1 The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord,
I remember the devotion ofkch. 3:4 your youth,
your lovelEzek. 16:8, 43, 60; [Rev. 2:4] as a bride,
mDeut. 2:7 how you followed me in the wilderness,
nDeut. 8:2, 3 in a land not sown.
3 oEx. 28:36; [Ex. 19:5, 6] Israel was holy to the Lord,
pJames 1:18; [Ex. 4:22] the firstfruits of his harvest.
qch. 12:14; Ezek. 25:12, 13; [Gen. 12:3] All who ate of it incurred guilt;
disaster came upon them,
declares the Lord. ”
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the clans of the house of Israel.
5 Thus says the Lord :
rver. 31; Isa. 5:4; Mic. 6:3 “What wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
s2 Kgs. 17:15 and went aftertch. 10:15; 14:22; 16:19 worthlessness, and became worthless?
6 They did not say,u[Isa. 63:11-13; Hos. 13:4, 5] ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led usvDeut. 8:15; 32:10 in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes through,
where no man dwells? ’
7 wSee Deut. 8:7-10 And I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in,xPs. 106:38; [Lev. 18:24, 25] you defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord? ’
ych. 18:18; [Mal. 2:7; Rom. 2:20] Those who handle the law did not know me;
z[ch. 5:5] the shepherds1Or rulers transgressed against me;
ach. 23:13; [ch. 5:31] the prophets prophesied by Baal
and went afterb[Hab. 2:18] things that do not profit.
9 Thereforecver. 35; Ezek. 17:20; 20:35, 36 I still contend with you,
declares the Lord,
anddEx. 20:5, 6 with your children's children I will contend.
10 For cross to the coasts ofeSee Gen. 10:4 Cyprus and see,
or send tofSee Isa. 21:16 Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
11 g[Mic. 4:5]; See ch. 18:13-15 Has a nation changed its gods,
hch. 16:20; Isa. 37:19; Gal. 4:8 even though they are no gods?
But my peopleiPs. 106:20 have changed their glory
forb[See ver. 8 above] that which does not profit.
12 Be appalled,jIsa. 1:2 O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
kch. 17:13 they have forsakenlPs. 36:9 me,
the fountain ofmJohn 4:10 living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.
14 n[Ex. 4:22] Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
15 och. 4:7; Isa. 5:29 The lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins,pch. 9:11; 46:19 without inhabitant.
16 Moreover, the men ofqch. 44:1; 46:14; Ezek. 30:16 Memphis andrch. 43:7-9 Tahpanhes
s[Deut. 33:20] have shaved the crown of your head.
17 tch. 4:18 Have you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
whenuver. 6 he led you in the way?
18 vver. 36; Isa. 30:1, 2; 31:1 And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters ofwIsa. 23:3 the Nile?
x[Hos. 7:11] Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters ofyGen. 31:21; Isa. 7:20; 8:7 the Euphrates?
19 zIsa. 3:9; Hos. 5:5 Your evil will chastise you,
andach. 3:22; 5:6; 14:7 your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil andbch. 4:18 bitter
forcver. 13, 17 you to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.
20 For long ago Idch. 5:5; 30:8 broke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said,ever. 31 ‘I will not serve. ’
yes,fch. 3:2; 17:2 on every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed downgch. 3:1; Isa. 1:21 like a whore.
21 hEx. 15:17; Ps. 44:2; 80:8; Isa. 5:2 Yet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
iIsa. 5:4; [Deut. 32:32] How then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
22 Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
j[ch. 17:1] the stain of your guilt is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
23 kver. 35 How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals ’?
Look at your waylch. 7:31, 32; 19:2, 6 in the valley;
know what you have done—
a restless young camel running here and there,
24 mch. 14:6 a wild donkey used to the wilderness,
in her heat sniffing the wind!
Who can restrain her lust?
None who seek her need weary themselves;
in her month they will find her.
25 KeepnDeut. 29:5 your feet from going unshod
andoEx. 17:6 your throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
pch. 3:13; Deut. 32:16 for I have loved foreigners,
and after them I will go. ’
26 As a thief is shamed when caught,
so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
qch. 13:13; 32:32; [ch. 8:1] they, their kings, their officials,
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 back to me,
and not their face.
ButrJudg. 10:9, 10; Isa. 26:16 in the time of their trouble they say,
‘Arise and save us! ’
28 ButsDeut. 32:37, 38 where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise,tIsa. 45:20 if they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
foruch. 11:13 as many as your cities
are your gods, O Judah.
29 Why do you contend with me?
You have all transgressed against me,
declares the Lord.
30 In vain have Ivch. 5:3; Isa. 1:5; 9:13 struck your children;
they took no correction;
wNeh. 9:26; 1 Thess. 2:15 your own sword devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.
31 And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
we will come no more to you ’?
32 xIsa. 3:20; 61:10 Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yetych. 3:21; 18:15; Deut. 32:18; Ps. 106:21; Isa. 17:10; Hos. 8:14 my people have forgotten me
days without number.
33 How well you direct your course
to seek love!
So that even to wicked women
you have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
zch. 19:4; 2 Kgs. 21:16; 24:4; Ps. 106:38 the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find themaEx. 22:2 breaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
35 you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me. ’
bPs. 143:2 Behold, I will bring you to judgment
forcProv. 28:13; 1 John 1:8, 10 saying, ‘I have not sinned. ’
36 d[ch. 31:22] How much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall beeIsa. 30:3 put to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 From it too you will come away
withf2 Sam. 13:19 your hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper by them.