HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1036
J EREMIA H 2
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The towns are now in ruins,
and no one lives in them anymore.
Egyptians, marching from their cities of
Memphis* and Tahpanhes,
have destroyed Israel’s glory and power.
And you have brought this upon yourselves
by rebelling against the Lord your God,
even though he was leading you on
the way!
“What have you gained by your alliances
with Egypt
and your covenants with Assyria?
What good to you are the streams of
the Nile*
or the waters of the Euphrates River?*
Your wickedness will bring its own
punishment.
Your turning from me will shame you.
You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is
to abandon the Lord your God and not
to fear him.
I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
have spoken!
“Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you
and tore away the chains of your slavery,
but still you said,
‘I will not serve you.’
On every hill and under every green tree,
you have prostituted yourselves by
bowing down to idols.
But I was the one who planted you,
choosing a vine of the purest stock—
the very best.
How did you grow into this corrupt
wild vine?
No amount of soap or lye can make
you clean.
I still see the stain of your guilt.
I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
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Israel, an Unfaithful Wife
23 “You say, ‘That’s not true!
I haven’t worshiped the images of Baal!’
But how can you say that?
Go and look in any valley in the land!
Face the awful sins you have done.
You are like a restless female camel
desperately searching for a mate.
24 You are like a wild donkey,
sniffing the wind at mating time.
Who can restrain her lust?
Those who desire her don’t need
to search,
for she goes running to them!
25 When will you stop running?
When will you stop panting after
other gods?
But you say, ‘Save your breath.
I’m in love with these foreign gods,
and I can’t stop loving them now!’
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“Israel is like a thief
who feels shame only when he gets
caught.
They, their kings, officials, priests, and
prophets—
all are alike in this.
To an image carved from a piece of wood
they say,
‘You are my father.’
To an idol chiseled from a block of stone
they say,
‘You are my mother.’
They turn their backs on me,
but in times of trouble they cry out to me,
‘Come and save us!’
But why not call on these gods you have
made?
When trouble comes, let them save you
if they can!
For you have as many gods
as there are towns in Judah.
Why do you accuse me of doing wrong?
You are the ones who have rebelled,”
says the Lord.
“I have punished your children,
but they did not respond to my discipline.
You yourselves have killed your prophets
as a lion kills its prey.
“O my people, listen to the words of the
Lord!
Have I been like a desert to Israel?
Have I been to them a land of darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are
free from God!
We don’t need him anymore!’
Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet for years on end
my people have forgotten me.
“How you plot and scheme to win your
lovers.
Even an experienced prostitute could
learn from you!
Your clothing is stained with the blood of
the innocent and the poor,
though you didn’t catch them breaking
into your houses!
And yet you say,
‘I have done nothing wrong.
Surely God isn’t angry with me!’
But now I will punish you severely
because you claim you have not sinned.
First here, then there—
you flit from one ally to another asking
for help.
But your new friends in Egypt will let you
down,
just as Assyria did before.
2:16 Hebrew Noph. 2:18a Hebrew of Shihor, a branch of the
Nile River. 2:18b Hebrew the river?