Jeremiah 2:23

2:23 “How can you say, ‘I have not made myself unclean.

I have not paid allegiance to ¹  the gods called Baal.’

Just look at the way you have behaved in the Valley of Hinnom! ² 

Think about the things you have done there!

You are like a flighty, young female camel

that rushes here and there, crisscrossing its path. ³ 

Jeremiah 7:6

7:6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. ⁴  Stop killing innocent people ⁵  in this land. Stop paying allegiance to ⁶  other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. ⁷ 

Jeremiah 8:2

8:2 They will be spread out and exposed to the sun, the moon and the stars. ⁸  These are things they ⁹  adored and served, things to which they paid allegiance, ¹⁰  from which they sought guidance, and worshiped. The bones of these people ¹¹  will never be regathered and reburied. They will be like manure used to fertilize the ground. ¹² 

Jeremiah 11:10

11:10 They have gone back to the evil ways ¹³  of their ancestors of old who refused to obey what I told them. They, too, have paid allegiance to ¹⁴  other gods and worshiped them. Both the nation of Israel and the nation of Judah ¹⁵  have violated the covenant I made with their ancestors.

Jeremiah 13:10

13:10 These wicked people refuse to obey what I have said. ¹⁶  They follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts and pay allegiance ¹⁷  to other gods by worshiping and serving them. So ¹⁸  they will become just like these linen shorts which are good for nothing.

Jeremiah 35:15

35:15 I sent all my servants the prophets to warn you over and over again. They said, “Every one of you, stop doing the evil things you have been doing and do what is right. ¹⁹  Do not pay allegiance to other gods ²⁰  and worship them. Then you can continue to live in this land that I gave to you and your ancestors.” But you did not pay any attention or listen to me.

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¹ tn Heb “I have not gone/followed after.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for the meaning and usage of this idiom.

² tn Heb “Look at your way in the valley.” The valley is an obvious reference to the Valley of Hinnom where Baal and Molech were worshiped and child sacrifice was practiced.

³ sn The metaphor is intended to depict Israel’s lack of clear direction and purpose without the Lord’s control.

⁴ tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”

⁵ tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”

⁶ tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

⁷ tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”

⁸ tc MT, 4QJer^a and LXX read “the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven,” but 4QJer^c reads “the sun and all the stars.”

tn Heb “the host of heaven.”

⁹ tn Heb “the sun, moon, and host of heaven which they…”

¹⁰ tn Heb “followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.

¹¹ tn Heb “they will not” but the referent is far enough removed that it might be ambiguous.

¹² tn Heb “like dung/manure on the surface of the ground.”

¹³ tn Or “They have repeated the evil actions of….”

¹⁴ tn Heb “have walked/followed after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.

¹⁵ tn Heb “house of Israel and house of Judah.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “to listen to my words.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “and [they follow] after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for the idiom.

¹⁸ tn The structure of this verse is a little unusual. It consists of a subject, “this wicked people” qualified by several “which” clauses preceding a conjunction and a form which would normally be taken as a third person imperative (a Hebrew jussive; וִיהִי, vihi). This construction, called casus pendens by Hebrew grammarians, lays focus on the subject, here calling attention to the nature of Israel’s corruption which makes it rotten and useless to God. See GKC 458 §143.d for other examples of this construction.

¹⁹ tn Heb “Turn, each of you, from his [= your] wicked way and make good your deeds.” Compare 18:11 where the same idiom occurs with the added term of “make good your ways.”

²⁰ tn Heb “Don’t go after/follow other gods.” See the translator’s note on 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom and see 11:10; 13:10; 25:6 for the same idiom.