2 The Lord spoke to me again. 2 He said, ‘Go and tell this to the people in Jerusalem:
“This is what the Lord says:
I remember how you used to love me when you were young.
You loved me as a young wife loves her husband.
You followed me through the wilderness,
where no crops were growing.
3 At that time, Israel belonged to me as my special people.
They were like the first crops that grew on my land.
I promised to punish anyone who tried to hurt them.
I sent great trouble to those who attacked you.
That is what I, the Lord , have said.” ’
4 Listen to what the Lord says, you descendants of Jacob, all you families in Israel. 5 This is the Lord 's message to you:
‘I had done nothing wrong against your ancestors,
but they turned away from me.
Instead, they worshipped useless idols.
So they themselves became useless.
6 They did not think to themselves,
“Where is the Lord ?
We should ask him to help us.
He brought us safely out of Egypt.
He led us through the wilderness.
It was a place with dry sand and deep holes.
There was no water there and it was dangerous.
Nobody lives in that desert,
and nobody even travels through it.”
7 But I, the Lord , brought you to a good land.
It was a place where fruit grew on trees.
You could eat all those good things,
as well as the crops that you grew there.
You came into the land that I had promised to give to you.
But you spoiled it with your sins.
You made it a disgusting place.
8 Your priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord ?”
The people who taught my laws did not know me.
Your leaders turned against me.
Your prophets spoke messages from Baal.
They worshipped useless idols.’
9 So the Lord says this:
‘Because of your sins, I will speak against you in court.
I will show that you are guilty,
as well as your children and your grandchildren.
10 No other nation has done what you have done!
Send people across the sea to islands in the west.
Or send them to the deserts in the east.
Let them find out if any other people have done this terrible thing.
11 Have any other nations turned against their gods?
No! They have not done that, even to their false gods!
But my people have turned against me,
the true God who makes them great.’
12 The Lord says,
‘The whole universe should see how terrible this is.
Yes, everything should shake with fear!
13 My people have done two evil things:
I give them life, like a spring of fresh water,
but they have turned away from me.
Instead, they have tried to get water for themselves.
They have dug holes in the ground to store it.
But those holes cannot hold the water.
It quickly runs away.
14 Israel's people are surely not slaves.
They were not born as slaves.
But their enemies have taken them away as prisoners.
15 Their enemies have attacked them like lions.
They have destroyed my people's land.
They have destroyed your cities with fire.
Nobody lives in them any more.
16 Soldiers from Memphis and Tahpanhes have broken your skulls! [ a ]
17 You Israelites have caused this to happen.
The Lord your God was leading you on the right way.
But you decided not to follow him any longer.
18 So what help will you get from Egypt?
If you drink water from the Nile river,
will that make you strong? No!
And what help will you get from Assyria?
If you drink water from the Euphrates river,
will that make you strong? No!
19 The wicked things that you have done will punish you.
You are guilty because you have turned away from me.
You have brought terrible trouble on yourselves,
because you have turned against me, the Lord your God.
Because you no longer respect me,
you will realize that you are in great trouble.’
That is what the Lord God Almighty says.
20 ‘A long time ago, you stopped obeying me.
You refused to accept my authority.
You said, “I will not serve you!”
Instead, you go up on the hills to worship other gods.
You lie down under the green trees,
and you live like prostitutes.
21 I planted you in my land,
like the very good seed of a vine.
But see how you have changed!
You have become like a wild vine.
Your grapes are bad and useless.
22 You may use strong soap to make yourselves clean.
But I still see the dirt of your sins.’
That is what the Almighty Lord says.
23 ‘You say, “We have not made ourselves unclean.
We do not worship the idols of Baal.”
But remember what you have done in the valleys. [ b ]
You hurry to find another idol that you can worship.
Like a female camel, you cannot control yourselves.
24 You are like a wild female donkey that lives in the wilderness.
She lifts her nose to smell the air.
She wants to find a male donkey.
Nobody can control her.
Male donkeys do not have to chase her.
She will come to them to have sex with them.
You are like that as you chase after false gods.
25 Stop running after them!
Your feet will hurt and you will become very thirsty.
You say, “Do not try to stop us! We cannot turn back.
We love foreign gods and we must serve them!”
