215 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
215 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
Israel Accused of Apostasy
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# Chapter 2
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1. The word of the Lord came to me:
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2. "Go and announce directly to Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says:
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I remember the loyalty of your youth,
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your love as a bride--
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how you followed me in the wilderness,
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in a land not sown.
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3. Israel was holy to the Lord,
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the firstfruits of his harvest.
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All who ate of it found themselves guilty;
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disaster came on them."
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This is the Lord's declaration.
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4. Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob
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and all families of the house of Israel.
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5. This is what the Lord says:
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What fault did your ancestors find in me
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that they went so far from me,
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followed worthless idols,
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and became worthless themselves?
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6. They stopped asking, "Where is the Lord
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who brought us from the land of Egypt,
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who led us through the wilderness,
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through a land of deserts and ravines,
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through a land of drought and darkness,
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a land no one traveled through
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and where no one lived?"
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7. I brought you to a fertile land
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to eat its fruit and bounty,
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but after you entered, you defiled my land;
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you made my inheritance detestable.
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8. The priests quit asking, "Where is the Lord?"
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The experts in the law no longer knew me,
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and the rulers rebelled against me.
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The prophets prophesied by Baal
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and followed useless idols.
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9. Therefore, I will bring a case against you again.
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This is the Lord's declaration.
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I will bring a case against your children's children.
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10. Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look.
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Send someone to Kedar and consider carefully;
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see if there has ever been anything like this:
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11. Has a nation ever exchanged its gods?
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(But they were not gods!)
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Yet my people have exchanged their Glory
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for useless idols.
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12. Be appalled at this, heavens;
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be shocked and utterly desolated!
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This is the Lord's declaration.
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13. For my people have committed a double evil:
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They have abandoned me,
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the fountain of living water,
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and dug cisterns for themselves--
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cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.
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Consequences of Apostasy
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14. Is Israel a slave?
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Was he born into slavery?
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Why else has he become a prey?
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15. The young lions have roared at him;
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they have roared loudly.
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They have laid waste his land.
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His cities are in ruins, without inhabitants.
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16. The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
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have also broken your skull.
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17. Have you not brought this on yourself
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by abandoning the Lord your God
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while he was leading you along the way?
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18. Now what will you gain
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by traveling along the way to Egypt
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to drink the water of the Nile?
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What will you gain
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by traveling along the way to Assyria
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to drink the water of the Euphrates?
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19. Your own evil will discipline you;
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your own apostasies will reprimand you.
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Recognize how evil and bitter it is
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for you
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to abandon the Lord your God
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and to have no fear of me.
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This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.
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20. For long ago I broke your yoke;
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I tore off your chains.
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You insisted, "I will not serve!"
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On every high hill
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and under every green tree
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you lay down like a prostitute.
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21. I planted you, a choice vine
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from the very best seed.
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How then could you turn into
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a degenerate, foreign vine?
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22. Even if you wash with lye
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and use a great amount of bleach,
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the stain of your iniquity is still in front of me.
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This is the Lord God's declaration.
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23. How can you protest, "I am not defiled;
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I have not followed the Baals"?
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Look at your behavior in the valley;
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acknowledge what you have done.
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You are a swift young camel
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twisting and turning on her way,
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24. a wild donkey at home in the wilderness.
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She sniffs the wind in the heat of her desire.
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Who can control her passion?
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All who look for her will not become weary;
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they will find her in her mating season.
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25. Keep your feet from going bare
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and your throat from thirst.
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But you say, "It's hopeless;
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I love strangers,
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and I will continue to follow them."
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26. Like the shame of a thief when he is caught,
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so the house of Israel has been put to shame.
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They, their kings, their officials,
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their priests, and their prophets
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27. say to a tree, "You are my father,"
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and to a stone, "You gave birth to me."
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For they have turned their back to me
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and not their face,
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yet in their time of disaster they beg,
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"Rise up and save us!"
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28. But where are your gods you made for yourself?
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Let them rise up and save you
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in your time of disaster if they can,
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for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah.
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Judgment Deserved
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29. Why do you bring a case against me?
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All of you have rebelled against me.
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This is the Lord's declaration.
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30. I have struck down your children in vain;
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they would not accept discipline.
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Your own sword has devoured your prophets
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like a ravaging lion.
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31. Evil generation,
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pay attention to the word of the Lord!
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Have I been a wilderness to Israel
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or a land of dense darkness?
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Why do my people claim,
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"We will go where we want;
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we will no longer come to you"?
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32. Can a young woman forget her jewelry
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or a bride her wedding sash?
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Yet my people have forgotten me
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for countless days.
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33. How skillfully you pursue love;
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you also teach evil women your ways.
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34. Moreover, your skirts are stained
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with the blood of the innocent poor.
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You did not catch them breaking and entering.
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But in spite of all these things
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35. you claim, "I am innocent.
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His anger is sure to turn away from me."
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But I will certainly judge you
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because you have said, "I have not sinned."
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36. How unstable you are,
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constantly changing your ways!
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You will be put to shame by Egypt
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just as you were put to shame by Assyria.
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37. Moreover, you will be led out from here
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with your hands on your head
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since the Lord has rejected those you trust;
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you will not succeed even with their help.
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