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Jeremiah 2
Evangelical Heritage Version
Jeremiah 2
Evangelical Heritage Version
Israel Has Forsaken the Lord
2 The word of the Lord came to me.
2 Go and proclaim this in the hearing of Jerusalem.
This is what the Lord says.
This is what I remember concerning you:
your faithfulness when you were young,
and your love when you were pledged in marriage.
I remember how you followed me in the wilderness,
in a land that has never been planted.
3 Israel was set apart as holy to the Lord,
the firstfruits of his harvest.
All those who devoured Israel became guilty,
and disaster came upon them, declares the Lord.
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you house of Jacob.
All you families of the house of Israel,
5 this is what the Lord says.
What fault did your fathers find in me,
that they departed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols,
and so they became worthless themselves.
6 They did not say,
“Where is the Lord, who brought us up from the land of Egypt?
Where is the one who led us through the wilderness,
through a desert wasteland filled with ravines,
through a land of drought and the shadow of death,
a land which no one passes through,
a land where no human being lives?”
7 I brought you into a fertile land,
to eat its fruit and its good things.
But you defiled my land
and made my inheritance repulsive.
8 The priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord?”
The experts in the law did not acknowledge me.
Their shepherds rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after useless idols.
9 So I am bringing charges against you again, declares the Lord,
and I am bringing charges against your children’s children.
10 Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus[a] and look.
Send someone to Kedar[b] and observe carefully.
See if there has ever been anything like this.
11 Has a nation ever exchanged its gods
(even though they are not gods at all)?
Yet my people have exchanged their Glory[c]
for useless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens.
Be horrified and wither away completely, declares the Lord.
13 For my people have committed two evils:
They have abandoned me, the spring of living water,
and they have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that hold no water!
14 Is Israel a servant, born into slavery?
Why then has Israel been plundered?
15 Young lions have roared at him.
They have growled loudly.
They have made his land desolate.
His towns are burned and deserted.
16 The men of Memphis[d] and Tahpanhes
have shaved the top of your head.[e]
17 Have you not brought this on yourself
by deserting the Lord your God
while he led you on the way?
18 So why are you on the road to Egypt
to drink the water of the Shihor?[f]
And why are you on the road to Assyria
to drink the water of the River?[g]
19 It is your own evil that will bring discipline on you.
Your backsliding will judge you.
Know and see how evil and bitter it is for you
to forsake the Lord your God,
to have no fear of me,
declares the Lord God of Armies.
20 Long ago I broke your yoke.
I[h] tore off your chains,
but you said, “I will not serve you!”
Instead, on every high hill
and under every green tree
you sprawl out like a prostitute.
21 But I planted you as a very good vine,
healthy and from reliable stock.
How then did you turn against me?
How then did you turn into a wild vine?
22 Even if you scrub yourself with cleanser
and use a lot of strong soap,
the stain of your guilt is before me, declares the Lord.
23 How can you say, “I have not defiled myself.
I have not gone after the Baals”?
Look what you did in the valley!
Think about what you did!
You were a fast female camel
running wildly all over the place,
24 or a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
sniffing the wind in her passion.
Who can control her when she is in heat?
None of the males who pursue her will become tired.
They will find her in her mating time.
25 Stop before your shoes wear out
and your throat becomes dry!
But you say, “It’s hopeless!
I love strange gods, and I must pursue them.”
26 As a thief is shamed when he is caught,
so the house of Israel will be shamed—
the people, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets.
27 They say to wood, “You are my father.”
They say to stone, “You gave birth to me.”
They have turned their backs to me
and not their faces.
But when a time of trouble comes, they say,
“Get up and save us!”
28 Where are the gods you made for yourselves?
Let them rise up,
if they are able to save you in a time of trouble.
After all, Judah, you have as many gods as you have towns.
29 Why do you bring charges against me?
You have all rebelled against me, declares the Lord.
30 I punished your people in vain.
They did not respond to correction.
Your own sword has devoured your prophets,
like a raging lion.
31 You people of this generation,
consider the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
or a land of deep darkness?
Why do my people say, “We are free to wander.
We will not come to you anymore”?
32 Does a virgin about to be married forget her jewelry?
Does a bride forget her veil?[i]
But my people have forgotten me for countless days.
33 How practiced you are in the ways that you pursue love!
Even the most evil women could learn from your ways.
34 The lifeblood of poor, innocent people is found on your skirt,
even though you did not catch them breaking in.
In spite of all this, 35 you say, “I am innocent.
He will not be angry with me.”
But I have indeed judged you
because you say, “I have not sinned.”
36 How fickle you are in changing your direction!
You will be disappointed by Egypt,
just as you were by Assyria.
37 So you will leave there with your hands on your head,
because the Lord has rejected the ones you trust.
You will receive no help from them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:10 Hebrew Kittim. The term may include other areas in the Mediterranean basin besides Cyprus.
- Jeremiah 2:10 An area in Arabia
- Jeremiah 2:11 Or their glory. This reading follows the main Hebrew text. An alternate Hebrew reading is my glory.
- Jeremiah 2:16 Hebrew Noph. The English names of Egyptian cities are usually based on the Greek forms of their names rather than the Hebrew forms.
- Jeremiah 2:16 Or have cracked your skull
- Jeremiah 2:18 A branch of the Nile
- Jeremiah 2:18 That is, the Euphrates
- Jeremiah 2:20 The translation follows the Hebrew reading. The Greek Old Testament reads you.
- Jeremiah 2:32 Literally sash
Jeremiah 2
New International Version
Jeremiah 2
New International Version
Israel Forsakes God
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.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:10 In the Syro-Arabian desert
- Jeremiah 2:18 Hebrew Shihor; that is, a branch of the Nile
Jeremiah 2
King James Version
Jeremiah 2
King James Version
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.
Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.