Jeremiah
Chapter 2
GOD PLEADS WITH ISRAEL TO REPENT
I Am Returning To Confront You
The word of the Lord came to me, saying:
“Go and shout this in the hearing of Jerusalem. This is the Lord’s word: I remember your kindness as a youth, the love of your bridal days, when you followed me in the wilderness, through a land not sown.
Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. All who ate of it had to pay and misfortune fell on them— it is the Lord who speaks.
Hear the word of the Lord, people of Jacob, all you families of the nation of Israel.
What wrong did your fathers find in me that they strayed far from me? Why did they pursue what is worthless and become worthless themselves?
And they did not say: ‘Where is the Lord who brought us out of Egypt and led us in the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and darkness, a land still untrodden and without inhabitants?’
I brought you to a fertile land to eat of the choicest fruit. As soon as you came, you defiled my land and dishonored my heritage!
The priests did not ask: ‘Where is the Lord?’ The masters of my teaching did not know me; the pastors of my people betrayed me; the prophets followed worthless idols and spoke in the name of Baal.
Therefore, I contend with you— it is the Lord who speaks— and I will contend with your children’s children!
Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and observe with care if there has ever been such a thing!
Has a nation exchanged its gods, false though they be? But my people have exchanged their glory for what is worthless!
Be aghast at that, O heavens! Shudder, be utterly appalled— it is the Lord who speaks—
for my people have done two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, to dig for themselves leaking cisterns that hold no water!
Your Wickedness Punishes You
Did I make Israel a slave or was he born in bondage? How then did you become the spoil of others?
The lions have roared at you, loudly indeed, turning your country into a wasteland, with your cities reduced to charred ruins without inhabitants.
Even the Egyptians of Memphis and Tahpanhes have humbled you!
You brought this on yourself by turning away from the Lord, your God, even as he guided you along the way.
Now, why call on Egypt? Will the water of the Nile heal you? And why go to Assyria? What good will the water of the Euphrates do for you?
Your own wickedness punishes you, and your own unfaithfulness condemns you! Know and see that it is bitter and evil to forsake the Lord, your God, and to no longer fear me —it is the Lord, the God of Hosts, who speaks!
It was long ago that you broke your yoke and burst your bonds, saying: ‘I will not serve!’ On every high hill and under every green tree you played the harlot!
I planted you a choice vine, a shoot of healthy stock; why have you become degenerate, a wild vine?
Even if you wash with soda and use soap in abundance, the stain of your sin is always before me —it is the Lord God who speaks.
Why Do They Fight Against Me?
How dare you say: ‘I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals?’ See your footprints in the valley, admit what you have done, O restless young she-camel, running here and there.
Wild ass of the desert, sniffing the wind in her desire, who can restrain her lust? Those who pursue her need not tire themselves, at mating time, they will find her.
Run if you wish until your feet are sore, and your throat is dry! But you say: ‘It’s no use, I love foreign gods, it is them I follow.’
As a thief is shamed when caught, so is the house of Israel, they, their kings, their princes, their priests and their prophets!
To a tree, they say: ‘You are my father!’ and to a stone: ‘You gave me birth!’ For they have turned their back on me instead of their face! On the day of misfortune, they will call me: ‘Rise and save us!’
Where, then, are the gods of your own making? Let them rise and save you if they can, in the time of your distress. For your gods, O Judah, are as many as your cities!
Why argue with me? You have all betrayed me —it is the Lord who speaks.
In vain did I strike your children. They did not learn a lesson! And your sword, like a destroying lion devoured your prophets!
All of you in this generation, listen to what the Lord says: Have I been a desert for Israel, a land of darkness? Why do my people say: ‘We will leave you and never return?’
Does a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her sash? But my people have forgotten me for endless days!
How easily you direct your steps in seeking lovers, even to walking with crime!
Look at your garments stained with the blood of the innocent poor, even though you didn’t catch them breaking in!
I know you say: ‘I am innocent. Why does his anger not turn away from me?’ I will accuse you: Yes, you have sinned!
How quickly you change your way! You will be ashamed by Egypt just as you were by Assyria.
You will also leave that place with your hands on your head, for the Lord has rejected those you trust, and they will not help you.
Commentaries
I Am Returning To Confront You.
Chapters 2-6 comprise Jeremiah’s first public messages, in which he clearly states the core of his message: the people’s unfaithfulness, the need for purification through punishment, and the call for forgiveness. Jeremiah employs the marriage metaphor (cf. Hos 1-3) to emphasize God’s intimate relationship and love for His people from the very beginning.
The sins of Israel in the desert when they had just left Egypt (Ex 17:1-7; 32; Nm 20:1-13) are not mentioned, unlike in Ezekiel 16. God addresses His people who are already settled in Canaan and calls them to account for having forgotten Him, their Spouse.
The primary temptation for the people in Canaan was to worship the deities and cults of the surrounding peoples, who responded to every aspect of life, including rain, harvests, storms, and fertility. Only later do they realize that the same God who saved them from Egypt is the one who provides everything they need to live, starting with rain (cf. Lv 26:4; Dt 11:14; Job 5:10; Ps 68:9, etc.). Irony highlights the situation of people who abandon the Lord, the “source of living water,” and instead dig “broken cisterns” that cannot hold water… (cf. v. 13).
Your Wickedness Punishes You.
Israel experienced periods of oppression from the Egyptians and Assyrians. The prophet views this domination as a consequence of their unfaithfulness to the Lord. The unfaithfulness referred to here involves Israel’s worship of other gods. By worshipping other deities, they reject the one God Israel should serve—a God who is primarily a liberator and source of life, qualities no other god possesses.
Why Do They Fight Against Me?.
The foolish people argue against the Lord, claiming innocence and accusing him of sending calamities (30:35). God defends himself by pointing out all the infidelities they have committed by going after other gods, that is, by imitating the way other peoples worship their idols and govern their political destiny. The text reflects Israel’s temptation to make covenants or alliances with other peoples, which is a rejection of the only possible covenant for Israel, which is exclusive to God.