Online Bible

Judah’s Apostasy

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 ¹^bdevotion 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 MeAnd walked after ^bemptiness and became empty?

6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the LORDWho ^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 crossedAnd where no man dwelt?’7 “I brought you into the ^afruitful landTo 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 BaalAnd 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 closelyAnd see if there has been such a thing as this!11 “Has a nation changed godsWhen ^athey were not gods?But My people have ^bchanged their gloryFor 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 cisternsThat 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 TahpanhesHave ²shaved the ^bcrown of your head.17 “Have you not ^adone this to yourselfBy your forsaking the LORD your GodWhen He ^bled you in the way?18 “But now what are you doing ^aon the road to Egypt,To drink the waters of the ¹^bNile?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 ^cbitterFor 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 ¹^aI broke your yokeAnd tore off your bonds;But you said, ‘I will not serve!’For on every ^bhigh hillAnd under every green treeYou 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 MeInto the ^bdegenerate shoots of a foreign vine?22 “Although you ^awash yourself with lyeAnd 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 unshodAnd 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 princesAnd 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 ^agodsWhich you made for yourself?Let them arise, if they can ^bsave youIn the time of your ¹trouble;For ^caccording to the number of your citiesAre 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 prophetsLike 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 MeDays without number.33 “How well you prepare your wayTo seek love!Therefore even ¹the wicked womenYou have taught your ways.34 “Also on your skirts is foundThe ^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 youBecause you ^bsay, ‘I have not sinned.’36 “Why do you ^ago around so muchChanging your way?Also, ^byou will be put to shame by EgyptAs you were put to shame by ^cAssyria.37 “From this place also you will go outWith ^ayour hands on your head;For the LORD has rejected ^bthose in whom you trust,And you will not prosper with them.”

Judah Transgresses Against Yahweh

Now the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 “Go and ^acall out in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh,“I remember concerning you the ^blovingkindness of your youth,The love of your betrothals,^cYour walking after Me in the wilderness,Through a land not sown.

3 “Israel was ^aholy to Yahweh,The ^bfirst of His produce.^cAll who ate of it became guilty;Evil came upon them,” declares Yahweh.’”

4 Hear the word of Yahweh, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says Yahweh,“^aWhat injustice did your fathers find in Me,That they went far from MeAnd walked after ^bvanity and became vain?

6 “They did not say, ‘Where is YahwehWho ^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 the shadow of death,Through a land that no one crossedAnd where no man inhabited?’7 “I brought you into the ^afruitful landTo 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 Yahweh?’And those who handle the law ^bdid not know Me;The ¹shepherds also transgressed against Me,And the ^cprophets prophesied by BaalAnd walked after ^dthings that did not profit.

9 “Therefore I will yet ^acontend with you,” declares Yahweh,“And with your sons’ sons I will contend.10 “For ^across to the coastlands of ¹Kittim and see,And send to ^bKedar and perceive closelyAnd see if there has been such a thing as this!11 “Has a nation changed godsThough ^athey were not gods?But My people have ^bchanged their gloryFor that which does not profit.12 “Be appalled, ^aO heavens, at this,And be horribly afraid, be very devastated,” declares Yahweh.13 “For My people have done two evils:They have forsaken Me,The ^afountain of living waters,To hew for themselves ^bcisterns,Broken cisternsThat can hold no water.

14 “Is Israel ^aa slave? Or is he a homeborn slave?Why has he become plunder?15 “The young ^alions have roared at him;They have given forth their voice.And they have ^bmade his land a desolation;His cities have been turned into ruin, without inhabitant.16 “Also the ¹men of ^aMemphis and TahpanhesHave ²shaved the ^btop of your head.17 “Have you not ^adone this to yourselfBy your forsaking Yahweh your GodWhen He ^bled you in the way?18 “But now what are you doing ^aon the road to Egypt,To drink the waters of the ¹^bNile?Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,To drink the waters of the ²River?19 “^aYour own evil will chastise you,And your ^bacts of faithlessness will reprove you;Know therefore and see that it is evil and ^cbitterFor you to forsake Yahweh your God,And ^dthe dread of Me is not in you,” declares Lord Yahweh of hosts.

20 “For long ago ¹^aI broke your yokeAnd tore off your bonds;But you said, ‘I will not serve!’For on every ^bhigh hillAnd under every green treeYou have lain down as a harlot.21 “Yet I ^aplanted you a choice vine,A completely true seed.How then have you turned yourself before MeInto the ^bdegenerate shoots of a foreign vine?22 “Although you ^awash yourself with lyeAnd ¹use much soap,The ^bstain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares Lord Yahweh.23 “^aHow can you say, ‘I am not defiled;I have not walked 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 barefootAnd 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 found,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 MeAnd not their face;But in the ^btime when their evil comes they will say,‘Arise and save us.’28 “But where are your ^agodsWhich you made for yourself?Let them arise, if they can ^bsave youIn the time when your evil comes;For ^caccording to the number of your citiesAre your gods, O Judah.

29 “Why do you contend with Me?You have ^aall transgressed against Me,” declares Yahweh.30 “^aIn vain I have struck your sons;They received no discipline.Your ^bsword has devoured your prophetsLike a destroying lion.31 “O generation, ¹behold the word of Yahweh.Have I been a wilderness to IsraelOr 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 MeDays without number.33 “How well you prepare your wayTo seek love!Therefore even ¹the wicked womenYou have taught your ways.34 “Also on your skirts is foundThe ^alifeblood of the innocent needy;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 youBecause you ^bsay, ‘I have not sinned.’36 “Why do you ^adespise Him so muchIn changing your way?Also, ^byou will be put to shame by EgyptAs you were put to shame by ^cAssyria.37 “From this place also you will go outWith ^ayour hands on your head;For Yahweh has rejected ^bthose in whom you trust,And you will not succeed with them.”