Jeremiah 2:22-24
New English Translation
22 You can try to wash away your guilt with a strong detergent.
You can use as much soap as you want.
But the stain of your guilt is still there for me to see,”[a]
says the Sovereign Lord.[b]
23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.
I have not paid allegiance to[c] the gods called Baal.’
Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom![d]
Think about the things you have done there!
You are like a flighty, young female camel
that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path.[e]
24 You are like a wild female donkey brought up in the wilderness.
In her lust she sniffs the wind to get the scent of a male.[f]
No one can hold her back when she is in heat.
None of the males need wear themselves out chasing after her.
At mating time she is easy to find.[g]
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:22 tn Heb “Even if you wash with natron/lye, and use much soap, your sin is a stain before me.”
- Jeremiah 2:22 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.” For an explanation of this title see the study notes on 1:6.
- Jeremiah 2:23 tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.
- Jeremiah 2:23 tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.
- Jeremiah 2:23 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the Lord’s control.
- Jeremiah 2:24 tn The words “to get the scent of a male” are implicit and are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Jeremiah 2:24 sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s irrepressible desire to worship other gods.
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