt sig til Guder, som intet evner.

9 Therefore will I contend yet farther with you, saith the Lord, and with your children's children will I contend.

Derfor maa jeg fremdeles gaa i Rette med eder, lyder det fra HERREN, og med eders Sønners Sønner maa jeg gaa i Rette.

10 For pass over to the isles of the Chittites, and see; and unto Kedar send, and consider well and see if any thing like this hath happened.

Drag engang over til Kittæernes Strande og se efter, send Bud til Kedar og spørg jer nøje for; se efter, om sligt er hændet før!

11 Hath a nation exchanged its gods, which are yet no gods? and [still] my people hath exchanged its glory for that which can not profit.

Har et Hedningefolk nogen Sinde skiftet Guder? Og saa er de endda ikke Guder. Men mit Folk har skiftet sin Ære bort for det, der intet gavner.

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and let your hair stand at an end, be ye greatly terrified, saith the Lord.

Gys derover, I Himle, Skræk og Rædsel gribe eder, lyder det fra HERREN;

13 For two evils have my people committed: me have they forsaken, the source of living waters, to hew out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that cannot hold water.

thi to onde Ting har mit Folk gjort: Mig, en Kilde med levende Vand, har de forladt for at hugge sig Cisterner, sprukne Cisterner, der ikke kan holde Vand.

14 Is Israel a servant? or one born [to servitude] in the house? why hath he been given up to plunder?

Er Israel da en Træl, en hjemmefødt Træl? Hvorfor er han blevet til Bytte?

15 [That] over him young lions roared, let their voice resound, and changed his land into a waste, that his cities are burnt, left without an inhabitant?

Løver brøler imod ham med rungende Røst; hans Land har de gjort til en Ørk, hans Byer er brændt, saa ingen bor der.

16 Even the children of Noph and Thachpanches have crushed the crown of thy head.

Selv Nofs og Takpankes's Sønner afgnaver din Isse.

17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, through thy forsaking the Lord thy God, while he was leading thee on the [right] way?

Mon ikke det times dig, fordi du svigted mig? lyder det fra HERREN din Gud.

18 And now what hast thou to do on the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Shichor? and what hast thou to do on the way of Asshur, to drink the waters of the river?

Hvorfor skal du nu til Ægypten og drikke af Sjihor? Hvorfor skal du nu til Assur og drikke af Floden?

19 Thy own wickedness shall chastise thee, and thy backslidings shall correct thee; and thou shalt know and see that evil and bitter was thy forsaking the Lord thy God, while the dread of me was not upon thee, saith the Lord Eternal of hosts.

Lad din Ulykke gøre dig klog og lær af dit Frafald, kend og se, hvor ondt og bittert det er, at du svigted HERREN din Gud; Frygt for mig findes ikke hos dig, saa lyder det fra Herren, Hærskarers HERRE.

20 Because from yore did I break thy yoke, did I burst asunder thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress: nevertheless upon every high hill and under every green tree thou makest thy bed, as harlot.

Thi længst har du brudt dit Aag og sprængt dine Baand. Du siger: »Ej vil jeg tjene!« Nej, Skøgeleje har du paa hver en Høj, under alle de grønne Træer.

21 Yet I had planted thee as a branch of a noble vine, wholly of the proper seed; but how art thou changed unto me into a degenerate plant of an ignoble vine?

Som en Ædelranke planted jeg dig, en fuldgod Stikling; hvor kunde du da blive Vildskud, en uægte Ranke?

22 For though thou wash thyself with natron, and take for thyself much soap: yet would the stain of thy iniquity remain before me, saith the Lord Eternal.

Om du end tor dig med Lud og ødsler med Sæbe, jeg ser dog din Brødes Snavs, saa lyder det fra HERREN.

