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Jeremiah 2 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

Judah's Apostasy

Jer 2:1Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
Jer 2:2“Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD,
“I remember concerning you the [fn]devotion of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.
Jer 2:3“Israel was holy to the LORD,
The first of His harvest.
All who ate of it became guilty;
Evil came upon them,” declares the LORD.’”
Jer 2:4Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.
Jer 2:5Thus says the LORD,
“What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after emptiness and became empty?
Jer 2:6“They 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 land of deserts and of pits,
Through a land of drought and of [fn]deep darkness,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no man dwelt?’
Jer 2:7“I brought you into the fruitful land
To eat its fruit and its good things.
But you came and defiled My land,
And My inheritance you made an abomination.
Jer 2:8“The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’
And those who handle the law did not know Me;
The [fn]rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after things that did not profit.
Jer 2:9“Therefore I will yet contend with you,” declares the LORD,
“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.
Jer 2:10“For cross to the coastlands of [fn]Kittim and see,
And send to Kedar and observe closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
Jer 2:11“Has a nation changed gods
When they were not gods?
But My people have changed their glory
For that which does not profit.
Jer 2:12“Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD.
Jer 2:13“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns
That can hold no water.
Jer 2:14“Is Israel a slave? Or is he a homeborn servant?
Why has he become a prey?
Jer 2:15“The young lions have roared at him,
They have [fn]roared loudly.
And they have made his land a waste;
His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.
Jer 2:16“Also the [fn]men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
Have [fn]shaved the crown of your head.
Jer 2:17“Have you not done this to yourself
By your forsaking the LORD your God
When He led you in the way?
Jer 2:18“But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the [fn]Nile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the [fn]Euphrates?
Jer 2:19“Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter
For you to forsake the LORD your God,
And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [fn]GOD of hosts.
Jer 2:20“For long ago [fn]I broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every high hill
And under every green tree
You have lain down as a harlot.
Jer 2:21“Yet I planted you a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
Jer 2:22“Although you wash yourself with lye
And [fn]use much soap,
The stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord [fn]GOD.
Jer 2:23“How can you say, ‘I am not defiled,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way in the valley!
Know what you have done!
You are a swift young camel entangling her ways,
Jer 2:24A wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,
That sniffs the wind in her passion.
In the time of her [fn]heat who can turn her away?
All who seek her will not become weary;
In her month they will find her.
Jer 2:25“Keep your feet from being unshod
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘It is [fn]hopeless!
No! For I have loved strangers,
And after them I will walk.’
Jer 2:26“As the 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,
Jer 2:27Who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
And to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their back to Me,
And not their face;
But in the time of their [fn]trouble they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’
Jer 2:28“But where are your gods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can save you
In the time of your [fn]trouble;
For according to the number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.
Jer 2:29“Why do you contend with Me?
You have all transgressed against Me,” declares the LORD.
Jer 2:30“In vain I have struck your sons;
They accepted no chastening.
Your sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.
Jer 2:31“O generation, heed the word of the LORD.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a land of thick darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘We are free to roam;
We will no longer come to You’?
Jer 2:32“Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have forgotten Me
Days without number.
Jer 2:33“How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even [fn]the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
Jer 2:34“Also on your skirts is found
The lifeblood of the innocent poor;
You did not find them breaking in.
But in spite of all these things,
Jer 2:35Yet you said, ‘I am innocent;
Surely His anger is turned away from me.’
Behold, I will enter into judgment with you
Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
Jer 2:36“Why do you go around so much
Changing your way?
Also, you will be put to shame by Egypt
As you were put to shame by Assyria.
Jer 2:37“From this place also you will go out
With your hands on your head;
For the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,
And you will not prosper with them.”
NASB95 Footnotes
Or, lovingkindness
Or, the shadow of death
Literally: shepherds
I.e. Cyprus and other islands
Literally: given their voice
Or, sons
Literally: grazed
Hebrew: Shihor
Literally: River
Hebrew: YHWH, usually rendered LORD
Or, you
Literally: cause to be great to you
Hebrew: YHWH, usually rendered LORD
Literally: occasion
Or, desperate
Or, evil
Or, evil
Or, in wickedness
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Jeremiah Chapter 2 — Additional Translations: