וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with me, saying:

הָלֹךְ וְקָרָאתָ בְאָזְנֵי יְרוּשָׁלַם לֵאמֹר כֹּה אָמַר ה' זָכַרְתִּי לָךְ חֶסֶד נְעוּרַיִךְ אַהֲבַת כְּלוּלֹתָיִךְ לֶכְתֵּךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא זְרוּעָה

Go, and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem. This appeal to Jerusalem expresses God’s relationship with the entire nation of Israel. Like the terms “Zion” and “daughter of Zion,” the designation “Jerusalem” in the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah refers both to the city of Jerusalem and its residents, as well as to the nation as a whole. Prophesy to them, saying: So said the Lord: I have always remembered for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, how you loved Me when you were My bride. This was during your following Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown. When you left Egypt, the land where your parents were born and where you yourselves were born and raised, to follow after Me, you did not emigrate from one country to another; rather, you left for the wilderness on My command. This virtuous action will be remembered for eternity.

קֹדֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַה' רֵאשִׁית תְּבוּאָתֹה כָּל־אֹכְלָיו יֶאְשָׁמוּ רָעָה תָּבֹא אֲלֵיהֶם נְאֻם־ה'

For this reason, Israel is sacred to the Lord, the first of His crop. Just as a farmer must remove the first fruit of his crop and consecrate it, so too Israel was set apart from all the nations and consecrated to God. Therefore, all those who devour it will be guilty. Damaging the first fruit is a transgression of Torah law. Furthermore, it is strictly prohibited for a non-priest to eat the first fruit, as it belongs to the priests alone or, in the context here, to God Himself. Evil will come upon them – the utterance of the Lord.

שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר־ה' בֵּית יַעֲקֹב וְכָל־מִשְׁפְּחוֹת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל

Hear the word of the Lord, house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.

כֹּה אָמַר ה' מַה־מָּצְאוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם בִּי עָוֶל כִּי רָחֲקוּ מֵעָלָי! וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי הַהֶבֶל – וַיֶּהְבָּלוּ

So said the Lord: What injustice did your fathers find in Me, that they distanced themselves from Me? They have followed futility, the worthless and false gods of the nations, and they have become people of futility and nonsense. Idol worship is a ludicrous enterprise. Why would people believe in gods that they themselves know are worthless?

וְלֹא אָמְרוּ אַיֵּה ה'הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם הַמּוֹלִיךְ אֹתָנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ עֲרָבָה וְשׁוּחָה בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה וְצַלְמָוֶת בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא־עָבַר בָּהּ אִישׁ וְלֹא־יָשַׁב אָדָם שָׁם!

They did not say as they should have said: Where is the Lord? How can we abandon the Lord, who brings us up from the land of Egypt, who leads us in the wilderness, in a land of desert and crater, in a land of waste and the shadow of death, in a land that no man has crossed and where no person has dwelled? The wilderness is unfit for human habitation and is difficult to cross even in a caravan.

וָאָבִיא אֶתְכֶם אֶל־אֶרֶץ הַכַּרְמֶל לֶאֱכֹל פִּרְיָהּ וְטוּבָהּ וַתָּבֹאוּ וַתְּטַמְּאוּ אֶת־אַרְצִי וְנַחֲלָתִי שַׂמְתֶּם לְתוֹעֵבָה

I did not leave you in fear in that wasteland, but rather I brought you into a fruitful [hakarmel] land, a land of orchards and gardens, to eat its fruit and its goodness. Despite this, you came, and you defiled My land, and you rendered My inheritance an abomination.

