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Israel's Unfaithfulness
2
1 The Lord told me
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2
  Chapter recording
List of all recordings of KJV
1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
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2 to go to Jerusalem and tell everyone that he had said:
When you were my young bride,
you loved me
and followed me
through the barren desert.
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2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.  thee: or, for thy sake
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3 You belonged to me alone,
like the first part of the harvest,
and I severely punished
those who mistreated you.
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3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.
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4 Listen, people of Israel, f 2.4 Israel: After the nation was divided, the northern kingdom was called “Israel,” and the southern kingdom was called “Judah” (see 1Kings 12.1-20). In 722 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom, and Judah was all that was left. And so in the book of Jeremiah the name “Israel” is most often used of the southern kingdom.
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4 Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
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5 and I, the Lord, will speak.
I was never unfair
to your ancestors,
but they left me
and became worthless
by following worthless idols.
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5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
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6 Your ancestors refused
to ask for my help,
though I had rescued them
from Egypt
and led them through
a treacherous, barren desert,
where no one lives
or dares to travel.
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6 Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that 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?
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7 I brought you here to my land,
where food is abundant,
but you made my land filthy
with your sins.
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7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. a plentiful...: or, the land of Carmel
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8 The priests who teach my laws
don't care to know me.
Your leaders rebel against me;
your prophets
give messages from Baal
and worship false gods.
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8 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
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The Lord Accuses His People
9 I will take you to court
and accuse you
and your descendants
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9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead.
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*
10 of a crime that no nation
has ever committed before.
Just ask anyone, anywhere,
from the eastern deserts
to the islands in the west.
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10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. over: or, over to
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11 You will find that no nation
has ever abandoned its gods
even though they were false.
I am the true and glorious God,
but you have rejected me
to worship idols.
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11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
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12 Tell the heavens
to tremble with fear!
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12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
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13 You, my people, have sinned
in two ways—
you have rejected me,
the source
of life-giving water,
and you've tried to collect water
in cracked and leaking pits
dug in the ground.
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13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
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14 People of Israel,
you weren't born slaves;
you were captured in war.
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14 Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled? spoiled: Heb. become a spoil?
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15 Enemies roared like lions
and destroyed your land;
towns lie burned and empty.
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15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant. yelled: Heb. gave out their voice
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16 Soldiers from the Egyptian towns
of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls.
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16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head. have...: or, feed on thy crown
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17 It's all your own fault!
You stopped following me,
the Lord your God,
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17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?
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18 and you trusted the power
of Egypt and Assyria. g 2.18 trusted ... Assyria: Hebrew “went to Egypt and drank from the Shihor River, and you went to Assyria and drank from the Euphrates River.”
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18 And now what 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 the river?
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19 Your own sins will punish you,
because it was a bitter mistake
for you to reject me
without fear of punishment.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have spoken.
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19 Thine own wickedness 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.
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20 Long ago you left me
and broke all ties between us,
refusing to be my servant.
Now you worship other gods
by having sex
on hilltops or in the shade
of large trees. h 2.20 having sex ... trees: In some Canaanite religions, worshipers had sex with temple prostitutes, who represented their gods; many of the Canaanite places of worship were on hilltops or under large trees.
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20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot. transgress: or, serve
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21 You were a choice grapevine,
but now you produce nothing
but small, rotten grapes.
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21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
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Israel Is Stained with Guilt
22 The Lord said:
People of Israel,
you are stained with guilt,
and no soap or bleach
can wash it away.
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22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.
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23 You deny your sins
and say, “We aren't unclean.
We haven't worshiped Baal.” i 2.23 Baal: The Hebrew text has “the Baals,” probably because the god Baal was believed to be present in different forms at different places of worship.
But think about what you do
in Hinnom Valley. j 2.23 Hinnom Valley: Hebrew “the valley” (see 7.31-32; 19.1-6).
And you run back and forth
like young camels,
as you rush to worship one idol
after another.
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23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways; thou art...: or, O swift dromedary
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24 You are a female donkey
sniffing the desert air,
wanting to mate
with just anyone.
You are an easy catch!
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24 A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her. A wild...: or, O wild ass, etc turn...: or, reverse it? used: Heb. taught her pleasure: Heb. the desire of her heart
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25 Your shoes are worn out,
and your throat is parched
from running here and there
to worship foreign gods.
“Stop!” I shouted,
but you replied, “No!
I love those gods too much.”
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25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go. There...: or, Is the case desperate?
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26 You and your leaders
are more disgraceful
than thieves—
you and your kings,
your priests and prophets
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26 As the 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,
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27 worship stone idols
and sacred poles
as if they had created you
and had given you life.
You have rejected me,
but when you're in trouble,
you cry to me for help.
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27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. brought...: or, begotten me their back: Heb. the hinder part of the neck
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28 Go cry to the gods you made!
There should be enough of them
to save you,
because Judah has as many gods
as it has towns.
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28 But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. trouble: Heb. evil
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Israel Rebels against the Lord
29 The Lord said to Israel:
You accuse me of not saving you,
but I say you have rebelled.
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29 Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.
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30 I tried punishing you,
but you refused
to come back to me,
and like fierce lions
you killed my prophets.
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30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
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31 Now listen to what I say!
Did I abandon you in the desert
or surround you with darkness?
You are my people,
yet you have told me,
“We'll do what we want,
and we refuse
to worship you!”
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31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? We are...: Heb. We have dominion
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32 A bride could not forget
to wear her jewelry
to her wedding,
but you have forgotten me
day after day.
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32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
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33 You are so clever
at finding lovers
that you could give lessons
to a prostitute.
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33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
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34 You killed innocent people
for no reason at all.
And even though their blood
can be seen on your clothes,
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34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. secret...: Heb. digging
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35 you claim to be innocent,
and you want me to stop
being angry with you.
So I'll take you to court,
and we'll see who is right.
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35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
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36 When Assyria let you down,
you ran to Egypt,
but you'll find no help there,
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36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
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37 and you will leave
in great sadness. k 2.37 in great sadness: Or “as prisoners.”
I won't let you find help
from those you trust.
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37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
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© 1999 American Bible Society |
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