23 How canst thou say, I am not become unclean, after the Be'alim have I not gone? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: [like] a swift dromedary bound fast to her ways;

Hvor kan du sige: »Ej er jeg uren, til Ba'alerne holdt jeg mig ikke!« Se paa din Færd i Dalen, kend, hvad du gjorde, en let Kamelhoppe, løbende hid og did,

24 [Like] a wild ass used to the wilderness, that at her pleasure snuffeth up the wind; her lust—who can turn this away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month will they find her.

et Vildæsel, kendt med Steppen! Den snapper i Brynde efter Luft, hvo tæmmer dens Brunst? At søge den trætter ingen, den findes i sin Maaned.

25 “Prevent thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from being thirsty;” but thou saidst, It is useless; no, for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.

Spar dog din Fod for Slid, din Strube for Tørst! Dog siger du: »Nej, lad mig være! Jeg elsker de fremmede, dem vil jeg holde mig til.«

26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so have the house of Israel been made ashamed, they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,

Som Tyven faar Skam, naar han gribes, saa Israels Hus, de, deres Konger og Fyrster, Præster og Profeter,

27 Who say to the wood, Thou art my father; and to the stone, Thou hast brought us forth; for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face; but in the time of their misfortune will they say, Arise, and save us.

som siger til Træ: »Min Fader!« til Sten: »Du har født mig.« Thi Ryggen og ikke Ansigtet vender de til mig, men siger i Ulykkestid: »Staa op og frels os!«

28 But where are then thy gods that thou hast made for thyself? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy misfortune; for equal to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah.

Hvor er de da, dine Guder, dem, du har gjort dig? Lad dem staa op! Kan de frelse dig i Ulykkestiden? Thi som dine Byers Tal er dine Guders, Juda.

29 Wherefore will ye contend with me? all of you have transgressed against me, saith the Lord.

Hvorfor tvistes I med mig? I har alle forbrudt jer imod mig, lyder det fra HERREN.

30 To no purpose have I smitten your children; correction they accepted not: your sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

Forgæves slog jeg eders Børn, de tog ikke ved Lære, som hærgende Løve fortærede Sværdet Profeterne.

31 O [present] generation, regard ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of deep darkness? wherefore say my people, We wander about; we cannot come any more unto thee?

Du onde Slægt, saa mærk jer dog HERRENS Ord! Har jeg været en Ørk for Israel, et bælgmørkt Land? Hvorfor mon mit Folk da siger: »Vi gaar, hvor vi vil, og kommer ej mer til dig.«

32 Can a virgin forget her ornament, or a bride her decorations? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

Glemmer en Jomfru sit Smykke, en Brud sit Bælte? Og mig har mit Folk dog glemt i talløse Dage.

33 Why ornamentest thou thy way to seek for love? truly even the worst hast thou used thyself as thy ways.

Hvor snildt du dog gaar til Værks for at søge dig Elskov! Du vænned dig derfor ogsaa til ondt i din Færd.

34 Also on thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the innocent needy ones: not while breaking in [thy house] didst thou find them; but for all these things.

Endog findes Blod paa dine Hænder af fattige, skyldfri Sjæle, Blod, jeg ej fandt hos en Tyv, men paa alle disse.

35 Yet thou sayest, Yea, I am innocent, surely his anger is already turned away from me. Behold, I will hold judgment with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

Og du siger: »Jeg er frikendt, hans Vrede har vendt sig fra mig.« Se, med dig gaar jeg i Rette, da du siger: »Jeg har ikke syndet.«

36 Why makest thou thyself so very low to change thy way? also because of Egypt shalt thou be made ashamed, as thou wast put to shame because of Assyria.

Hvor let det dog falder for dig at skifte din Vej! Du skal ogsaa faa Skam af Ægypten, som du fik det af Assur;

37 Also from this one shalt thou go forth, with thy hands [clasped] over thy head; for the Lord hath rejected those on whom thou trustest and thou shalt not prosper with them.

ogsaa derfra skal du gaa med Hænder paa Hoved, thi HERREN har forkastet dine Støtter, de baader dig intet.