Jeremiah 2:21-23

Contemporary English Version

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.
²³You deny your sins
and say, “We aren't unclean.
    We haven't worshiped Baal.”^[a]
But think about what you do
    in Hinnom Valley.^[b]
You run back and forth
    like young camels,
as you rush to worship one idol
    after another.

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Footnotes

2.23 Baal: The Hebrew text has “the Baals,” probably because the god Baal was believed to be present in different forms at different places of worship.
2.23 Hinnom Valley: Hebrew “the valley” (see 7.31-32; 19.1-6).