Jeremiah 2:3-22
New American Standard Bible
5This is what the Lord says: 'What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me, And walked after emptiness and became empty?
6They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and of pits, Through a land of drought and of deep darkness, Through a land that no one crossed And where no person lived?’
7I brought you into the fruitful land To eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled My land, And you made My inheritance an abomination.
8The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who handle the Law did not know Me; The rulers also revolted against Me, And the prophets prophesied by Baal And walked after things that were of no benefit.
9'Therefore I will still contend with you,' declares the Lord, 'And I will contend with your sons’ sons.
10For cross to the coastlands of Kittim and see, And send to Kedar and observe closely, And see if there has been anything like this!
11Has a nation changed gods, When they were not gods? But My people have exchanged their glory For that which is of no benefit.
12Be appalled at this, you heavens, And shudder, be very desolate,' declares the Lord.
13'For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, The fountain of living waters, To carve out for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That do not hold water.
14'Is Israel a slave? Or is he a servant born in the home? Why has he become plunder?
15The young lions have roared at him, They have roared loudly. And they have made his land a waste; His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16Also the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes Have shaved your head.
17Have you not done this to yourself By your abandoning the Lord your God When He led you in the way?
18But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt, Except to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19Your own wickedness will correct you, And your apostasies will punish you; Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter For you to abandon the Lord your God, And the fear of Me is not in you,' declares the Lord God of armies.
20'For long ago I broke your yoke And tore off your restraints; But you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill And under every leafy tree You have lain down as a prostitute.
21Yet I planted you as a choice vine, A completely faithful seed. How then have you turned yourself before Me Into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22Although you wash yourself with lye And use much soap, The stain of your guilt is before Me,' declares the Lord God.
King James Version
Chapter 2
3Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD. 4Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: 5Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? 6Neither said they, 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 pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? 7And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. 8The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
9Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.
10For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
11Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
12Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
14Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
15The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
16Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
17Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?
18And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
19Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
20For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.
21Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
22For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 2
3Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it found themselves guilty; disaster came on them." This is the Lord's declaration. 4Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob and all families of the house of Israel. 5This is what the Lord says: What fault did your ancestors find in me that they went so far from me, followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves? 6They stopped asking, "Where is the Lord who brought us from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, through a land of drought and darkness, a land no one traveled through and where no one lived? " 7I brought you to a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but after you entered, you defiled my land; you made my inheritance detestable.
9Therefore, I will bring a case against you again. This is the Lord's declaration. I will bring a case against your children's children.
10Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look. Send someone to Kedar and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this:
11Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? (But they were not gods!) Yet my people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
12Be appalled at this, heavens; be shocked and utterly desolated! This is the Lord's declaration.
13For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves-- cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.
14Is Israel a slave? Was he born into slavery? Why else has he become a prey?
15The young lions have roared at him; they have roared loudly. They have laid waste his land. His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.
16The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have also broken your skull.
17Have you not brought this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God while he was leading you along the way?
18Now what will you gain by traveling along the way to Egypt to drink the water of the Nile? What will you gain by traveling along the way to Assyria to drink the water of the Euphrates?
New Living Translation
5This is what the Lord says: 'What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me? They worshiped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves.
6They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness — a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?’
7'And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you.
8The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who taught my word ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on worthless idols.
9Therefore, I will bring my case against you,' says the Lord. 'I will even bring charges against your children’s children in the years to come.
10'Go west and look in the land of Cyprus ; go east and search through the land of Kedar. Has anyone ever heard of anything as strange as this?
11Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols!
12The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,' says the Lord.
13'For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me — the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!
14'Why has Israel become a slave? Why has he been carried away as plunder?
15Strong lions have roared against him, and the land has been destroyed. The towns are now in ruins, and no one lives in them anymore.
16Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes, have destroyed Israel’s glory and power.
17And you have brought this upon yourselves by rebelling against the Lord your God, even though he was leading you on the way!
18'What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt and your covenants with Assyria? What good to you are the streams of the Nile or the waters of the Euphrates River?
19Your wickedness will bring its own punishment. Your turning from me will shame you. You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him. I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!
20'Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you and tore away the chains of your slavery, but still you said, ‘I will not serve you.’ On every hill and under every green tree, you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
21But I was the one who planted you, choosing a vine of the purest stock — the very best. How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
22No amount of soap or lye can make you clean. I still see the stain of your guilt. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
English Standard Version
Chapter 2
3Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it incurred guilt; disaster came upon them, declares the LORD.” 4Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5Thus says the LORD: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?
6They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that none passes through, where no man dwells?’
7And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination.
8The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit.
9“Therefore I still contend with you, declares the LORD, and with your children’s children I will contend.
10For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing.
11Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit.
12Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD,
13for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant? Why then has he become a prey?
15The lions have roared against him; they have roared loudly. They have made his land a waste; his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.
16Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved the crown of your head.
17Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God, when he led you in the way?
18And now what do you gain by going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what do you gain by going to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
19Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
20“For long ago I broke your yoke and burst your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve.’ Yes, on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a whore.
21Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?
22Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord GOD.
New International Version
Chapter 2
3Israel was holy to the LORD, the firstfruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,'' declares the LORD. 4Hear the word of the LORD, you descendants of Jacob, all you clans of Israel.
5This is what the LORD says: 'What fault did your ancestors find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
6They did not ask, 'Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?'
7I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable.
8The priests did not ask, 'Where is the LORD?' Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.
9Therefore I bring charges against you again,' declares the LORD. 'And I will bring charges against your children's children.
10Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this:
11Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols.
12Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,' declares the LORD.
13My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth? Why then has he become plunder?
15Lions have roared; they have growled at him. They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted.
16Also, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have cracked your skull.
17Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way?
18Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates?
19Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me,' declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
20Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, 'I will not serve you!' Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute.
21I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?
22Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me,' declares the Sovereign LORD.
New King James Version
5Thus says the Lord: “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters?
6Neither did they say, ‘Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?’
7I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination.
8The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.
9“Therefore I will yet bring charges against you,” says the Lord, “And against your children’s children I will bring charges.
10For pass beyond the coasts of Cyprus and see, Send to Kedar and consider diligently, And see if there has been such a thing.
11 Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.
12Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,” says the Lord.
13“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14“ Is Israel a servant? Is he a homeborn slave? Why is he plundered?
15 The young lions roared at him, and growled; They made his land waste; His cities are burned, without inhabitant.
16Also the people of Noph and Tahpanhes Have broken the crown of your head.
17 Have you not brought this on yourself, In that you have forsaken the Lord your God When He led you in the way?
18And now why take the road to Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? Or why take the road to Assyria, To drink the waters of the River?
19Your own wickedness will correct you, And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing That you have forsaken the Lord your God, And the fear of Me is not in you,” Says the Lord God of hosts.
20“For of old I have broken your yoke and burst your bonds; And you said, ‘I will not transgress,’ When on every high hill and under every green tree You lay down, playing the harlot.
21Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then have you turned before Me Into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?
22For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, Yet your iniquity is marked before Me,” says the Lord God.
