Jer 2:4-28 | NASB2020 | STEP | Hear the word of the Lord , house of Jacob , and all the families of the house of Israel .

Jeremiah 2:4-28

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:
“ ^aWhat injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me,
And walked after ^bemptiness and became empty?
6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who ^cbrought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who ^dled us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of ^{▼▼Or the shadow of death}deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no person lived?’
7 “I brought you into the ^ffruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and ^gdefiled My land,
And you made My inheritance an abomination.
8 “The ^hpriests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the Law ⁱdid not know Me;
The ^{▼▼Lit shepherds}rulers also revolted against Me,
And the ^kprophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after ^lthings that were of no benefit.

9 “Therefore I will still ^mcontend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And I will contend with your sons’ sons.
10 “For ⁿcross to the coastlands of ^{▼▼I.e., Cyprus and other islands}Kittim and see,
And send to ^pKedar and observe closely,
And see if there has been anything like this!
11 “Has a nation changed gods,
When ^qthey were not gods?
But My people have ^rexchanged their glory
For that which is of no benefit.
12 “Be appalled at this, ^syou heavens,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned Me,
The ^tfountain of living waters,
To carve out for themselves ^ucisterns,
Broken cisterns
That do not hold water.

14 “Is Israel ^va slave? Or is he a servant born in the home?
Why has he become plunder?
15 “The young ^wlions have roared at him,
They have ^{▼▼Lit given their voice}roared loudly.
And they have ^ymade his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 “Also the ^{▼▼Lit sons}men of ^aaMemphis and Tahpanhes
Have ^{▼▼Lit grazed}shaved ^acyour head.
17 “Have you not ^addone this to yourself
By your abandoning the Lord your God
When He ^aeled you in the way?
18 “But now what are you doing ^afon the road to Egypt,
Except to drink the waters of the ^{▼▼Heb Shihor
,} ^ahNile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 “ ^aiYour own wickedness will correct you,
And your ^ajapostasies will punish you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and ^akbitter
For you to abandon the Lord your God,
And ^althe fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord ^{▼▼Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God of armies.

20 “For long ago ^{▼▼Or you
,} ^aoI broke your yoke
And tore off your restraints;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every ^aphigh hill
And under every leafy tree
You have lain down as a prostitute.
21 “Yet I ^aqplanted you as a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the ^ardegenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 “Although you ^aswash yourself with lye
And ^{▼▼Lit acquire much soap for yourself}use much soap,
The ^austain of your guilt is before Me,” declares the Lord ^{▼▼Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God.
23 “ ^awHow can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the ^axBaals’?
Look at your way in the ^ayvalley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel ^azrunning about senselessly on her ways,
24 A ^bawild 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, ‘ ^bbIt is ^{▼▼Or desperate}hopeless!
No! For I have ^bdloved strangers,
And I will walk after them.’

26 “Like the shame of a ^bethief 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 ^bfbacks to Me,
And not their faces;
But in the ^bgtime of their ^{▼▼Or evil}trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us!’
28 “But where are your ^bigods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can ^bjsave you
In the time of your ^{▼▼Or evil}trouble!
For ^blas many as the number of your cities
Are your gods, Judah.