Jeremiah 2

New King James Version

“I remember you,
The kindness of your^(A)youth,
The love of your betrothal,
^(B)When you^[a]went after Me in the wilderness,
In a land not sown.
^3 (C)Israelwasholiness to theLord,
^(D)The firstfruits of His increase.
^(E)All that devour him will offend;
Disaster will^(F)come upon them,” says theLord.’ ”

^(G)“What injustice have your fathers found in Me,
That they have gone far from Me,
^(H)Have followed^[b]idols,
And have become idolaters?
⁶ Neither did they say, ‘WhereistheLord,
Who^(I)brought us up out of the land of Egypt,
Who led us through^(J)the wilderness,
Through a land of deserts and pits,
Through a land of drought and the shadow of death,
Through a land that no one crossed
And where no one dwelt?’
⁷ I brought you into^(K)a bountiful country,
To eat its fruit and its goodness.
But when you entered, you^(L)defiled My land
And made My heritage an abomination.
⁸ The priests did not say, ‘WhereistheLord?’
And those who handle the^(M)law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me;
^(N)The prophets prophesied by Baal,
And walked afterthings thatdo not profit.

⁹ “Therefore^(O)I will yet^[c]bring charges against you,” says theLord,
“And against your children’s children I will bring charges.
¹⁰ For pass beyond the coasts of^[d]Cyprus and see,
Send to^[e]Kedar and consider diligently,
And see if there has been sucha^(P)thing.
^11 (Q)Has a nation changeditsgods,
Whichare^(R)not gods?
^(S)But My people have changed their Glory
Forwhatdoes not profit.
¹² Be astonished, O heavens, at this,
And be horribly afraid;
Be very desolate,” says theLord.
¹³ “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the^(T)fountain of living waters,
Andhewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

¹⁴ “IsIsrael^(U)a servant?
Ishe a homebornslave?
Why is he plundered?
^15 (V)The young lions roared at him,andgrowled;
They made his land waste;
His cities are burned, without inhabitant.
¹⁶ Also the people of^[f]Noph and^(W)Tahpanhes
Have^[g]broken the crown of your head.
^17 (X)Have you not brought this on yourself,
In that you have forsaken theLordyour God
When^(Y)He led you in the way?
¹⁸ And now why take^(Z)the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of^(AA)Sihor?
Or why take the road to^(AB)Assyria,
To drink the waters of^[h]the River?
¹⁹ Your own wickedness will^(AC)correct you,
And your backslidings will rebuke you.
Know therefore and see thatit isan evil and bitterthing
That you have forsaken theLordyour God,
And the^[i]fear of Meisnot in you,”
Says the LordGodof hosts.

²⁰ “For of old I have^(AD)broken your yokeandburst your bonds;
And^(AE)you said, ‘I will not^[j]transgress,’
When^(AF)on every high hill and under every green tree
You lay down,^(AG)playing the harlot.
²¹ Yet I had^(AH)planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality.
How then have you turned before Me
Into^(AI)the degenerate plant of an alien vine?
²² For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap,
Yetyour iniquity is^(AJ)marked^[k]before Me,” says the LordGod.

²³ “How^(AK)can you say, ‘I am not^[l]polluted,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
See your way in the valley;
Know what you have done:
You area swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,
²⁴ A wild donkey used to the wilderness,
Thatsniffs at the wind in her desire;
In her time of mating, who can turn her away?
All those who seek her will not weary themselves;
In her month they will find her.
²⁵ Withhold your foot from being unshod, and your throat from thirst.
But you said,^(AL)‘There is no hope.
No! For I have loved^(AM)aliens, and after them I will go.’

²⁶ “As the thief is ashamed when he is found out,
So is the house of Israel ashamed;
They and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their^(AN)prophets,
²⁷ Saying to a tree, ‘Youaremy father,’
And to a^(AO)stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’
For they have turnedtheirback to Me, and nottheirface.
But in the time of their^(AP)trouble
They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’
²⁸ But^(AQ)whereareyour gods that you have made for yourselves?
Let them arise,
If they^(AR)can save you in the time of your^[m]trouble;
For^(AS)according tothe number of your cities
Are your gods, O Judah.

²⁹ “Why will you plead with Me?
You all have transgressed against Me,” says theLord.
³⁰ “In vain I have^(AT)chastened your children;
They^(AU)received no correction.
Your sword has^(AV)devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.

³¹ “O generation, see the word of theLord!
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
Or a land of darkness?
Why do My people say, ‘We^[n]are lords;
^(AW)We will come no more to You’?
³² Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Ora bride her attire?
Yet My people^(AX)have forgotten Me days without number.

³³ “Why do you beautify your way to seek love?
Therefore you have also taught
The wicked women your ways.
³⁴ Also on your skirts is found
^(AY)The blood of the lives of the poor innocents.
I have not found it by^[o]secret search,
But plainly on all these things.
^35 (AZ)Yet you say, ‘Because I am innocent,
Surely His anger shall turn from me.’
Behold,^(BA)I will plead My case against you,
^(BB)Because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’
^36 (BC)Why do you gad about so much to change your way?
Also^(BD)you shall be ashamed of Egypt^(BE)as you were ashamed of Assyria.
³⁷ Indeed you will go forth from him
With your hands on^(BF)your head;
For theLordhas rejected your trusted allies,
And you will^(BG)not prosper by them.