Jeremiæ 2
1 Et factum est verbum Domini ad me, dicens:
The Lord's message came to me, saying,
2 Vade, et clama in auribus Ierusalem, dicens: Haec dicit Dominus: Recordatus sum tui, miserans adolescentiam tuam, et charitatem desponsationis tuae, quando secuta es me in deserto, in terra, quae non seminatur.
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 Sanctus Israel Domino, primitiae frugum eius: omnes, qui devorant eum, delinquunt: mala venient super eos, dicit Dominus.
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 Audite verbum Domini domus Iacob, et omnes cognationes domus Israel:
Listen to the Lord's message, descendants of Jacob, all you Israelites.
5 haec dicit Dominus: Quid invenerunt patres vestri in me iniquitatis, quia se elongaverunt a me, et ambulaverunt post vanitatem, et vani facti sunt?
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 Et non dixerunt: Ubi est Dominus, qui ascendere nos fecit de Terra Aegypti: qui traduxit nos per desertum, per terram inhabitabilem et inviam, per terram sitis, et imaginem mortis, per terram, in qua non ambulavit vir, neque habitavit homo?
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 Et induxi vos in terram Carmeli, ut comederetis fructum eius, et optima illius: et ingressi contaminastis terram meam, et hereditatem meam posuistis in abominationem.
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 Sacerdotes non dixerunt: Ubi est Dominus? et tenentes legem nescierunt me, et pastores praevaricati sunt in me: et prophetae prophetaverunt in Baal, et idola secuti sunt.
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 Propterea adhuc iudicio contendam vobiscum, ait Dominus, et cum filiis vestris disceptabo.
So I'm going to confront you again, declares the Lord, and I will bring charges against your children's children.
10 Transite ad insulas Cethim, et videte: et in Cedar mittite, et considerate vehementer: et videte si factum est huiuscemodi.
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 Si mutavit gens deos suos, et certe ipsi non sunt dii: populus vero meus mutavit gloriam suam in idolum.
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 Obstupescite caeli super hoc, et portae eius desolamini vehementer, dicit Dominus.
You heavens, you should be appalled, shocked and horrified! declares the Lord.
13 Duo enim mala fecit populus meus: Me dereliquerunt fontem aquae vivae, et foderunt sibi cisternas, cisternas dissipatas, quia continere non valent aquas.
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 Numquid servus est Israel, aut vernaculus? quare ergo factus est in praedam?
Are Israelites slaves? Were they born into slavery? So why have they become victims?
15 Super eum rugierunt leones, et dederunt vocem suam, posuerunt terram eius in solitudinem: civitates eius exustae sunt, et non est qui habitet in eis.
The young lions roared at you; they growled loudly. They have devastated your country; your towns lie in ruins. No one lives there.
16 Filii quoque Mempheos et Taphneos constupraverunt te usque ad verticem.
The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved your heads.
17 Numquid non istud factum est tibi, quia dereliquisti Dominum Deum tuum eo tempore, quo ducebat te per viam?
Didn't you bring this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God when he was leading you in the right way?
18 Et nunc quid tibi vis in via Aegypti, ut bibas aquam turbidam? et quid tibi cum via Assyriorum, ut bibas aquam fluminis?
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 Arguet te malitia tua, et aversio tua increpabit te. Scito, et vide quia malum et amarum est reliquisse te Dominum Deum tuum, et non esse timorem mei apud te, dicit Dominus Deus exercituum.
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 A saeculo confregisti iugum meum, rupisti vincula mea, et dixisti: Non serviam. In omni enim colle sublimi, et sub omni ligno frondoso tu prosternebaris meretrix.
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 Ego autem plantavi te vineam electam, omne semen verum: quomodo ergo conversa es mihi in pravum vinea aliena?
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 Si laveris te nitro, et multiplicaveris tibi herbam borith, maculata es in iniquitate tua coram me, dicit Dominus Deus.
Even bleach and plenty of soap can't get rid of your guilty stains. I still see them, declares the Lord God.
23 Quomodo dicis: Non sum polluta, post Baalim non ambulavi? vide vias tuas in convalle, scito quid feceris: cursor levis explicans vias suas.
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 Onager assuetus in solitudine, in desiderio animae suae attraxit ventum amoris sui: nullus avertet eam: omnes, qui quaerunt eam, non deficient: in menstruis eius invenient eam.
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 Prohibe pedem tuum a nuditate, et guttur tuum a siti. Et dixisti: Desperavi, nequaquam faciam: adamavi quippe alienos, et post eos ambulabo.
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 Quomodo confunditur fur quando deprehenditur, sic confusi sunt domus Israel, ipsi et reges eorum, principes, et sacerdotes, et prophetae eorum,
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 dicentes ligno: Pater meus es tu: et lapidi: Tu me genuisti. verterunt ad me tergum, et non faciem, et in tempore afflictionis suae dicent: Surge, et libera nos.
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 Ubi sunt dii tui, quos fecisti tibi? surgant et liberent te in tempore afflictionis tuae: secundum numerum quippe civitatum tuarum erant dii tui Iuda.
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 Quid vultis mecum iudicio contendere? omnes dereliquistis me, dicit Dominus.
Why are you complaining to me? It's all of you who have all rebelled against me! declares the Lord.
30 Frustra percussi filios vestros, disciplinam non receperunt: devoravit gladius vester prophetas vestros, quasi leo vastator
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 generatio vestra. Videte verbum Domini: Numquid solitudo factus sum Israeli, aut terra serotina? quare ergo dixit populus meus: Recessimus, non veniemus ultra ad te?
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 Numquid obliviscetur virgo ornamenti sui, aut sponsa fasciae pectoralis suae? populus vero meus oblitus est mei diebus innumeris.
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 Quid niteris bonam ostendere viam tuam ad quaerendam dilectionem, quae insuper et malitias tuas docuisti vias tuas,
How cleverly you look for your lovers! Even prostitutes could learn something from you!
34 et in alis tuis inventus est sanguis animarum pauperum et innocentum? non in fossis inveni eos, sed in omnibus, quae supra memoravi.
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 Et dixisti: Absque peccato et innocens ego sum: et propterea avertatur furor tuus a me. Ecce ego iudicio contendam tecum, eo quod dixeris: Non peccavi.
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 Quam vilis facta es nimis, iterans vias tuas! et ab Aegypto confunderis, sicut confusa es ab Assur.
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 Nam et ab ista egredieris, et manus tuae erunt super caput tuum: quoniam obtrivit Dominus confidentiam tuam, et nihil habebis prosperum in ea.
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.
