Jeremiah 2:3-13

3 Israel was holiness to the Lord, The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; Disaster will come upon 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: "What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters?
6 Neither did they say, 'Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?'
7 I brought you into a bountiful country, To eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land And made My heritage an abomination.
8 The priests did not say, 'Where is the Lord?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.
9 "Therefore I will yet bring charges against you," says the Lord, "And against your children's children I will bring charges.
10 For pass beyond the coasts of Cyprus [a] and see, Send to Kedar [b] and consider diligently, And see if there has been such a thing.
11 Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.
12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate," says the Lord.
13 "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Hebrew Kittim, western lands, especially Cyprus
  • [b]. In the northern Arabian desert, representative of the eastern cultures
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.