Jeremiah 2

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

And he said, Thus says the Lord,

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.

I remember the kindness of your youth, and the love of your espousals,

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.

in following the Holy One of Israel, says 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, says the Lord.

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

Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and every family of the house of Israel.

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?

Thus says the Lord, What trespass have your fathers found in me, that they have revolted far from me, and gone after vanities, and become vain?

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?

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 lived there?

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.

And I brought you to Carmel, that you should eat the fruits thereof, and the good thereof; and you went in, and defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

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.

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.

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

Therefore I will yet plead with you, and will plead with your children's children.

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.

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;

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.

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.

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

The heaven is amazed at this, and is very exceedingly horror-struck, says the Lord.

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.

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.

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

Is Israel a servant, or a home-born slave? why has he become a spoil?

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?

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.

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

Also the children of Memphis and Taphnas have known you, and mocked you.

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

Has not your forsaking me brought these things upon you? says the Lord your God.

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?

And now what have you to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the water of Geon? and what have you to do with the way of the Assyrians, to drink the water of rivers?

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.

Your apostasy shall correct you, and your wickedness shall reprove you: know then, and see, that your forsaking me [has been] bitter to you, says the Lord your God; and I have taken no pleasure in you, says the Lord your God.

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.

For of old you have broken your yoke, and plucked asunder your bands; and you has said, I will not serve you, but will go upon every high hill, and under every shady tree, there will I indulge in my fornication.

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?

Yet I planted you a fruitful vine, entirely of the right sort: how are you a strange vine turned to bitterness!

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.

Though you should wash yourself with nitre, and multiply to yourself soap, [still] you are stained by your iniquities before me, says the Lord.

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;

How will you say, I am not polluted, and have not gone after Baal? behold your ways in the burial-ground, and know what you have done: her voice has howled in the evening:

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.

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.

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.

Withdraw your foot from a rough way, and your throat from thirst: but she said I will strengthen myself: for she loved strangers, and went after them.

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,

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.

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.

They said to a stock, You are my father; and to a stone, You 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.

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.

And where are your gods, which you made for yourself? will they arise and save in the time of your affliction? for according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Juda; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem they sacrificed to Baal.

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

Therefore do you speak to me? you all have been ungodly, and you all have transgressed against me, says the Lord.

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

In vain have I struck your children; you have not received correction: a sword has devoured your prophets as a destroying lion; yet you feared not.

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?

Hear you the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Have I been a wilderness or a dry land to Israel? therefore has my people said, We will not be ruled over, and will not come to you any more?

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

Will a bride forget her ornaments, or a virgin her girdle? but my people has forgotten me days without number.

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

What fair device will you yet employ in your ways, so as to seek love? [it shall] not [be] so; moreover you has done wickedly in corrupting your ways;

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.

and in your hands has been found the blood of innocent souls; I have not found them in holes, but on every oak.

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.

Yet you said, I am innocent: only let his wrath be turned away from me. Behold, I [will] plead with you, whereas you say, I have not sinned.

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.

For you has been so exceedingly contemptuous as to repeat your ways; but you shall be ashamed of Egypt, as you were ashamed of 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.

For you shall go forth thence also with your hands upon your head; for the Lord has rejected your hope, and you shall not prosper in it.