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 Me
And walked after bvanity and became vain?
6 They did not say, ‘Where is Yahweh
Who 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 crossed
And where no man inhabited?’
7 I brought you into the afruitful land
To 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 shepherds also transgressed against Me,
And the cprophets prophesied by Baal
And 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 Kittim and see,
And send to bKedar and perceive closely
And see if there has been such a thing as this!
11 Has a nation changed gods
Though athey were not gods?
But My people have bchanged their glory
For 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 cisterns
That 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 men of aMemphis and Tahpanhes
Have shaved the btop of your head.
17 Have you not adone this to yourself
By your forsaking Yahweh your God
When He aled you in the way?
18 But now what are you doing aon the road to Egypt,
To drink the waters of the bNile?
Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria,
To drink the waters of the River?
19 aYour own evil will chastise you,
And your bacts of faithlessness will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and cbitter
For you to forsake Yahweh your God,
And dthe dread of Me is not in you,” declares Lord Yahweh of hosts.
20 “For long ago aI broke your yoke
And tore off your bonds;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every bhigh hill
And under every green tree
You 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 Me
Into the bdegenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you awash yourself with lye
And use 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 heat 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 barefoot
And your throat from thirst;
But you said, ‘aIt is hopeless!
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 Me
And not their face;
But in the btime when their evil comes they will say,
‘Arise and save us.’
28 But where are your agods
Which you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can bsave you
In the time when your evil comes;
For caccording to the number of your cities
Are 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 prophets
Like a destroying lion.
31 O generation, behold the word of Yahweh.
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 Me
Days without number.
33 How well you prepare your way
To seek love!
Therefore even the wicked women
You have taught your ways.
34 Also on your skirts is found
The 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 you
Because you bsay, ‘I have not sinned.’
36 Why do you adespise Him so much
In changing your way?
Also, byou will be put to shame by Egypt
As you were put to shame by cAssyria.
37 From this place also you will go out
With ayour hands on your head;
For Yahweh has rejected bthose in whom you trust,
And you will not succeed with them.”