Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

Go and cry in the ears of Yerushalayim, saying, Thus says the Lord; I remember in thy favour, the devotion of thy youth, thy love as a bride, when thou didst go after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

Israel is holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come upon them, says the Lord.

Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Ya῾aqov, and all the families of the house of Yisra᾽el.

Thus says the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become themselves worthless?

Neither did they say, Where is the Lord who brought us up out of the land of Miżrayim, who led 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 man passed through, and where no man dwelt?

And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat its fruit and its bounty; but when you entered, you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination.

The priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that handle the Tora knew me not: the rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by the Ba῾al, and walked after things that do not profit.

Wherefore I will yet plead with you, says the Lord, and with your children’s children will I plead.

For pass over the isles of Kittiyyim, and see; and send to Qedar, and consider diligently, and see if there has been such a thing.

Has a nation changed their gods, even though they are not gods? but my people have changed its glory for that which does not profit.

Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be greatly appalled, says the Lord.

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and have hewn them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Is Yisra᾽el a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he become a prey?

The young lions roared upon him, and gave tongue, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.

Also the children of Nof and Taĥpanĥes have broken the crown of thy head.

Hast thou not done this to thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee on the way?

And now what hast thou to do on the road to Miżrayim, to drink the water of Shiĥor? or what hast thou to do on the road to Ashshur, to drink the water of the River?

Thy own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, says the Lord God of hosts.

For long ago I broke thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou didst say, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou didst sprawl, playing the harlot.

And I had planted thee a noble vine, an entirely right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine to me?

For though thou wash thyself with lye, and take thee much soap, yet the stain of thy iniquity is before me, says the Lord God.

How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Be῾alim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a restive young camel doubling back on her tracks,

a wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffs up the wind in her desire; in her lust who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.

Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou didst say, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.

As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Yisra᾽el ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,

saying to a stock of wood, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back to me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.

But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Yehuda.

Why will you contend with me? you all have transgressed against me, says the Lord.

In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword has devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

O generation, see the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness to Yisra᾽el? a land of darkness? why do my people say, We are free; we will come no more to Thee?

Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

How well thou dost direct thy path to seek love! Therefore thou hast even taught bad women thy ways.

Also in thy skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor: whom thou didst not find in the act of breaking in. Yet in spite of all these things

thou sayst, Because I am innocent, surely his anger has turned from me. Behold, I will enter into judgment with thee, because thou sayst, I have not sinned.

Why dost thou cheapen thyself so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Miżrayim, as thou wast ashamed of Ashshur.

Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thy hands upon thy head: for the Lord has rejected those in whom thou dost trust, and thou shalt not prosper by them.