Jeremiah 2
1THEN he said, Thus saith the Lord:
2I remembered mercy in thy youth; and love, in thy mature age,
3that thou mightest follow the Holy Israel, saith the Lord. The Holy Israel is to the Lord the chief of His productions, all that devour him shall be guilty of trespass: evils shall come upon them, saith the Lord.
4Hear a word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and every family of the house of Israel.
5Thus saith the Lord: What fault did your fathers find in Me, that they have withdrawn from Me; and have gone after vanities and become vain?
6and did not say, Where is the Lord Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt; Who led us through the wilderness—through a boundless and untrodden land—through a land without water and without fruit—through a land which no man traversed, and where no man had a fixed abode?
7When I brought you to Charmel that you might eat its fruits and the good things thereof; you entered in and polluted My land; and made My heritage an abomination.
8The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? and they who studied the law did not know Me; the pastors also transgressed against Me; and the prophets prophesied for Baal and went after an unprofitable thing.
9For this also I will emplead you; and your childrens’ children I will emplead.
10For go to the isles of Chettim and see; and send to Kedar and make strict inquiry; and see if such things have ever happened:
11have nations changed their Gods, though they are no Gods? but My people have changed their glory for that which will not profit them.
12At this the heaven was astonished and shocked exceedingly, saith the Lord.
13Because My people did two things which are both evil: they forsook Me, the fountain of living water; and hewed out for themselves broken cisterns which cannot hold water.
14Is Israel a slave or a home-born servant? Why was he for a prey?
15Against him lions roared and uttered their voice: they have made his land a desert and his cities are demolished so as to be uninhabitable.
16Even the sons of Memphis and Taphnas have known and derided thee.
17Hath not thy forsaking Me, saith the Lord thy God, brought these things upon thee?
18Now therefore what hast thou to do with the way to Egypt? Is it to drink the water of Geon? Or what hast thou to do in the way to the Assyrians? Is it to drink the water of rivers? Let this apostacy of thine correct thee.
19And thy wickedness work conviction in thee. And know and see how bitter a thing it is to forsake Me, saith the Lord thy God.
20Further, I have no pleasure in thee, saith the Lord thy God, because of old thou hast broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands, and said, I will not serve Thee; but I will go up every high mount: and under every shady tree, I will there indulge my wantonness.
21I indeed planted thee an entirely good and fruitful vine: how art thou, O degenerate vine, turned to bitterness?
22Though thou wash thyself with nitre and use much soap: thou art stained by thine iniquities in My sight, saith the Lord.
23How canst thou say, I am not polluted, nor have I gone after Baal? View thy ways in the grave-yard, and recollect what thou hast done. In the evening her voice raised the mournful cry.
24She enlarged her ways to the waters of a desert: by the desires of her soul she was transported into raptures. She is delivered up: who will bring her back? None who seek her will weary themselves. In her humiliation they shall find her.
25Turn thy foot from a rugged way, and thy throat from thirst. But she said, I will act like one come to maturity. Because she loved strangers, therefore after them she did go.
26As a thief when taken, is ashamed; so shall the children of Israel be put to shame. They and their kings and their chiefs and their priests and their prophets,
27said to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast begotten me. And turned their backs to Me and not their faces: yet in the time of their troubles they will say, Arise and save us.
28Where now are thy gods which thou hast made for thyself? Will they arise and save in the time of thy trouble? Since according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Juda—and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem they burned incense to Baal;
29why do you address Me? You are all guilty of impiety; and you have all transgressed against Me, saith the Lord.
30In vain have I smitten your children, you did not receive instruction: a sword devoured your prophets, like a ravening lion; and you were not terrified.—
31Hear a word of the Lord! Thus saith the Lord, Was I a desert to Israel or a desolate land? Why did My people say, We will not be lorded over, nor come to Thee any more.
32Will a bride forget her attire; or a virgin, the ornaments that deck her bosom? Yet My people have forgotten Me, days without number.
33Wilt thou yet study any decency in thy ways in search of love? Far from that, thou hast abandoned thyself to wickedness to pollute thy ways.
34And on thy hands hath been found the blood of innocent souls. These I did not find in breaches into houses, but in every grove of oaks.
35Yet thou sayest, “I am innocent; let His wrath be turned from me. Behold I will emplead thee for saying, I have not sinned.
36Because thou hast made very light of repeating thy journies, therefore thou shalt be made ashamed of Egypt, as thou hast been, of Assyria:
37for thou shalt come up thence with thy hands on thy head, for the Lord hath rejected thy confidence and thou shalt not prosper in it.