26 A robber is ashamed when people catch him.
The people of Israel will become ashamed like that.
They will all be ashamed of their sins.
Their kings, their officers, their priests and their prophets are all guilty.
27 They worship a piece of wood,
and they say, “You are my father.”
They say to a stone, “You gave birth to me.”
They have not turned to come to me.
Instead, they have turned away from me.
But when trouble comes to them,
they call out to me to rescue them.
28 But where are the gods that you made for yourselves?
Ask them to save you when trouble comes!
You have enough gods to give you help.
Yes, people of Judah,
your gods are as many as your towns!
29 You cannot argue against me.
You have all turned against me.’
That is what the Lord says.
30 ‘When I punished your people,
they did not change how they lived.
When I sent my prophets to you,
you killed them as if you were a hungry lion.’
31 Listen to the Lord 's message, you people who are alive today:
‘People of Israel, why do you not trust me?
Have I become like a desert for you?
Have I become a dark and dangerous land for you to live in?
No! But you say, “We are free to go where we like.
We do not need to serve you any more.”
32 A young woman does not forget to wear her jewels.
When a woman marries,
she does not forget to wear her special dress.
But for many years, my people have forgotten me.
33 You are very clever. You can always find someone to love.
Even prostitutes could learn something from you!
34 You have been cruel to poor people for no reason.
Your clothes have their blood on them!
They had not robbed you,
but you still killed them.
You have done all these bad things, but still you say,
35 “We have not done anything that is wrong.
God cannot be angry with us!”
Be careful! I will surely punish you,
because you say, “I am not guilty of any sin.”
36 You try to get help from other nations.
You run here and there to make new friends.
You hoped for help from Assyria,
but no help came.
And you will get no help from Egypt either.
37 You will come away from Egypt with your hands on your heads.
You will be ashamed and upset.
The Lord has turned away from those nations.
You have trusted them to help you,
But you will not receive any help from them.’
2 The Lord ’s message came to me: 2 “Jeremiah, go and speak to the people of Jerusalem. Tell them that this is what the Lord says:
“‘At the time you were a young nation, you were faithful to me.
You followed me like a young bride.
You followed me through the desert,
through a land that had never been used for farmland.
3 The people of Israel were a holy gift to the Lord .
They were the first fruit he gathered.
Any people who tried to hurt them were judged guilty.
Bad things happened to those wicked people.’”
This message is from the Lord .
4 Family of Jacob, hear the Lord ’s message.
Tribes of Israel, listen.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“Do you think that I was not fair to your ancestors?
Is that why they turned away from me?
Your ancestors worshiped worthless idols,
and they became worthless themselves.
6 Your ancestors did not say,
‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt.
He led us through the desert,
through a dry and rocky land.
He led us through a dark and dangerous land.
No one lives there;
people don’t even travel through that land.
But the Lord led us through that land.
So where is he now?’
7 “I brought you into a good land,
a land filled with many good things.
I did this so that you could eat the fruit and crops that grow there.
But you only made my land ‘dirty.’
I gave that land to you,
but you made it a bad place.
8 “The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord ?’
The people who know the law did not want to know me.
The leaders of the people of Israel turned against me.
The prophets spoke [ a ] in the name of the false god Baal.
They worshiped worthless idols.”
9 The Lord says, “So now I will accuse you again,
and I will also accuse your grandchildren.
10 Go across the sea to the Islands of Kittim. [ b ]
Send someone to the land of Kedar.
Look very carefully.
See if anyone has ever done anything like this.
11 Has any nation ever stopped worshiping their old gods
so that they could worship new gods?
No! And their gods are not really gods at all!
But my people stopped worshiping their glorious God
and started worshiping idols that are worth nothing.
12 “Skies, be shocked at what happened!
Shake with great fear!”
This message is from the Lord .
13 “My people have done two evil things.
They turned away from me,
and they dug their own water cisterns. [ c ]
I am the source of living water;
those cisterns are broken and cannot hold water.
14 “Israel is not a slave, is he?
He was not born a slave, was he?
Then why did the enemy carry him away as a captive?
15 Like a lion the enemy has roared at Israel.
They have destroyed your [ d ] land.
Your cities have been burned,
and no one is left in them.
16 People from Memphis and Tahpanhes [ e ]
have smashed the top of your head.
