Jer 2 | HCSB | STEP | The word of the Lord came to me:

‏ Jeremiah 2

Israel Accused of Apostasy

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Go and announce directly to Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says:

I remember the loyalty of your youth, ^a
your love as a bride –
how you followed Me in the wilderness,
in a land not sown.
3 Israel was holy to the Lord, ^b
the ^{▼▼firstfruits: The agricultural products harvested first and given to God as an offering; also the first of more products to come}firstfruits of His harvest. ^d
All who ate of it found themselves ^{▼▼guilt/guilty: The liability to be punished for a fault, a sin, an act, or an omission unless there is forgiveness or atonement; the term normally concerns an objective fact, not a subjective feeling.}guilty; ^f
disaster came on them.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.

4 Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob
and all families of the house of Israel.
5 This is what the Lord says:

What fault did your fathers find in Me ^g
that they went so far from Me,
followed worthless idols, ^h
and became worthless themselves? ⁱ
6 They stopped asking, “Where is the Lord ^j
who brought us from the land of Egypt,
who led us through the wilderness, ^k
through a land of deserts and ravines,
through a land of drought and darkness, ^{▼▼Or shadow of death}
a land no one traveled through
and where no one lived?”
7 I brought you to a fertile land ^m
to eat its fruit and bounty,
but after you entered, you defiled My land; ⁿ
you made My inheritance ^o detestable.
8 The priests quit asking, “Where is the Lord?”
The experts in the law no longer knew Me, ^p
and the rulers ^q rebelled against Me.
The prophets prophesied by ^{▼▼= in the name of} ^{▼▼Baal: A fertility god who was the main god of the Canaanite religion and the god of rain and thunderstorms; also the Hebrew word meaning "lord," "master," "owner," or "husband"}Baal ^t
and followed useless idols. ^u

9 Therefore, I will bring a case against you again.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

I will bring a case against your children’s children. ^v
10 Cross over to Cyprus ^{▼▼Lit to the islands of Kittim
,} ^x and take a look.
Send someone to Kedar ^y and consider carefully;
see if there has ever been anything like this:
11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods? ^z
(But they were not gods! ^aa)
Yet My people have exchanged their ^{▼▼Ancient Jewish tradition reads My} Glory
for useless idols. ^ac
12 Be horrified at this, heavens; ^ad
be shocked and utterly appalled.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

13 For My people have committed a double evil:
They have abandoned Me, ^ae
the fountain of living water, ^af
and dug cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that cannot hold water. ^ag

Consequences of Apostasy

14 Is Israel a slave?
Was he born into slavery? ^{▼▼Lit born of a house}
Why else has he become a prey?
15 The young lions have roared at him; ^ai
they have roared loudly.
They have laid waste his land. ^aj
His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.
16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes ^ak
have also broken your skull.
17 Have you not brought this on yourself ^al
by abandoning the Lord your God
while He was leading you along the way?
18 Now what will you gain
by traveling along the way to Egypt ^am
to drink the waters of the Nile? ^{▼▼Lit of Shihor}
What will you gain
by traveling along the way to Assyria ^ao
to drink the waters of the Euphrates? ^ap
19 Your own evil will discipline you; ^aq
your own apostasies will reprimand you.
Think it over and see how evil and bitter ^ar it is
for you to abandon the Lord your God
and to have no ^{▼▼fear(s) God or the Lord/ the fear of the Lord: No single English word conveys every aspect of the word fear in this phrase. The meaning includes worshipful submission, reverential awe, and obedient respect to the covenant-keeping God of Israel.}fear of Me.
This is the declaration

of the Lord God of ^{▼▼Hosts/hosts: Military forces consisting of God's angels, sometimes including the sun, moon, and stars, and occasionally, Israel}Hosts
.

20 For long ago I ^{▼▼LXX reads you} broke your yoke; ^av
I ^{▼▼LXX reads you} tore off your chains.
You insisted, “I will not serve!”
On every high hill
and under every green tree ^ax
you lie down like a prostitute. ^ay

21 I planted you, a choice vine ^az
from the very best seed.
How then could you turn into
a degenerate, foreign vine? ^ba

22 Even if you wash with lye
and use a great amount of soap, ^bb
the stain of your sin is still in front of Me. ^bc
This is the Lord God’s declaration.

23 How can you protest, “I am not defiled;
I have not followed the Baals”? ^bd
Look at your behavior in the valley;
acknowledge what you have done. ^be
You are a swift young camel
twisting and turning on her way,
24 a wild donkey ^bf at home ^{▼▼Lit donkey taught} in the wilderness.
She sniffs the wind in the heat of her desire.
Who can control her passion?
All who look for her will not become tired;
they will find her in her mating season. ^{▼▼Lit her month}
25 Keep your feet from going bare
and your throat from thirst.
But you say, “It’s hopeless; ^bi
I love strangers, ^bj
and I will continue to follow them.”

26 Like the shame of a thief when he is caught,
so the house of Israel has been put to shame. ^bk
They, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets ^bl
27 say to a tree, “You are my father,”
and to a stone, “You gave birth to me.”
For they have turned their back to Me
and not their face, ^bm
yet in their time of disaster ^bn they beg,
“Rise up and save us!”
28 But where are your gods you made for yourself?
Let them rise up and save you ^bo
in your time of disaster if they can,
for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.

Judgment Deserved

29 Why do you bring a case against Me? ^bp
All of you have rebelled against Me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

30 I have struck down your children in vain;
they would not accept discipline. ^bq
Your own sword has devoured your prophets ^br
like a ravaging lion.
31 Evil generation,
pay attention to the word of the Lord!
Have I been a wilderness to Israel
or a land of dense darkness? ^bs
Why do My people claim,
“We will go where we want; ^{▼▼Or We have taken control, or We can roam}
we will no longer come to You”?
32 Can a young woman forget her jewelry ^bu
or a bride her wedding sash?
Yet My people have forgotten Me ^bv
for countless days.
33 How skillfully you pursue love;
you also teach evil women your ways.
34 Moreover, your skirts are stained
with the blood of the innocent poor. ^bw
You did not catch them breaking and entering. ^bx
But in spite of all these things
35 you claim, “I am innocent. ^by
His anger is sure to turn away from me.”
But I will certainly judge you
because you have said, “I have not sinned.” ^bz
36 How unstable you are, ^ca
constantly changing your ways!
You will be put to shame by Egypt ^cb
just as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 Moreover, you will be led out from here
with your hands on your head ^cc
since the Lord has rejected those you trust; ^cd
you will not succeed even with their help. ^{▼▼Lit with them}