Jeremiah 2 - New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

Judah’s Apostasy

2 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “Go and ^(A)proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,

“I remember concerning you the ^[a](B)devotion of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
^(C)Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
³ “Israel was ^(D)holy to the Lord,
The ^(E)first of His harvest.
^(F)All 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,

“^(G)What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after ^(H)emptiness and became empty?
⁶ “They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
Who ^(I)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who ^(J)led us through the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of ^[b]deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no man dwelt?’
⁷ “I brought you into the ^(K)fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and ^(L)defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
⁸ “The ^(M)priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the law ^(N)did not know Me;
The ^[c]rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the ^(O)prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after ^(P)things that did not profit.

⁹ “Therefore I will yet ^(Q)contend with you,” declares the Lord,
“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.
¹⁰ “For ^(R)cross to the coastlands of ^[d]Kittim and see,
And send to ^(S)Kedar and observe closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
¹¹ “Has a nation changed gods
When ^(T)they were not gods?
But My people have ^(U)changed their glory
For that which does not profit.
¹² “Be appalled, ^(V)O heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.
¹³ “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The ^(W)fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves ^(X)cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.

¹⁴ “Is Israel ^(Y)a slave? Or is he a homeborn servant?
Why has he become a prey?
¹⁵ “The young ^(Z)lions have roared at him,
They have ^[e]roared loudly.
And they have ^(AA)made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
¹⁶ “Also the ^[f]men of ^(AB)Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have ^[g]shaved the ^(AC)crown of your head.
¹⁷ “Have you not ^(AD)done this to yourself
By your forsaking the Lord your God
When He ^(AE)led you in the way?
¹⁸ “But now what are you doing ^(AF)on the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the ^[h](AG)Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the ^[i]Euphrates?
¹⁹ “^(AH)Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your ^(AI)apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and ^(AJ)bitter
For you to forsake the Lord your God,
And ^(AK)the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord ^[j]God of hosts.

²⁰ “For long ago ^[k](AL)I broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every ^(AM)high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.
²¹ “Yet I ^(AN)planted you a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the ^(AO)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
²² “Although you ^(AP)wash yourself with lye
And ^[l]use much soap,
The ^(AQ)stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord ^[m]God.
²³ “^(AR)How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the ^(AS)Baals’?
Look at your way in the ^(AT)valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel ^(AU)entangling her ways,
²⁴ A ^(AV)wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
In the time of her ^[n]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, ‘^(AW)It is ^[o]hopeless!
No! For I have ^(AX)loved strangers,
And after them I will walk.’

²⁶ “As the ^(AY)thief 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 ^(AZ)back to Me,
And not their face;
But in the ^(BA)time of their ^[p]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’
²⁸ “But where are your ^(BB)gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can ^(BC)save you
In the time of your ^[q]trouble;
For ^(BD)according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.

²⁹ “Why do you contend with Me?
You have ^(BE)all transgressed against Me,” declares the Lord.
³⁰ “^(BF)In vain I have struck your sons;
They accepted no chastening.
Your ^(BG)sword 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 ^(BH)land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘^(BI)We 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 ^(BJ)forgotten Me
Days without number.
³³ “How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even ^[r]the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
³⁴ “Also on your skirts is found
The ^(BK)lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them ^(BL)breaking 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 ^(BM)enter into judgment with you
Because you ^(BN)say, ‘I have not sinned.’
³⁶ “Why do you ^(BO)go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, ^(BP)you will be put to shame by Egypt
As you were put to shame by ^(BQ)Assyria.
³⁷ “From this place also you will go out
With ^(BR)your hands on your head;
For the Lord has rejected ^(BS)those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”

Footnotes

1. Jeremiah 2:2 Or lovingkindness
2. Jeremiah 2:6 Or the shadow of death
3. Jeremiah 2:8 Lit shepherds
4. Jeremiah 2:10 I.e. Cyprus and other islands
5. Jeremiah 2:15 Lit given their voice
6. Jeremiah 2:16 Or sons
7. Jeremiah 2:16 Lit grazed
8. Jeremiah 2:18 Heb Shihor
9. Jeremiah 2:18 Lit River
10. Jeremiah 2:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
11. Jeremiah 2:20 Or you
12. Jeremiah 2:22 Lit cause to be great to you
13. Jeremiah 2:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
14. Jeremiah 2:24 Lit occasion
15. Jeremiah 2:25 Or desperate
16. Jeremiah 2:27 Or evil
17. Jeremiah 2:28 Or evil
18. Jeremiah 2:33 Or in wickedness