17 This trouble is your own fault.
The Lord your God was leading you the right way, [ f ]
but you turned away from him.
18 People of Judah, think about this:
How did it help you to go to Egypt and drink from the Nile River?
How did it help you to go to Assyria and drink from the Euphrates River?
19 You have done wrong,
and that will only bring punishment to you.
Trouble will come to you,
and it will teach you a lesson.
Think about it and understand how bad it is to turn away from the Lord your God.
It is wrong not to fear and respect me.”
This message is from Lord God All-Powerful.
20 “Judah, long ago you broke free from me,
like an ox that breaks its yoke and the ropes that held it.
You said to me, ‘I will not serve you!’
On every high hill and under every green tree,
you acted like a prostitute. [ g ]
21 Judah, I planted you like a special vine.
You were all from good seed.
How did you turn into a different vine
that grows bad fruit?
22 Even if you wash yourself with lye,
even if you use much soap,
I can still see your guilt.”
This message is from the Lord God .
23 “Judah, how can you say to me,
‘I am not guilty because I have not worshiped the Baal idols’?
Think about what you did in the valley.
Think about what you have done.
You are like a fast she-camel
that runs from place to place.
24 You are like a wild donkey that lives in the desert.
At mating time, she sniffs the wind.
No one can control her when she is in heat.
At mating time, every male that wants her will get her.
She is easy to find.
25 Judah, stop chasing after idols!
Stop wanting those other gods.
But you say, ‘It is no use! I cannot stop!
I love those other gods.
I can’t stop chasing them.’
26 “A thief is ashamed
when people catch him stealing.
The people of Israel should be ashamed too
and so should their kings and leaders, priests and prophets.
27 They say to pieces of wood,
‘You are my father.’
They say to a rock,
‘You gave birth to me.’
All these people will be ashamed.
They don’t look to me for help.
They have turned their backs to me.
But when the people of Judah get into trouble, they say to me,
‘Come and save us!’
28 But where are the idols you made for yourselves?
Let’s see if they come and save you when you are in trouble!
People of Judah, you have as many idols
as you have cities!
29 “Why do you argue with me?
You have all turned against me.”
This message was from the Lord .
30 “I punished you people of Judah,
but it did not help.
You did not come back
when you were punished.
With your swords you killed the prophets who came to you.
Like a dangerous lion, you killed the prophets.”
31 People of this generation,
pay attention to the Lord ’s message!
“Have I been like a desert to the people of Israel?
Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to them?
My people say, ‘We are free to go our own way.
We will not come back to you!’
Why do they say these things?
32 A young woman does not forget her jewelry.
A bride does not forget to wear her wedding dress.
But my people have forgotten me
too many times to count.
33 “Judah, you have become so good at finding lovers.
Even the worst women could learn some evil ways from you.
34 You have blood on your hands!
It is the blood of poor, innocent people.
You did not catch them breaking into your house.
You killed them for no reason!
35 But still, you say, ‘I am innocent.
God is not angry with me.’
So I will also judge you guilty of lying, because you say,
‘I have done nothing wrong.’
36 You go from one place to another looking for help,
always changing your mind.
But Egypt will also disappoint you,
just as Assyria did.
37 So you will eventually leave Egypt too,
and you will hide your face in shame.
You trusted these countries,
but the Lord rejected them,
so they cannot help you win.
2 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord ; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
3 Israel 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 .
4 Hear ye the word of the Lord , O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
5 Thus 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?
6 Neither 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?
7 And 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.
8 The 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.
9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the Lord , and with your children's children will I plead.
10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord .
13 For 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.
14 Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way?
18 And 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?
19 Thine 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.
20 For 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.
21 Yet 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?
22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God .
23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
24 A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.
26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets.
27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
28 But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
29 Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the Lord .
30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
31 O generation, see ye the word of the Lord . Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the Lord hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
2 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Go and ( A ) proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“I remember regarding you the [ a ] ( B ) devotion of your youth,
Your love when you were a bride,
( C ) Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 Israel was ( D ) holy to the Lord ,
The ( E ) first of His harvest.
( F ) All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord .’”
4 Hear the word of the Lord , house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the Lord says:
“ ( G ) What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me,
And walked after ( H ) emptiness and became empty?
