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 earnestly the lovingkindness and ^bdevotion of ¹your youth,Your time of betrothal like that of a bride during the early years in Egypt and again at Sinai,When ^cyou followed Me in the wilderness,Through a land not sown.

3 “¹Israel was ^aholy something set apart from ordinary purposes, consecrated to the LORD,The ^bfirst fruits of His harvest in which no outsider was allowed to share.^cAll who ate of it injuring Israel became guilty;Evil came on them,” says 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 or unrighteousness did your fathers find in Me,That they have wandered far from MeAnd habitually walked after ^bemptiness and futility and became empty?

6 “They did not say, ‘Where is the LORDWho ^abrought us up from 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 deep darkness of the shadow of death,Through a land that no man passed throughAnd where no man lived?’7 “I brought you into a ^aplentiful landTo eat its fruit and enjoy its good things.But you came and ^bdefiled My landAnd you made My inheritance repulsive.8 “Even the ^apriests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’And those who deal with the law given to Moses ^bdid not know Me.The rulers and shepherds also transgressed against Me,And the ^cprophets prophesied by the authority and in the name of BaalAnd walked after idolatrous ^dthings that did not benefit them.

9 “Therefore I will still ^acontend (struggle) with you by bringing judgment on you,” says the LORD,“And I will contend with your children’s children.”10 “For ^across over to the coasts of Kittim (Cyprus) to the west and see,Send also to ^bKedar (Arabia) to the east and carefully observe and considerAnd see whether there has been such a thing as this!11 “Has a nation ever changed godsEven though ^athey were not gods but merely man-made objects?But My people have ^bexchanged their Glory (the true God)For that man-made idol which does not benefit them.12 “Be appalled, ^aO heavens, at this;Be shocked and shudder with horror at the behavior of the people,” says the LORD.13 “For My people have committed two evils:They have abandoned (rejected) Me,The ^afountain of living water,And they have carved out their own ^bcisterns,Broken cisternsThat cannot hold water.

14 “Is Israel ^aa servant? Is he a slave by birth?Why has he become a captive and a prey?15 “The young ^alions have roared at him,They have made their voices heard and roared loudly.And they have ^bmade his land a waste;His cities have been destroyed and are burned ruins, without inhabitant.16 “Moreover, the men of ¹^aMemphis and ²Tahpanhes as powerful enemiesHave shaved the ^bcrown of your head to degrade you.17 “Have you not ^abrought this on yourselfBy abandoning (rejecting) the LORD your God^bWhen He led you in the way?18 “Now what are you doing by going to ^aEgypt in search of an ally,To drink the muddy waters of the ^bNile?Or what are you doing by going to Assyria in search of an ally,To drink the muddy waters of the Euphrates?19 “^aYour own wickedness will discipline you,And ^byour desertion of the faith will punish you.Know therefore that it is an evil and ^cbitter thingFor you to abandon (reject) the LORD your God,And for you to be indifferent to Me and dismiss ^dthe reverent fear of Me,” says the Lord GOD of hosts.

20 “For long ago ^ayou broke your yoke in deliberate disobedienceAnd tore off your bonds of the law that I gave you;You said, ‘I will not serve and obey You!’For on every ^bhigh hillAnd under every green treeYou have lain down in idolatrous worship like a compliant prostitute.21 “Yet I had ^aplanted you O house of Israel as a choice vine,A completely faithful seed.How then have you turned against MeInto ^bdegenerate shoots of a foreign and wild vine alien to Me?22 “For though you ^awash yourself with lyeAnd use much soap,The ^bstain of your guilt is still before Me and you are soiled and dirty,” says the Lord GOD.23 “^aHow can you say, ‘I am not defiled,I have not gone after man-made gods like the ^bBaals’?Look at your way in the ^cvalley;Know without any doubt what you have done!You are a swift and restless young female camel in the heat of her passion ^drunning here and there,24 Or you have the untamed and reckless nature of a ^awild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,That sniffs the wind in her passion for the scent of a mate.In her mating season who can restrain her?No males seeking her need to weary themselves;In her month they will find her looking for them.25 “Cease your mad running after idols toKeep your feet from becoming bareAnd your throat from becoming dry;But you said, ‘^aIt is hopeless!For I have ^bloved strangers and foreign gods,And I will walk after them.’

26 “As the ^athief is shamed when he is caught,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 trouble they will say,‘Arise O LORD and save us.’28 “But where are your ^agodsWhich you made for yourself?Let them get up, if they can ^bsave youIn the time of your trouble!For as many as ^cthe number of your citiesAre your gods, O Judah. Why do not your many man-made idols run to help you?

29 “Why do you complain and contend with Me?You have ^aall rebelled (transgressed) against Me,” says the LORD.30 “^aIn vain I have punished your people with the consequences of their disobedience;They received no insight from correction and refused to change.Your own ^bsword has devoured your prophetsLike a destroying lion.31 “O generation that you are, consider and regard carefully the word of the LORD.Have I been a wilderness to Israel like a land without food,A ^aland of thick and deep darkness like a path without light?Why do My people say, ‘^bWe have broken loose and we are free to roam at will;We will no longer come to You’?32 “Can a virgin forget to wear her ornaments,Or a bride her attire that identifies her as a married woman?Yet My people have ^aforgotten MeDays without number.33 “How well you prepare your pathTo seek and obtain adulterous love!Even the most wicked of womenHave learned indecent ways from you.34 “Also on your skirts is foundThe ^alifeblood of the innocent poor;You did not find them ^bbreaking in a house.But in spite of all these things your disobedience, your love of idolatry, your lack of compassion—35 Yet you keep saying, ‘I am innocent;Surely His anger has turned away from me.’Behold (listen very carefully) , I will ^abring you to judgment and will plead my case against youBecause you ^bsay, ‘I have not sinned.’36 “Why do you ^ago around and wander so muchChanging your way?Also, ^byou will be shamed by EgyptAs you were shamed by ^cAssyria.37 “From Egypt also you will come away as captivesWith ^ayour hands on your head;For the LORD has rejected ^bthose in whom you trust (confide) ,And you will not be successful with them.”