Cross references

1. Jeremiah 2:2 : Is 58:1; Jer 7:2; 11:6
2. Jeremiah 2:2 : Ezek 16:8; Hos 2:15
3. Jeremiah 2:2 : Deut 2:7; Jer 2:6
4. Jeremiah 2:3 : Ex 19:5, 6; Deut 7:6; 14:2
5. Jeremiah 2:3 : James 1:18; Rev 14:4
6. Jeremiah 2:3 : Is 41:11; Jer 30:16; 50:7
7. Jeremiah 2:5 : Is 5:4; Mic 6:3
8. Jeremiah 2:5 : 2 Kin 17:15; Jer 8:19; Rom 1:21
9. Jeremiah 2:6 : Ex 20:2; Is 63:11
10. Jeremiah 2:6 : Deut 8:15; 32:10
11. Jeremiah 2:7 : Deut 8:7-9; 11:10-12
12. Jeremiah 2:7 : Ps 106:38; Jer 3:2; 16:18
13. Jeremiah 2:8 : Jer 10:21
14. Jeremiah 2:8 : Jer 4:22; Mal 2:7, 8
15. Jeremiah 2:8 : Jer 23:13
16. Jeremiah 2:8 : Jer 16:19; Hab 2:18
17. Jeremiah 2:9 : Jer 2:35; Ezek 20:35, 36
18. Jeremiah 2:10 : Is 23:12
19. Jeremiah 2:10 : Ps 120:5; Is 21:16; Jer 49:28
20. Jeremiah 2:11 : Is 37:19; Jer 5:7; 16:20
21. Jeremiah 2:11 : Ps 106:20; Rom 1:23
22. Jeremiah 2:12 : Is 1:2; Jer 4:23
23. Jeremiah 2:13 : Ps 36:9; Jer 17:13; John 4:14
24. Jeremiah 2:13 : Jer 14:3
25. Jeremiah 2:14 : Jer 5:19; 17:4
26. Jeremiah 2:15 : Jer 50:17
27. Jeremiah 2:15 : Jer 4:7
28. Jeremiah 2:16 : Is 19:13; Jer 44:1; Hos 9:6
29. Jeremiah 2:16 : Deut 33:20; Jer 48:45
30. Jeremiah 2:17 : Deut 32:10; Jer 4:18
31. Jeremiah 2:17 : Deut 32:10; Jer 4:18
32. Jeremiah 2:18 : Is 30:2
33. Jeremiah 2:18 : Josh 13:3
34. Jeremiah 2:19 : Is 3:9; Jer 4:18; Hos 5:5
35. Jeremiah 2:19 : Jer 3:6, 8, 11, 14; Hos 11:7
36. Jeremiah 2:19 : Job 20:12-16; Amos 8:10
37. Jeremiah 2:19 : Ps 36:1; Jer 5:24
38. Jeremiah 2:20 : Lev 26:13
39. Jeremiah 2:20 : Deut 12:2; Is 57:5, 7; Jer 3:2, 6; 17:2
40. Jeremiah 2:21 : Ex 15:17; Ps 44:2; 80:8; Is 5:2
41. Jeremiah 2:21 : Is 5:4
42. Jeremiah 2:22 : Jer 4:14
43. Jeremiah 2:22 : Job 14:17; Hos 13:12
44. Jeremiah 2:23 : Prov 30:12
45. Jeremiah 2:23 : Jer 9:14
46. Jeremiah 2:23 : Jer 7:31
47. Jeremiah 2:23 : Jer 2:33, 36; 31:22
48. Jeremiah 2:24 : Jer 14:6
49. Jeremiah 2:25 : Jer 18:12
50. Jeremiah 2:25 : Deut 32:16; Jer 14:10
51. Jeremiah 2:26 : Jer 48:27
52. Jeremiah 2:27 : Jer 18:17; 32:33
53. Jeremiah 2:27 : Judg 10:10; Is 26:16
54. Jeremiah 2:28 : Deut 32:37; Judg 10:14; Is 45:20; Jer 1:16
55. Jeremiah 2:28 : Jer 11:12
56. Jeremiah 2:28 : 2 Kin 17:30, 31; Jer 11:13
57. Jeremiah 2:29 : Jer 5:1; 6:13; Dan 9:11
58. Jeremiah 2:30 : Is 1:5; Jer 5:3; 7:28
59. Jeremiah 2:30 : Neh 9:26; Jer 26:20-24; Acts 7:52; 1 Thess 2:15
60. Jeremiah 2:31 : Is 45:19
61. Jeremiah 2:31 : Deut 32:15; Jer 2:20, 25
62. Jeremiah 2:32 : Ps 106:21; Is 17:10; Jer 3:21; 13:25; Hos 8:14
63. Jeremiah 2:34 : 2 Kin 21:16; 24:4; Ps 106:38; Jer 7:6; 19:4
64. Jeremiah 2:34 : Ex 22:2
65. Jeremiah 2:35 : Jer 25:31
66. Jeremiah 2:35 : Prov 28:13; 1 John 1:8, 10
67. Jeremiah 2:36 : Jer 2:23; 31:22; Hos 12:1
68. Jeremiah 2:36 : Is 30:3
69. Jeremiah 2:36 : 2 Chr 28:16, 20, 21
70. Jeremiah 2:37 : 2 Sam 13:19; Jer 14:3, 4
71. Jeremiah 2:37 : Jer 37:7-10