6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who ( I ) brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who ( J ) led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of [ b ] deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no person lived?’
7 I brought you into the ( K ) fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and ( L ) defiled My land,
And you made My inheritance an abomination.
8 The ( M ) priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord ?’
And those who handle the Law ( N ) did not know Me;
The [ c ] rulers also revolted against Me,
And the ( O ) prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after ( P ) things that were of no benefit.
9 “Therefore I will still ( Q ) contend with you,” declares the Lord ,
“And I will contend with your sons’ sons.
10 For ( R ) cross to the coastlands of [ d ] Kittim and see,
And send to ( S ) Kedar and observe closely,
And see if there has been anything like this!
11 Has a nation changed gods,
When ( T ) they were not gods?
But My people have ( U ) exchanged their glory
For that which is of no benefit.
12 Be appalled at this, ( V ) you heavens,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord .
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned Me,
The ( W ) fountain of living waters,
To carve out for themselves ( X ) cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That do not hold water.
14 “Is Israel ( Y ) a slave? Or is he a servant born in the home?
Why has he become plunder?
15 The young ( Z ) lions have roared at him,
They have [ e ] roared loudly.
And they have ( AA ) made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 Also the [ f ] men of ( AB ) Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [ g ] shaved ( AC ) your head.
17 Have you not ( AD ) done this to yourself
By your abandoning the Lord your God
When He ( AE ) led you in the way?
18 But now what are you doing ( AF ) on the road to Egypt,
Except to drink the waters of the [ h ] ( AG ) Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 ( AH ) Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your ( AI ) apostasies will punish you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and ( AJ ) bitter
For you to abandon the Lord your God,
And ( AK ) the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [ i ] God of armies.
20 “For long ago [ j ] ( AL ) I broke your yoke
And tore off your restraints;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every ( AM ) high hill
And under every leafy tree
You have lain down as a prostitute.
21 Yet I ( AN ) planted you as a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the ( AO ) degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you ( AP ) wash yourself with lye
And [ k ] use much soap,
The ( AQ ) stain of your guilt is before Me,” declares the Lord [ l ] God .
23 “ ( AR ) How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the ( AS ) Baals’?
Look at your way in the ( AT ) valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel ( AU ) running about senselessly on her ways,
24 A ( AV ) wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
Who can turn her away in her mating season?
None who seek her will grow weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 Keep your feet from being bare,
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘ ( AW ) It is [ m ] hopeless!
No! For I have ( AX ) loved strangers,
And I will walk after them.’
26 “Like the shame of a ( AY ) thief when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their leaders,
Their priests, and their prophets,
27 Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their ( AZ ) backs to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the ( BA ) time of their [ n ] trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 But where are your ( BB ) gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can ( BC ) save you
In the time of your [ o ] trouble!
For ( BD ) as many as the number of your cities
Are your gods, Judah.
29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have ( BE ) all revolted against Me,” declares the Lord .
30 “ ( BF ) In vain I have struck your sons;
They did not accept discipline.
Your ( BG ) sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 You generation, look to the word of the Lord .
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a ( BH ) land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘ ( BI ) We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 Can a virgin forget her jewelry,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have ( BJ ) forgotten Me
For days without number.
33 How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even to the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
The ( BK ) lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them ( BL ) breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 You said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will ( BM ) enter into judgment with you
Because you ( BN ) say, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you ( BO ) go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, ( BP ) you will be put to shame by Egypt,
Just as you were put to shame by ( BQ ) Assyria.
37 From this place as well you will go out
With ( BR ) your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected ( BS ) those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”
2 The word ( A ) of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
“This is what the Lord says:
“‘I remember the devotion of your youth, ( B )
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness, ( C )
through a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy ( D ) to the Lord , ( E )
the firstfruits ( F ) of his harvest;
all who devoured ( G ) her were held guilty, ( H )
and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord .
4 Hear the word of the Lord , you descendants of Jacob,
all you clans of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:
“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols ( I )
and became worthless ( J ) themselves.
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord ,
who brought us up out of Egypt ( K )
and led us through the barren wilderness,
through a land of deserts ( L ) and ravines, ( M )
a land of drought and utter darkness,
a land where no one travels ( N ) and no one lives?’
