Jer 2 | NASB1995 | STEP | Now the word of the Lord came to me saying ,

‏ Jeremiah 2

Judah’s Apostasy

1 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Go and ^aproclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I remember concerning you the ^{▼▼ Or lovingkindness
,} ^cdevotion of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
^dYour following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
3 “Israel was ^eholy to the Lord,
The ^ffirst of His harvest.
^gAll who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”

4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord, ^h“What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after ⁱemptiness and became empty?
6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who ^jbrought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who ^kled 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 man dwelt?’
7 “I brought you into the ^mfruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and ⁿdefiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
8 “The ^opriests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the law ^pdid not know Me;
The ^{▼▼ Lit shepherds}rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the ^rprophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after ^sthings that did not profit.

9 “Therefore I will yet ^tcontend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.
10 “For ^ucross to the coastlands of ^{▼▼ I.e. Cyprus and other islands}Kittim and see,
And send to ^wKedar and observe closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
11 “Has a nation changed gods
When ^xthey were not gods?
But My people have ^ychanged their glory
For that which does not profit.
12 “Be appalled, ^zO heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
13 “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The ^aafountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves ^abcisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.

14 “Is Israel ^aca slave? Or is he a homeborn servant?
Why has he become a prey?
15 “The young ^adlions have roared at him,
They have ^{▼▼ Lit given their voice}roared loudly.
And they have ^afmade his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
16 “Also the ^{▼▼ Or sons}men of ^ahMemphis and Tahpanhes
Have ^{▼▼ Lit grazed}shaved the ^ajcrown of your head.
17 “Have you not ^akdone this to yourself
By your forsaking the Lord your God
When He ^alled you in the way?
18 “But now what are you doing ^amon the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the ^{▼▼ Heb Shihor
,} ^aoNile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the ^{▼▼ Lit River}Euphrates?
19 ^aq“Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your ^arapostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and ^asbitter
For you to forsake the Lord your God,
And ^atthe dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God of hosts.

20 “For long ago ^{▼▼ Or you
,} ^awI broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every ^axhigh hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.
21 “Yet I ^ayplanted you a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the ^azdegenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 “Although you ^bawash yourself with lye
And ^{▼▼ Lit cause to be great to you}use much soap,
The ^bcstain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God.
23 ^be“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the ^bfBaals’?
Look at your way in the ^bgvalley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel ^bhentangling her ways,
24 A ^biwild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
In the time of her ^{▼▼ Lit occasion}heat who can turn her away?
All who seek her will not become weary;
In her month they will find her.
25 “Keep your feet from being unshod
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘ ^bkIt is ^{▼▼ Or desperate}hopeless!
No! For I have ^bmloved strangers,
And after them I will walk.’

26 “As the ^bnthief is shamed when he is discovered,
So the house of Israel is shamed;
They, their kings, their princes
And 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 ^boback to Me,
And not their face;
But in the ^bptime of their ^{▼▼ Or evil}trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’
28 “But where are your ^brgods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can ^bssave you
In the time of your ^{▼▼ Or evil}trouble;
For ^bu according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.

29 “Why do you contend with Me?
You have ^bvall transgressed against Me,” declares the Lord.
30 ^bw“In vain I have struck your sons;
They accepted no chastening.
Your ^bxsword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 “O generation, heed the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a ^byland of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘ ^bzWe are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
32 “Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have ^caforgotten Me
Days without number.
33 “How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even ^{▼▼ Or in wickedness}the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 “Also on your skirts is found
The ^cclifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them ^cdbreaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
35 Yet you said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will ^ceenter into judgment with you
Because you ^cfsay, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 “Why do you ^cggo around so much
Changing your way?
Also, ^chyou will be put to shame by Egypt
As you were put to shame by ^ciAssyria.
37 “From this place also you will go out
With ^cjyour hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected ^ckthose in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”