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Go, cry out this message for Jerusalem to hear!

I remember the devotion[a] of your youth,
    how you loved me as a bride,
Following me in the wilderness,
    in a land unsown.(A)
Israel was dedicated to the Lord,
    the first fruits[b] of his harvest;
All who ate of it were held guilty,
    evil befell them—oracle of the Lord.(B)
Listen to the word of the Lord, house of Jacob!
    All you clans of the house of Israel,

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Footnotes

  1. 2:2 Devotion: Heb. hesed; Israel’s gratitude, fidelity, and love for God.
  2. 2:3 First fruits: the first yield of a harvest offered as a sign of dependence on and gratitude toward the Lord of the land, thus divine property. Israel, then, is a gift made to God, set apart for his use; cf. Ex 23:19.

“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:

“This is what the Lord says:

“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,(A)
    how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,(B)
    through a land not sown.
Israel was holy(C) to the Lord,(D)
    the firstfruits(E) of his harvest;
all who devoured(F) her were held guilty,(G)
    and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.

Hear the word of the Lord, you descendants of Jacob,
    all you clans of Israel.

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