2 2 God rehearseth his benefits done unto the Jews. 8 Against the priests and false prophets. 12 The Jews are destroyed because they forsake God.
1 Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, with the [a]kindness of thy youth and the love of thy marriage, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness [b]in a land that was not sown.
3 Israel was as a thing [c]hallowed unto the Lord, and his firstfruits: all they [d]that eat it, 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 [e]far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become [f]vain?
6 For they said not, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a desert, and waste land, through a dry land, and by [g]the shadow of death, by 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 commodities of the same: but when ye entered, ye defiled [h]my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
8 The priests said not, [i]Where is the Lord? and they that should minister the [j]Law, knew me not: the [k]pastors also offended against me, and the prophets prophesied in [l]Baal, and went after things that did not profit.
9 Wherefore I will yet [m]plead with you, saith the Lord, and I will plead with your children’s children.
10 For go ye to the isles of [n]Chittim, and behold, and send unto [o]Kedar, and take diligent heed, and see whether there be such things.
11 Hath any nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their [p]glory, for that which doth not [q]profit.
12 O ye [r]heavens, be astonied at this: be afraid and utterly confounded, saith the Lord.
13 For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me [s]the fountain of living waters, to dig them pits, even broken pits that can hold no water.
14 Is Israel a [t]servant, or is he born in the house? why then is he spoiled?
15 The [u]Lions roared upon him and yelled, and they have made his land waste: his cities are burnt without [v]an inhabitant.
16 Also the children of [w]Noph and Tahapanes have [x]broken thine head.
17 Hast not thou procured this unto thyself, because thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he [y]led thee by the way?
18 And what hast thou now to do in the way of [z]Egypt? to drink the water of Nilus? or what makest thou in the way of Assyria? to drink the water of the [aa]River?
19 Thine own wickedness shall [ab]correct thee, and thy turnings back shall reprove thee: know therefore and behold, 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 bonds, and thou saidest, [ac]I will no more transgress, but like an harlot thou runnest about upon all high hills, and under all green trees.
21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, whose [ad]plants were all natural: how then art thou turned unto me into the plants of a strange vine?
22 Though thou wash thee with [ae]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, neither have I [af]followed Baal? behold thy ways in the valley, and know what thou hast done: thou art like a swift [ag]dromedary, that runneth by his ways.
24 And as a wild [ah]ass used to the wilderness that snuffeth up the wind by occasion at her pleasure: who can turn her back? all they that seek her, will not weary themselves, but will find her in her [ai]month.
25 Keep thou thy feet from [aj]bareness, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidest desperately, No, for I have loved strangers, and them will I follow.
26 As the [ak]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 tree, Thou art my [al]father, and to a stone, Thou hast begotten me: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and help us.
28 But where are thy gods, that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can help thee in the time of thy trouble: for according [am]to the number of thy cities, are thy gods, O Judah.
29 Wherefore will [an]ye plead with me? ye all have rebelled against me, saith the Lord.
30 I have smitten your children in vain, they received no correction: your own [ao]sword hath devoured your Prophets like a destroying lion.
31 O generation, take heed to the word of the Lord: have I been as a [ap]wilderness unto Israel? or a land of darkness? Wherefore saith my people then, We are lords, [aq]we will come no more unto thee?
32 Can a maid forget her ornament, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.
33 Why dost thou prepare thy way, to [ar]seek amity? even therefore will I teach thee, that thy ways are wickedness.
34 Also in thy [as]wings is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it in holes, but upon all these places.
35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am guiltless, surely his wrath shall turn from me: behold, I will enter with thee into judgment, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
36 Why runnest thou about so much to change thy ways? for thou shalt be confounded of Egypt, [at]as thou art confounded of Assyria.
37 For thou shalt go forth from thence, and thine hands upon [au]thine head, because the Lord hath rejected thy confidence, and thou shalt not prosper thereby.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 2:2 According to that grace and favor which I showed thee from the beginning, when I did first choose thee to be my people, and married thee to myself, Ezek. 16:8.
- Jeremiah 2:2 When I had delivered thee out of Egypt.
- Jeremiah 2:3 Chosen above all others to serve the Lord only, and the first offered to the Lord of all other nations.
- Jeremiah 2:3 Whosoever did challenge this people, or else did annoy them, was punished.
- Jeremiah 2:5 That is, fallen to most vile idolatry.
- Jeremiah 2:5 Altogether given to vanity, and are become blind and insensible as the idols that they serve.
- Jeremiah 2:6 Where for lack of all things necessary for life, ye could look for nothing every hour but present death.
- Jeremiah 2:7 By your idolatry and wicked manners, Ps. 78:58 and 106:38.
- Jeremiah 2:8 They taught not the people to seek after God.