הַכֹּהֲנִים לֹא אָמְרוּ אַיֵּה ה' וְתֹפְשֵׂי הַתּוֹרָה לֹא יְדָעוּנִי וְהָרֹעִים פָּשְׁעוּ בִי וְהַנְּבִיאִים נִבְּאוּ בַבַּעַל וְאַחֲרֵי לֹא־יוֹעִלוּ הָלָכוּ

The priests did not say: Where is the Lord? Their service has demonstrated no personal commitment or genuine search to find Me. And those who grasp the Torah and are occupied in its study did not know Me. They disregarded Me. Their occupation with the Torah was purely technical, their study limited to knowledge of the text. And the shepherds, the political leaders, were disloyal to Me, and the prophets and other spiritual leaders prophesied to the Baal and followed and led others to that which is of no avail, idols and false ideas.

לָכֵן עֹד אָרִיב אִתְּכֶם נְאֻם־ה' וְאֶת בְּנֵי בְנֵיכֶם אָרִיב

Therefore I will yet quarrel with you – the utterance of the Lord – and with your children’s children I will contend. This is a significant quarrel with the people, not limited to a single generation or to a specific period.

כִּי עִבְרוּ אִיֵּי כִתִּיִּים וּרְאוּ וְקֵדָר שִׁלְחוּ וְהִתְבּוֹנְנוּ מְאֹד וּרְאוּ הֵן הָיְתָה כָּזֹאת

For cross the isles of the Kitites, the Greek and Italian islands in the west, and see, and send to Kedar, the Ishmaelites in the east, and observe diligently, and see whether there has been anything like this.

הַהֵימִיר גּוֹי אֱלֹהִים! וְהֵמָּה לֹא אֱלֹהִים וְעַמִּי הֵמִיר כְּבוֹדוֹ בְּלוֹא יוֹעִיל

Has a nation, any nation, exchanged gods? And they, their gods, are not really gods. But My people has exchanged its glory, its glorious relationship with God, for that which is of no avail.

שֹׁמּוּ שָׁמַיִם עַל־זֹאת וְשַׂעֲרוּ חָרְבוּ מְאֹד נְאֻם־ה'

Be astonished, or, alternatively, become desolate, heavens, at this and be agitated, be greatly devastated – the utterance of the Lord. Israel’s actions are so severe that they invite the destruction of the entire cosmos.

כִּי־שְׁתַּיִם רָעוֹת עָשָׂה עַמִּי – אֹתִי עָזְבוּ מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים לַחְצֹב לָהֶם בֹּארוֹת בֹּארֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָכִלוּ הַמָּיִם

For My people have performed two evils: First they forsook Me, the fount of flowing water, to go instead and dig for them cisterns. Moreover, they did not dig themselves proper cisterns, but broken cisterns, that will not hold water. Instead of putting their trust in the water of the flowing fountain, they dug useless pits; even when these pits are filled with water, the water seeps into the ground, leaving them empty.

הַעֶבֶד יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם־יְלִיד בַּיִת הוּא! מַדּוּעַ הָיָה לָבַז

Is Israel a slave? Is he a bondsman born in the house of his master? He is a nation of free men. Why, then, was he subjected to looting, or, alternatively, to disgrace?

עָלָיו יִשְׁאֲגוּ כְפִרִים נָתְנוּ קוֹלָם וַיָּשִׁיתוּ אַרְצוֹ לְשַׁמָּה עָרָיו נִצְּתוּ מִבְּלִי ישֵׁב

Lion cubs, a metaphor for Israel’s enemies, roar over him; they have raised their voice, and they have rendered his land desolation; his cities are destroyed, without inhabitants. This seems to refer not only to the land of Judah, which at this time was still intact, but also to those who had lived in the northern Kingdom of Israel, which was already destroyed and desolate.

גַּם־בְּנֵי־נֹף וְתַחְפַּנְחֵס יִרְעוּךְ קָדְקֹד

The great destruction was brought about by the countries of the north, Aram and then Assyria, but the people of Nof and Tahpanhes, Egyptian cities, too will crush your head. You cannot rely on your neighbor to the south either.

