Our ancestors left the Lord and turned their faces away from the Lord’s house. {\cf2\super [336]}
Jeremiah 2:27 - Easy To Read Version Those people talk to pieces of wood!\par They say, ‘You are my father.’\par Those people speak to a rock.\par They say, ‘You gave birth to me.’\par All those people will be ashamed.\par Those people don’t look at me.\par They have turned their backs to me.\par But when the people of Judah\par get into trouble, they say to me,\par ‘Come and save us!’\par Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition [Inasmuch as] they say to a tree, You are my father, and to a stone, You gave me birth. For they have turned their backs to Me and not their faces; but in the time of their trouble, they say, Arise [O Lord] and save us! American Standard Version (1901) who say to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. Common English Bible when they say to a piece of wood, “You are my father,” and to a stone, “You gave me birth.” They have turned their backs to me and not their faces. Yet in their time of trouble they say, “Arise and save us!” Catholic Public Domain Version For they say to a piece of wood, 'You are my father,' and to a stone, 'You have conceived me.' They have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their affliction, they will say: 'Rise up and deliver us.' Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version Saying to a stock: Thou art my father. And to a stone: Thou hast begotten me. They have turned their back to me, and not their face: and in the time of their affliction they will say: Arise, and deliver us. |
Our ancestors left the Lord and turned their faces away from the Lord’s house. {\cf2\super [336]}
Lord, people remember you\par when they are in trouble.\par People say quiet prayers to you\par when you punish them.\par
All the people of the other nations are stupid and foolish.\par Their teachings come from worthless wooden statues.\par
I will scatter the people of Judah.\par They will run from their enemies.\par I will scatter the people of Judah like\par an east wind that blows things away.\par I will destroy those people.\par They won’t see me coming to help them.\par No! They will see me leaving!”\par
You are like a wild donkey\par that lives in the desert.\par At mating time, she sniffs (smells)\par the wind.\par No person can bring her back\par at the time she is in heat.\par At mating time, every male that wants her\par will get her.\par It is easy to find her.\par
King, you live high on the mountain\par in your house made from cedar wood.\par It is almost like you live in Lebanon\par where that wood came from.\par \{You think you are safe,\par high on the mountain in your big house.\}\par But you will really groan\par when your punishment comes.\par You will hurt like a woman\par giving birth to a baby.”\par
Judah did not care that she was acting like a prostitute. So she made her country ‘dirty.’ She did the sin of adultery by worshiping idols made out of stone and wood.
“This is a very important time for Jacob. {\cf2\super [233]} \par This is a time of great trouble.\par There will never be another time like this.\par But Jacob {\cf2\super [234]} will be saved.\par
“Those people should have come to me for help. But they turned their backs to me. I tried to teach those people again and again. But they would not listen to me. I tried to correct them, but they would not listen.
King Zedekiah sent a man named Jehucal and the priest Zephaniah to Jeremiah the prophet with a message. Jehucal was the son of Shelemiah. The priest Zephaniah was the son of Maaseiah. This was the message they brought to Jeremiah: “Jeremiah, pray to the Lord our God for us.”
All those people said to him, “Jeremiah, please listen to what we ask. Pray to the Lord your God for all these people that are survivors {\cf2\super [344]} from the family of Judah. Jeremiah, you can see that there are not many of us left. At one time there were many of us.
“So, the Lord my Master said these things, ‘\{Jerusalem,\} you forgot me. You threw me away and left me behind. So now you must suffer for leaving me and living like a prostitute. {\cf2\super [190]} You must suffer for your wicked dreams.’”
Then he led me to the inner courtyard of the Lord’s temple. At that place, I saw 25 men bowing down and worshiping. They were between the porch and the altar—but they were facing the wrong way! Their backs were to the Holy Place. They were bowing down to worship the sun!
“Lord, you are good, and goodness belongs to you! But shame belongs to us today. Shame belongs to the people from Judah and Jerusalem. Shame belongs to all the people of Israel—to the people that are near, and to the people that are far away. Lord, you scattered those people among many nations. And the people of Israel in all those nations should be ashamed. They should be ashamed of all the bad things they did against you, Lord.
My people are asking pieces of wood for advice. They think those sticks will answer them. Why? Because they have chased after those false gods like prostitutes. {\cf2\super [38]} They left their God and became like prostitutes.
I will go back to my place,\par until the people admit they are guilty,\par until they come looking for me.\par Yes, in their trouble they will try hard\par to find me.”\par
They never call to me from their hearts.\par Yes, they cry on their beds.\par And they cut themselves\par when they ask for grain and\par new wine.\par But \{in their hearts,\} they have turned away\par from me.\par