Jeremiah 2:20-22

Contemporary English Version

²⁰Long ago you left me
and broke all ties between us,
    refusing to be my servant.
Now you worship other gods
    by having sex
on hilltops or in the shade
    of large trees.^[a]
²¹You were a choice grapevine,
but you have become
    a wild, useless vine.

Israel Is Stained with Guilt

²²The Lord said:

People of Israel,
you are stained with guilt,
and no soap or bleach
can wash it away.

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Footnotes

2.20 having sex … trees: In some Canaanite religions, worshipers had sex with temple prostitutes, who represented their gods; many of the Canaanite places of worship were on hilltops or under large trees.