- Jeremiah 2:8 As the Scribes, which should have expounded the Law to the people.
- Jeremiah 2:8 Meaning, the Princes and Ministers: signifying, that all estates were corrupt.
- Jeremiah 2:8 That is, spake vain things, and brought the people from the true worship of God to serve idols: for by Baal, which was the chief idol of the Moabites, are meant all idols.
- Jeremiah 2:9 Signifying that he would not as he might, straightway condemn them, but showeth them by evident examples their great ingratitude that they might be ashamed and repent.
- Jeremiah 2:10 Meaning, the Grecians and Italians.
- Jeremiah 2:10 Unto Arabia.
- Jeremiah 2:11 That is, God which is their glory, and who maketh them glorious above all other people, reproving the Jews that they were less diligent to serve the true God, than were the idolaters to honor their vanities.
- Jeremiah 2:11 Meaning, the idols which were their destruction, Ps. 106:36.
- Jeremiah 2:12 He showeth that the insensible creatures abhor this vile ingratitude, and as it were tremble for fear of God’s great judgments against the same.
- Jeremiah 2:13 Signifying, that when men forsake God’s word, which is the fountain of life, they reject God himself, and so fall to their own inventions, and vain confidence, and procure to themselves destruction, Jonah 2:8; Zech. 10:2.
- Jeremiah 2:14 Have I ordered them like servants and not like dearly beloved children? Exod. 4:22, therefore it is their fault only, if the enemy spoil them.
- Jeremiah 2:15 The Babylonians, Chaldeans, and Assyrians.
- Jeremiah 2:15 Not one shall be left to dwell there.
- Jeremiah 2:16 That is, the Egyptians: for these were two great cities in Egypt.
- Jeremiah 2:16 Have grievously vexed thee at sundry times.
- Jeremiah 2:17 Showing that God would have still led them aright, if they would have followed him.
- Jeremiah 2:18 To seek help of man, as though God were not able enough to defend thee, which is to drink of the puddles, and to leave the fountain, read Isa. 31:1.
- Jeremiah 2:18 To wit, Euphrates.
- Jeremiah 2:19 Meaning, that the wicked are insensible, till the punishment for their sin waken them as verse 26; Isa. 3:9.
- Jeremiah 2:20 When I delivered thee out of Egypt, Exod. 19:8; Deut. 5:27; Josh. 24:16; Ezra 10:12; Heb. 8:6.
- Jeremiah 2:21 Hebrew, seed was all true.
- Jeremiah 2:22 Though thou use all the purifications and ceremonies of the law, thou canst not escape punishment, except thou turn to me by faith and repentance.
- Jeremiah 2:23 Meaning, that hypocrites deny that they worship the idols, but that they honor God in them, and therefore they call their doings, God’s service.
- Jeremiah 2:23 He compareth the idolaters to these beasts, because they never cease running to and fro: for both valleys and hills are full of their idolatry.
- Jeremiah 2:24 He compareth the idolaters to a wild ass: for she can never be tamed nor yet wearied: for as she runneth she can take her wind at every occasion.
- Jeremiah 2:24 That is, when she is with foal, and therefore the hunters wait their time: so though thou canst not be turned back now from thine idolatry, yet when thine iniquity shall be at the fall, God will meet with thee.
- Jeremiah 2:25 Hereby he warneth them that they should not go into strange countries to seek help: for they should but spend their labor, and hurt themselves, which is here meant by the bare foot and thirst, Isa. 57:10.
- Jeremiah 2:26 As a thief will not acknowledge his fault, till he be taken with the deed, and ready to be punished, so they will not confess their idolatry, till the plagues due to the same light upon them.
- Jeremiah 2:27 Meaning, that idolaters spoil God of his honor: and whereas he hath taught to call him the father of all flesh, they attribute this title to their idols.
- Jeremiah 2:28 Thou thoughtest that thy gods of blocks and stones could have helped thee, because they were many in number and present in every place: but now let us see whether either the multitude, or their presence can deliver thee from my plague, Jer. 11:13.
- Jeremiah 2:29 As though I did you injury in punishing you, seeing that your faults are so evident.
- Jeremiah 2:30 That is, you have killed your Prophets, that exhorted you to repentance, as Zechariah, Isaiah, etc.
- Jeremiah 2:31 Have I not given them abundance of all things?
- Jeremiah 2:31 But will trust in our own power and policy.
- Jeremiah 2:33 With strangers.
- Jeremiah 2:34 The Prophets and the faithful are slain in every corner of your country.
- Jeremiah 2:36 For the Assyrians had taken away the ten tribes out of Israel, and destroyed Judah even unto Jerusalem: and the Egyptians slew Josiah, and vexed the Jews in sundry sorts.
- Jeremiah 2:37 In sign of lamentation, as 2 Sam. 13:19.