Old Testament · Prophets

Jeremiah chapter 2

Yahweh’s came to me:“Go and shout this in Jerusalem’s ears— ‘This is what Yahweh says: I remember the of your youth, your when we were newly wed, how you followed me through the , through a land where nothing was planted.’”Israel , the . Anyone who devoured her was held guilty, and disaster fell on them.” This is Yahweh’s declaration.Listen to Yahweh’s word, — all you families of Israel’s house.This is what Yahweh says: “What injustice did your ancestors find in me that they wandered so far from me? They chased after and became empty themselves.”They never asked, ‘Where is Yahweh, who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness— through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and , a land no one travels through, where no human lives?’I brought you into a to eat its fruit and its good things. But when you arrived, you made my land disgusting— you turned my into something revolting.The priests never asked, ‘Where is Yahweh?’ Those who handle the didn’t know me. The rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by and chased after things that are worthless.“So I will against you again,” declares Yahweh. “And I will bring charges against your children’s children.”Cross over to the coasts of and look. Send someone to and observe carefully. See if anything like this has ever happened:Has any nation ever traded in their gods— even though they aren’t really gods at all? But my people traded away their for something completely worthless.Be stunned at this, you . Shudder. Be utterly desolate,” declares Yahweh.“My people have committed two evils: They abandoned me— the — and they dug their own wells, that can’t even hold water.”Is Israel a ? Was he born into servitude? Then why has he become prey? roar over him— they raise their voices. They have turned his land into a wasteland. His cities are burned, with no one left in them.The men of and have .Haven’t you brought this on yourself by abandoning Yahweh your God while he was leading you on the road?And now—why take the road to Egypt to drink the ? Why take the road to Assyria to drink the ?Your own wickedness will discipline you. Your unfaithfulness will punish you. So understand and see how bitter and evil it is to abandon Yahweh your God— and to have no of me,” declares the Lord .“Long ago you broke your and tore off your chains. You said, ‘I will not serve!’ On every high hill and under every green tree you .I planted you as a , entirely from the finest stock. How did you turn into a wild, rotten vine right in front of me?Even if you scrub yourself with and pile on the soap, the stain of your is still there before me,” declares the Lord Yahweh.How can you say, ‘I haven’t made myself unclean. I haven’t chased after the ’? Look at your footprints in the — face what you’ve done. You’re a restless young camel running wild in every direction,a at home in the desert, sniffing the wind in her heat— who can hold her back when she’s in season? No one who wants her needs to exhaust himself; they’ll find her easily enough when she’s in heat.Stop running until your feet are raw and your throat is parched! But you say, ‘It’s no use. No! I love and I will chase after them.’Like the shame a thief feels when he’s caught— that’s how the house of Israel is shamed. Their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets—they say to a , ‘You are my father,’ and to a , ‘You gave birth to me.’ They’ve turned their backs to me, not their faces. But when trouble comes, they say, ‘Get up and rescue us!’But where are the gods you made for yourself? Let them get up—if they can rescue you when you’re in trouble. Because you have as many gods as you have cities, Judah.“Why do you against me? All of you have rebelled against me,” declares Yahweh.I disciplined your children for nothing— they refused to accept . Your own sword devoured your prophets like a lion tearing its prey.You—this generation—look at Yahweh’s word: Have I been a wilderness to Israel? A land of thick darkness? Why do my people say, ‘We’re free to roam— we won’t come back to you anymore’?Does a young woman forget her jewelry? Does a bride forget her ? But my people have forgotten me— for days beyond counting.How skillfully you pursue love affairs! Even the most corrupt women could learn from your methods.Even on your clothes is found the blood of the innocent poor. You didn’t catch them breaking in— you killed them in the open. Yet in spite of all this—you say, ‘I’m innocent. Surely his anger has turned away from me.’ But watch—I am about to judge you because you say, ‘I haven’t .’How cheaply you sell yourself, changing your alliances! You will be disappointed by Egypt just as you were disappointed by Assyria.You will leave that place too with your , because Yahweh has rejected the ones you trust— you will not succeed through them.