JEREMIAH 2 [†]The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2[^]“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the LORD,

“I remember the devotion of  k your youth,

your love  l as a bride,

 m how you followed me in the wilderness,

 n in a land not sown.

3[†]  o Israel was holy to the LORD,

 p the firstfruits of his harvest.

 q All who ate of it incurred guilt;

disaster came upon them,

declares the LORD.”

4[†]Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel. 5[†]Thus says the LORD:

 r “What wrong did your fathers find in me

that they went far from me,

 s and went after  t worthlessness, and became worthless?

6[†] They did not say,  u ‘Where is the LORD

who brought us up from the land of Egypt,

who led us  v in the wilderness,

in a land of deserts and pits,

in a land of drought and deep darkness,

in a land that none passes through,

where no man dwells?’

7[†]  w And I brought you into a plentiful land

to enjoy its fruits and its good things.

But when you came in,  x you defiled my land

and made my heritage an abomination.

8[†] The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’

 y Those who handle the law did not know me;

 z the shepherds [1] transgressed against me;

 a the prophets prophesied by Baal

and went after  b things that do not profit.

9[†] “Therefore  c I still contend with you,

declares the LORD,

and  d with your children’s children I will contend.

10[†] For cross to the coasts of  e Cyprus and see,

or send to  f Kedar and examine with care;

see if there has been such a thing.

11[^]  g Has a nation changed its gods,

 h even though they are no gods?

But my people  i have changed their glory

for  b that which does not profit.

12[†] Be appalled,  j O heavens, at this;

be shocked, be utterly desolate,

declares the LORD,

13[^] for my people have committed two evils:

 k they have forsaken  l me,

the fountain of  m living waters,

and hewed out cisterns for themselves,

broken cisterns that can hold no water.

14[†]  n “Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?

Why then has he become a prey?

15[†]  o The lions have roared against him;

they have roared loudly.

They have made his land a waste;

his cities are in ruins,  p without inhabitant.

16[†] Moreover, the men of  q Memphis and  r Tahpanhes

 s have shaved [2] the crown of your head.

17[†]  t Have you not brought this upon yourself

by forsaking the LORD your God,

when  u he led you in the way?

18[†]  v And now what do you gain by going to Egypt

to drink the waters of  w the Nile?

 x Or what do you gain by going to Assyria

to drink the waters of  y the Euphrates? [3]

19  z Your evil will chastise you,

and  a your apostasy will reprove you.

Know and see that it is evil and  b bitter

for  c you to forsake the LORD your God;

the fear of me is not in you,

declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

20[†] “For long ago I  d broke your yoke

and burst your bonds;

but you said,  e ‘I will not serve.’

Yes,  f on every high hill

and under every green tree

you bowed down  g like a whore.

21[^][†]  h Yet I planted you a choice vine,

wholly of pure seed.

 i How then have you turned degenerate

and become a wild vine?

22[†] Though you wash yourself with lye

and use much soap,

 j the stain of your guilt is still before me,

declares the Lord GOD.

23[†]  k How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,

I have not gone after the Baals’?

Look at your way  l in the valley;

know what you have done—

a restless young camel running here and there,

24  m a wild donkey used to the wilderness,

in her heat sniffing the wind!

Who can restrain her lust?

None who seek her need weary themselves;

in her month they will find her.

25[†] Keep  n your feet from going unshod

and  o your throat from thirst.

But you said, ‘It is hopeless,

 p for I have loved foreigners,

and after them I will go.’

26[†] “As a thief is shamed when caught,

so the house of Israel shall be shamed:

 q they, their kings, their officials,

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 back to me,

and not their face.

But  r in the time of their trouble they say,

‘Arise and save us!’

28[†] But  s where are your gods

that you made for yourself?

Let them arise,  t if they can save you,

in your time of trouble;

for  u as many as your cities

are your gods, O Judah.

29 “Why do you contend with me?

You have all transgressed against me,

declares the LORD.

30[†] In vain have I  v struck your children;

they took no correction;

 w your own sword devoured your prophets

like a ravening lion.

31[†] And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.

Have I been a wilderness to Israel,

or a land of thick darkness?

Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,

we will come no more to you’?

32  x Can a virgin forget her ornaments,

or a bride her attire?

Yet  y my people have forgotten me

days without number.

33[†] “How well you direct your course

to seek love!

So that even to wicked women

you have taught your ways.

34[†] Also on your skirts is found

 z the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;

you did not find them  a breaking in.

Yet in spite of all these things

35[†] you say, ‘I am innocent;

surely his anger has turned from me.’

 b Behold, I will bring you to judgment

for  c saying, ‘I have not sinned.’

36[†]  d How much you go about,

changing your way!

You shall be  e put to shame by Egypt

as you were put to shame by Assyria.

37 From it too you will come away

with  f your hands on your head,

for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust,

and you will not prosper by them.