299 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
299 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
The LORD's Case against His People
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# Chapter 2
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1. The LORD gave me another message. He said,
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2. "Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the LORD says:
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"I remember how eager you were to please me
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as a young bride long ago,
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how you loved me and followed me
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even through the barren wilderness.
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3. In those days Israel was holy to the LORD,
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the first of his children.
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All who harmed his people were declared guilty,
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and disaster fell on them.
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I, the LORD, have spoken!"
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4. Listen to the word of the LORD, people of Jacob--all you families of Israel!
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5. This is what the LORD says:
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"What did your ancestors find wrong with me
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that led them to stray so far from me?
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They worshiped worthless idols,
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only to become worthless themselves.
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6. They did not ask, 'Where is the LORD
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who brought us safely out of Egypt
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and led us through the barren wilderness--
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a land of deserts and pits,
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a land of drought and death,
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where no one lives or even travels?'
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7. "And when I brought you into a fruitful land
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to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
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you defiled my land and
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corrupted the possession I had promised you.
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8. The priests did not ask,
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'Where is the LORD?'
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Those who taught my word ignored me,
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the rulers turned against me,
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and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
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wasting their time on worthless idols.
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9. Therefore, I will bring my case against you,"
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says the LORD.
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"I will even bring charges against your children's children
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in the years to come.
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10. "Go west and look in the land of Cyprus;
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go east and search through the land of Kedar.
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Has anyone ever heard of anything
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as strange as this?
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11. Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
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even though they are not gods at all?
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Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
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for worthless idols!
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12. The heavens are shocked at such a thing
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and shrink back in horror and dismay,"
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says the LORD.
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13. "For my people have done two evil things:
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They have abandoned me--
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the fountain of living water.
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And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
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that can hold no water at all!
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The Results of Israel's Sin
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14. "Why has Israel become a slave?
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Why has he been carried away as plunder?
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15. Strong lions have roared against him,
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and the land has been destroyed.
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The towns are now in ruins,
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and no one lives in them anymore.
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16. Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes,
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have destroyed Israel's glory and power.
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17. And you have brought this upon yourselves
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by rebelling against the LORD your God,
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even though he was leading you on the way!
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18. "What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt
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and your covenants with Assyria?
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What good to you are the streams of the Nile
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or the waters of the Euphrates River?
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19. Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.
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Your turning from me will shame you.
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You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is
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to abandon the LORD your God and not to fear him.
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I, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, have spoken!
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20. "Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you
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and tore away the chains of your slavery,
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but still you said,
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'I will not serve you.'
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On every hill and under every green tree,
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you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
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21. But I was the one who planted you,
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choosing a vine of the purest stock--the very best.
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How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
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22. No amount of soap or lye can make you clean.
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I still see the stain of your guilt.
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I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!
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Israel, an Unfaithful Wife
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23. "You say, 'That's not true!
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I haven't worshiped the images of Baal!'
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But how can you say that?
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Go and look in any valley in the land!
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Face the awful sins you have done.
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You are like a restless female camel
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desperately searching for a mate.
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24. You are like a wild donkey,
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sniffing the wind at mating time.
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Who can restrain her lust?
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Those who desire her don't need to search,
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for she goes running to them!
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25. When will you stop running?
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When will you stop panting after other gods?
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But you say, 'Save your breath.
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I'm in love with these foreign gods,
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and I can't stop loving them now!'
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26. "Israel is like a thief
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who feels shame only when he gets caught.
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They, their kings, officials, priests, and prophets--
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all are alike in this.
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27. To an image carved from a piece of wood they say,
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'You are my father.'
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To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say,
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'You are my mother.'
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They turn their backs on me,
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but in times of trouble they cry out to me,
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'Come and save us!'
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28. But why not call on these gods you have made?
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When trouble comes, let them save you if they can!
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For you have as many gods
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as there are towns in Judah.
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29. Why do you accuse me of doing wrong?
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You are the ones who have rebelled,"
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says the LORD.
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30. "I have punished your children,
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but they did not respond to my discipline.
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You yourselves have killed your prophets
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as a lion kills its prey.
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31. "O my people, listen to the words of the LORD!
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Have I been like a desert to Israel?
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Have I been to them a land of darkness?
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Why then do my people say, 'At last we are free from God!
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We don't need him anymore!'
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32. Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
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or a bride her wedding dress?
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Yet for years on end
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my people have forgotten me.
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33. "How you plot and scheme to win your lovers.
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Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!
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34. Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor,
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though you didn't catch them breaking into your houses!
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35. And yet you say,
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'I have done nothing wrong.
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Surely God isn't angry with me!'
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But now I will punish you severely
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because you claim you have not sinned.
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36. First here, then there--
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you flit from one ally to another asking for help.
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But your new friends in Egypt will let you down,
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just as Assyria did before.
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37. In despair, you will be led into exile
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with your hands on your heads,
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for the LORD has rejected the nations you trust.
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They will not help you at all.
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