7 I brought you into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and rich produce. ( O )
But you came and defiled my land
and made my inheritance detestable. ( P )
8 The priests did not ask,
‘Where is the Lord ?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me; ( Q )
the leaders ( R ) rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal, ( S )
following worthless idols. ( T )
9 “Therefore I bring charges ( U ) against you again,”
declares the Lord .
“And I will bring charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus ( V ) and look,
send to Kedar [ a ] ( W ) and observe closely;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods ( X ) at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious ( Y ) God
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord .
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken ( Z ) me,
the spring of living water, ( AA )
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
14 Is Israel a servant, a slave ( AB ) by birth?
Why then has he become plunder?
15 Lions ( AC ) have roared;
they have growled at him.
They have laid waste ( AD ) his land;
his towns are burned ( AE ) and deserted. ( AF )
16 Also, the men of Memphis ( AG ) and Tahpanhes ( AH )
have cracked your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourselves ( AI )
by forsaking ( AJ ) the Lord your God
when he led you in the way?
18 Now why go to Egypt ( AK )
to drink water from the Nile [ b ] ? ( AL )
And why go to Assyria ( AM )
to drink water from the Euphrates? ( AN )
19 Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding ( AO ) will rebuke ( AP ) you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter ( AQ ) it is for you
when you forsake ( AR ) the Lord your God
and have no awe ( AS ) of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke ( AT )
and tore off your bonds; ( AU )
you said, ‘I will not serve you!’ ( AV )
Indeed, on every high hill ( AW )
and under every spreading tree ( AX )
you lay down as a prostitute. ( AY )
21 I had planted ( AZ ) you like a choice vine ( BA )
of sound and reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me
into a corrupt, ( BB ) wild vine?
22 Although you wash ( BC ) yourself with soap ( BD )
and use an abundance of cleansing powder,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,”
declares the Sovereign Lord . ( BE )
23 “How can you say, ‘I am not defiled; ( BF )
I have not run after the Baals’? ( BG )
See how you behaved in the valley; ( BH )
consider what you have done.
You are a swift she-camel
running ( BI ) here and there,
24 a wild donkey ( BJ ) accustomed to the desert, ( BK )
sniffing the wind in her craving—
in her heat who can restrain her?
Any males that pursue her need not tire themselves;
at mating time they will find her.
25 Do not run until your feet are bare
and your throat is dry.
But you said, ‘It’s no use! ( BL )
I love foreign gods, ( BM )
and I must go after them.’ ( BN )
26 “As a thief is disgraced ( BO ) when he is caught,
so the people of Israel are disgraced—
they, their kings and their officials,
their priests ( BP ) and their prophets. ( BQ )
27 They say to wood, ( BR ) ‘You are my father,’
and to stone, ( BS ) ‘You gave me birth.’
They have turned their backs ( BT ) to me
and not their faces; ( BU )
yet when they are in trouble, ( BV ) they say,
‘Come and save ( BW ) us!’
28 Where then are the gods ( BX ) you made for yourselves?
Let them come if they can save you
when you are in trouble! ( BY )
For you, Judah, have as many gods
as you have towns. ( BZ )
29 “Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all ( CA ) rebelled against me,”
declares the Lord .
30 “In vain I punished your people;
they did not respond to correction. ( CB )
Your sword has devoured your prophets ( CC )
like a ravenous lion.
31 “You of this generation, consider the word of the Lord :
“Have I been a desert to Israel
or a land of great darkness? ( CD )
Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’? ( CE )
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
a bride her wedding ornaments?
Yet my people have forgotten ( CF ) me,
days without number.
33 How skilled you are at pursuing ( CG ) love!
Even the worst of women can learn from your ways.
34 On your clothes is found
the lifeblood ( CH ) of the innocent poor,
though you did not catch them breaking in. ( CI )
Yet in spite of all this
35 you say, ‘I am innocent; ( CJ )
he is not angry with me.’
But I will pass judgment ( CK ) on you
because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ ( CL )
36 Why do you go about so much,
changing ( CM ) your ways?
You will be disappointed by Egypt ( CN )
as you were by Assyria.
37 You will also leave that place
with your hands on your head, ( CO )
for the Lord has rejected those you trust;
you will not be helped ( CP ) by them.
