Self-interpreting Bible

« back to list of books

« back to list of chapters

Jeremiah 2

1God reminding the Jews of his former kindness contendeth with them for their causeless and unprecedented revolt. 14They are the authors of their own calamities. 18God upbraideth them with their fondness for idolatrous worship. 35The vain confidences of Judah are rejected.

1 MOREOVER the aword of the LORD came to me, saying,

2 Go and bcry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember 1thee, the ckindness of thy youth, the love of thine d*espousals, when thou ewentest after me in the wilderness, fin a land that was not sown.

3 Israel was gholiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: hall that devour him shall offend; ievil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.

4 jHear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:

5 ¶Thus saith the LORD, kWhat iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after lvanity, and are mbecome vain?

6 Neither nsaid they, oWhere is the LORD that pbrought us up out of the land of Egypt, qthat led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

7 And I rbrought you into 2a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye sdefiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.

8 The tpriests said not, Where is the LORD? and uthey that handle the law knew me not: vthe pastors also transgressed against me, and wthe prophets prophesied by Baal, and xwalked after things that do not profit.

9 ¶Wherefore I ywill yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and zwith your children's children will I plead.

10 For pass 3over the aisles of Chittim, and see; and send unto bKedar, and consider diligently, cand see if there be such a thing.

11 dHath a nation changed their gods, ewhich are yet no gods? but my people fhave changed their glory for that which doth not profit.

12 Be gastonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye hvery desolate, saith the LORD.

13 For my people have committed two evils; they have iforsaken me the jfountain of living waters, and *hewed them out cisterns, broken kcisterns, that can hold no water.

14 ¶Is lIsrael a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he 4spoiled?

15 The myoung lions roared upon him, and 5yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.

16 Also nthe children of Noph and Tahapanes 6have broken the crown of thy head.

17 oHast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he pled thee by the way?

18 And now qwhat hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of rthe river?

19 Thine own swickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

20 ¶For tof old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I uwill not 7transgress; when vupon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, wplaying the harlot.

21 Yet I had xplanted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou yturned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?

22 For zthough thou wash thee with *nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.

23 How acanst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? bsee thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: 8thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;

24 9A wild ass 10used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at 11her pleasure; in her occasion who can 12turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; cin her month they shall find her.

25 dWithhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, 13There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.

26 As ethe thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,

27 Saying to fa *stock, gThou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast 14brought me forth: for they have turned 15their back unto me, and not their face: but hin the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

28 But iwhere are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy 16trouble: for jaccording to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.

29 kWherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.

30 In vain have I lsmitten your children; they received no correction: myour own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

31 ¶O generation, nsee ye the word of the LORD. oHave I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We 17are lords; we will come no more unto thee?

32 Can a maid forget her pornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have qforgotten me days without number.

33 rWhy *trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also staught the wicked ones thy ways.

34 Also tin thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by 18secret search, but upon all these.

35 Yet thou sayest, uBecause I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, vI will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.

36 wWhy gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.

37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from 19him, and xthine hands upon thine head: for the LORD yhath rejected thy confidences, and zthou shalt not prosper in them.