Jeremiah 2:18-20

Good News Translation

¹⁸ What do you think you will gain by going to Egypt
    to drink water from the Nile?
What do you think you will gain by going to Assyria
    to drink water from the Euphrates?
¹⁹ Your own evil will punish you,
    and your turning from me will condemn you.
You will learn how bitter and wrong it is
    to abandon me, the Lord your God,
    and no longer to remain faithful to me.
I, the Sovereign Lord Almighty, have spoken.”

“Israel, long ago you rejected my authority;
    you refused to obey me and worship me.
On every high hill
    and under every green tree
    you worshiped fertility gods.