19 (A)Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your (B)apostasies will punish you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and (C)bitter
For you to abandon the Lord your God,
And (D)the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord [a]God of armies.

20 “For long ago [b](E)I broke your yoke
And tore off your restraints;
But you said, ‘I will not serve!’
For on every (F)high hill
And under every leafy tree
You have lain down as a prostitute.
21 Yet I (G)planted you as a choice vine,
A completely faithful seed.
How then have you turned yourself before Me
Into the (H)degenerate shoots of a foreign vine?
22 Although you (I)wash yourself with lye
And [c]use much soap,
The (J)stain of your guilt is before Me,” declares the Lord [d]God.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 2:19 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  2. Jeremiah 2:20 Or you
  3. Jeremiah 2:22 Lit acquire much soap for yourself
  4. Jeremiah 2:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord

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