Chapter 2

Judah’s Apostasy

1 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 “Go and aproclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord,

“I remember concerning you the 1bdevotion of your youth,

The love of your betrothals,

cYour following after Me in the wilderness,

Through a land not sown.

3 “Israel was aholy to the Lord,

The bfirst of His harvest.

cAll who ate of it became guilty;

Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’ ”

4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.

5 Thus says the Lord,

“aWhat injustice did your fathers find in Me,

That they went far from Me

And walked after bemptiness and became empty?

6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord

Who abrought us up out of the land of Egypt,

Who bled us through the wilderness,

Through a land of deserts and of pits,

Through a land of drought and of 1deep darkness,

Through a land that no one crossed

And where no man dwelt?’

7 “I brought you into the afruitful land

To eat its fruit and its good things.

But you came and bdefiled My land,

And My inheritance you made an abomination.

8 “The apriests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’

And those who handle the law bdid not know Me;

The 1rulers also transgressed against Me,

And the cprophets prophesied by Baal

And walked after dthings that did not profit.

9 “Therefore I will yet acontend with you,” declares the Lord,

“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.

10 “For across to the coastlands of 1Kittim and see,

And send to bKedar and observe closely

And see if there has been such a thing as this!

11 “Has a nation changed gods

When athey were not gods?

But My people have bchanged their glory

For that which does not profit.

12 “Be appalled, aO heavens, at this,

And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the Lord.

13 “For My people have committed two evils:

They have forsaken Me,

The afountain of living waters,

To hew for themselves bcisterns,

Broken cisterns

That can hold no water.

14 “Is Israel aa slave? Or is he a homeborn servant?

Why has he become a prey?

15 “The young alions have roared at him,

They have 1roared loudly.

And they have bmade his land a waste;

His cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant.

16 “Also the 1men of aMemphis and Tahpanhes

Have 2shaved the bcrown of your head.

17 “Have you not adone this to yourself

By your forsaking the Lord your God

When He aled you in the way?

18 “But now what are you doing aon the road to Egypt,

To drink the waters of the 1bNile?

Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,

To drink the waters of the 2Euphrates?

19 “aYour own wickedness will correct you,

And your bapostasies will reprove you;

Know therefore and see that it is evil and cbitter

For you to forsake the Lord your God,

And dthe dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord 1God of hosts.

20 “For long ago 1aI broke your yoke

And tore off your bonds;

But you said, ‘I will not serve!’

For on every bhigh hill

And under every green tree

You have lain down as a harlot.

21 “Yet I aplanted you a choice vine,

A completely faithful seed.

How then have you turned yourself before Me

Into the bdegenerate shoots of a foreign vine?

22 “Although you awash yourself with lye

And 1use much soap,

The bstain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord 2God.

23 “aHow can you say, ‘I am not defiled,

I have not gone after the bBaals’?

Look at your way in the cvalley!

Know what you have done!

You are a swift young camel dentangling her ways,

24 A awild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,

That sniffs the wind in her passion.

In the time of her 1heat who can turn her away?

All who seek her will not become weary;

In her month they will find her.

25 “Keep your feet from being unshod

And your throat from thirst;

But you said, ‘aIt is 1hopeless!

No! For I have bloved strangers,

And after them I will walk.’

26 “As the athief is shamed when he is discovered,

So the house of Israel is shamed;

They, their kings, their princes

And 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 aback to Me,

And not their face;

But in the btime of their 1trouble they will say,

‘Arise and save us.’

28 “But where are your agods

Which you made for yourself?

Let them arise, if they can bsave you

In the time of your 1trouble;

For caccording to the number of your cities

Are your gods, O Judah.

29 “Why do you contend with Me?

You have aall transgressed against Me,” declares the Lord.

30 “aIn vain I have struck your sons;

They accepted no chastening.

Your bsword has devoured your prophets

Like a destroying lion.

31 “O generation, heed the word of the Lord.

Have I been a wilderness to Israel,

Or a aland of thick darkness?

Why do My people say, ‘bWe are free to roam;

We will no longer come to You’?

32 “Can a virgin forget her ornaments,

Or a bride her attire?

Yet My people have aforgotten Me

Days without number.

33 “How well you prepare your way

To seek love!

Therefore even 1the wicked women

You have taught your ways.

34 “Also on your skirts is found

The alifeblood of the innocent poor;

You did not find them bbreaking in.

But in spite of all these things,

35 Yet you said, ‘I am innocent;

Surely His anger is turned away from me.’

Behold, I will aenter into judgment with you

Because you bsay, ‘I have not sinned.’

36 “Why do you ago around so much

Changing your way?

Also, byou will be put to shame by Egypt

As you were put to shame by cAssyria.

37 “From this place also you will go out

With ayour hands on your head;

For the Lord has rejected bthose in whom you trust,

And you will not prosper with them.”