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, ‘This is what the LORD says:“I remember regarding you the ¹^bdevotion of your youth,Your love when you were a bride,^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, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 This is what the LORD says:“^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 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 person lived?’7 “I brought you into the ^afruitful landTo eat its fruit and its good things.But you came and ^bdefiled My land,And you made My inheritance 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 revolted against Me,And the ^cprophets prophesied by BaalAnd walked after ^dthings that were of no benefit.

9 “Therefore I will still ^acontend with you,” declares the LORD,“And I will contend with your sons’ sons.10 “For ^across to the coastlands of ¹Kittim and see,And send to ^bKedar and observe closely,And see if there has been anything like this!11 “Has a nation changed gods,When ^athey were not gods?But My people have ^bexchanged their gloryFor that which is of no benefit.12 “Be appalled at this, ^ayou heavens,And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD.13 “For My people have committed two evils:They have abandoned Me,The ^afountain of living waters,To carve out for themselves ^bcisterns,Broken cisternsThat do not hold water.

14 “Is Israel ^aa slave? Or is he a servant born in the home?Why has he become plunder?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 ^byour head.17 “Have you not ^adone this to yourselfBy your abandoning the LORD your GodWhen He ^bled you in the way?18 “But now what are you doing ^aon the road to Egypt,Except to drink the waters of the ¹^bNile?Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,Except to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?19 “^aYour own wickedness will correct you,And your ^bapostasies will punish you;Know therefore and see that it is evil and ^cbitterFor you to abandon the LORD your God,And ^dthe fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord ¹GOD of armies.

20 “For long ago ¹^aI broke your yokeAnd tore off your restraints;But you said, ‘I will not serve!’For on every ^bhigh hillAnd under every leafy treeYou have lain down as a prostitute.21 “Yet I ^aplanted you as 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 guilt 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 ^drunning about senselessly on her ways,24 A ^awild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,That sniffs the wind in her passion.Who can turn her away in her mating season?None who seek her will grow weary;In her month they will find her.25 “Keep your feet from being bare,And your throat from thirst;But you said, ‘^aIt is ¹hopeless!No! For I have ^bloved strangers,And I will walk after them.’

26 “Like the shame of a ^athief when he is discovered,So the house of Israel is shamed;They, their kings, their leaders,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 ^abacks to Me,And not their faces;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 ^cas many as the number of your citiesAre your gods, Judah.

29 “Why do you contend with Me?You have ^aall revolted against Me,” declares the LORD.30 “^aIn vain I have struck your sons;They did not accept discipline.Your ^bsword has devoured your prophetsLike a destroying lion.31 “You generation, look to 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 jewelry,Or a bride her attire?Yet My people have ^aforgotten MeFor days without number.33 “How well you prepare your wayTo seek love!Therefore even to the 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 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 Egypt,Just as you were put to shame by ^cAssyria.37 “From this place as well 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.”