הֲלוֹא־זֹאת תַּעֲשֶׂה־לָּךְ – עָזְבֵךְ אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהַיִךְ בְּעֵת מוֹלִיכֵךְ בּדָּרֶךְ

Is it not this that did it, caused your affliction, to you, your forsaking of the Lord your God at the time that He was leading you on the right way? Had you remained true to Him, you would not have suffered any of these calamities; it is your straying in all directions, religiously, culturally, and politically, that repeatedly casts you down.

וְעַתָּה מַה־לָּךְ לְדֶרֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לִשְׁתּוֹת מֵי שִׁחוֹר! וּמַה־לָּךְ לְדֶרֶךְ אַשּׁוּר לִשְׁתּוֹת מֵי נָהָר !

Now what is there for you, the people of Israel or Judah, on the way to Egypt, to drink water of Shihor? This refers to a section of the Nile River and may derive from the word shaḥor, meaning black, denoting the dark color of that part of the river due to a large amount of mud and clay. Why do you forge ties with the Egyptian Empire? And what is there for you on the way to Assyria, to drink water of the Euphrates River, which reaches Assyria? You tried many times to maneuver between the two superpowers, but Assyria and Egypt care only about their own interests, and neither one can be trusted.

תְּיַסְּרֵךְ רָעָתֵךְ וּמְשֻׁבוֹתַיִךְ תּוֹכִחֻךְ וּדְעִי וּרְאִי כִּי־רַע וָמָר עָזְבֵךְ אֶת־ה' אֱלֹהָיִךְ וְלֹא פַחְדָּתִי אֵלַיִךְ נְאֻם־ה' אֱלוֹהִים צְבָאוֹת

Your own evildoing will chastise you, as it is the cause of your suffering, and your deviations and rebelliousness shall reprove you; know and see that evil and bitter is your forsaking of the Lord your God. Awe of Me is not in you – the utterance of the Lord, God of hosts.lternatively, your awe of Me would not have been evil and bitter for you but rather good and sweet.

כִּי מֵעוֹלָם שָׁבַרְתִּי עֻלֵּךְ נִתַּקְתִּי מוֹסְרוֹתַיִךְ וַתֹּאמְרִי לֹא אֶעֱבוֹר כִּי עַל־כָּל־גִּבְעָה גְּבֹהָה וְתַחַת כָּל־עֵץ רַעֲנָן אַתְּ צֹעָה זֹנָה

For I have always, from ancient times, broken your yoke and snapped your restraints, granting your freedom, and you said: I will not transgress God’s commandments. Yet instead of keeping your word, upon every high hill and under every flourishing tree, typical locations of idol worship, you saunter, a harlot. Although the reference is to straying theologically and morally, to veering from worship of God to idolatry, this expression also alludes to the licentious sexual conduct that was part of the Canaanite pagan rituals.

וְאָנֹכִי נְטַעְתִּיךְ שׂוֹרֵק כֻּלֹּה זֶרַע אֱמֶת וְאֵיךְ נֶהְפַּכְתְּ לִי סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן נָכְרִיָּה!

I planted you a select vine, all of it from true seed that never fails to deliver quality produce; and how did you transform into a deviant, strange vine, wild branches that destroy the vine, for Me?

כִּי אִם־תְּכַבְּסִי בַּנֶּתֶר וְתַרְבִּי־לָךְ בֹּרִית נִכְתָּם עֲוֹנֵךְ לְפָנַי נְאֻם ה' אֱלוֹהִים

For even if you launder with natron, a mineral substance used for laundering and cleaning, and you use much soap [borit], a type of cleanser that was apparently derived from plants, that is, even if you tirelessly attempt to clean yourself, your iniquity is stained before Me – the utterance of my Lord God. Its mark will not be removed.

אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרִי לֹא נִטְמֵאתִי אַחֲרֵי הַבְּעָלִים לֹא הָלַכְתִּי! רְאִי דַרְכֵּךְ בַּגַּיְא דְּעִי מֶה עָשִׂית בִּכְרָה קַלָּה מְשָׂרֶכֶת דְּרָכֶיהָ

The Kingdom of Judah was home to God’s Temple. The people had publicly declared themselves to be worshippers of God, and the service of the Baal had no official standing. Nevertheless, the people acted differently in private. How can you say: I was not defiled, and after the Be’alim I did not go? You cannot claim innocence, as you worship the Baal. See your way in the valley, at the lowest level, and know what you have done. You wander about in foreign fields like a swift, young she-camel roving on her paths. Left unrestrained, the young animal runs about in all directions.

פֶּרֶה לִמֻּד מִדְבָּר בְּאַוַּת נַפְשָׁהּ שָׁאֲפָה רוּחַ תַּאֲנָתָהּ – מִי יְשִׁיבֶנָּה! כָּל־מְבַקְשֶׁיהָ לֹא יִיעָפוּ בְּחָדְשָׁהּ יִמְצָאוּנְהָ

You are like a wild ass [pereh], an animal that was common in the deserts of the Land of Israel, accustomed to the wilderness and impossible to domesticate. She, the young she-camel or wild ass, inhaled the wind in her desire to pick up the scent of the males. Alternatively, she ran recklessly and willfully. Wild asses are known for their running speed. When her lust grows during the rutting season, she becomes even wilder and more restless, and who can restrain it? Nevertheless, all her seekers, the hunters, will not weary themselves by trying to chase after her in the wilderness, as in her month when she gives birth they will find her and catch her.

מִנְעִי רַגְלֵךְ מִיָּחֵף וּגְרוֹנֵךְ מִצִּמְאָה וַתֹּאמְרִי נוֹאָשׁ לוֹא כִּי־אָהַבְתִּי זָרִים וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם אֵלֵךְ

Following the comparison to wild animals that run about unconstrained, the prophet compares Israel’s behavior to that of a straying woman. Prevent your foot from being unshod and your throat from thirst. Do not wander afar to arid places. But you said: It is hopeless; no, I have no hope at home, for I have loved strangers, and after them I will go.

כְּבֹשֶׁת גַּנָּב כִּי יִמָּצֵא – כֵּן הֹבִישׁוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל – הֵמָּה מַלְכֵיהֶם שָׂרֵיהֶם וְכֹהֲנֵיהֶם וּנְבִיאֵיהֶם

Like the shame of a thief when he is discovered, so has the house of Israel been shamed, behaved shamefully: they, the people, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets. Idol worship is widespread and practiced openly, not only covertly or by those on the fringes of society (see 7:17–18).

אֹמְרִים לָעֵץ אָבִי אַתָּה וְלָאֶבֶן אַתְּ יְלִדְתָּנוּ כִּי־פָנוּ אֵלַי עֹרֶף וְלֹא פָנִים וּבְעֵת רָעָתָם יֹאמְרוּ קוּמָה וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ

They say to wood: You are my father, and to stone they say: You have borne us. They worship male and female gods. For they have turned their back to Me and not their face, like one who shows no interest in any relations with his counterpart; but in the time of their misfortune, they will no longer be able to rely on their idols, and they will say to Me: We return to You; arise and save us.

וְאַיֵּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ לָּךְ! יָקוּמוּ אִם־יוֹשִׁיעוּךָ בְּעֵת רָעָתֶךָ כִּי מִסְפַּר עָרֶיךָ הָיוּ אֱלֹהֶיךָ יְהוּדָה

In mocking response: And where are all your wooden, stone, and iron gods that you made for you? Let them arise, and see if they can save you in the time of your misfortune, for numerous like the number of your cities are your gods, Judah. Each city had a different form of idolatry. As the people were impressionable, they did not engage in only one form of idol worship but gathered an eclectic collection of rites from all the neighboring countries.

לָמָּה תָרִיבוּ אֵלָי! כֻּלְּכֶם פְּשַׁעְתֶּם בִּי נְאֻם־ה'

You accuse Me of having abandoned you and of causing you harm. But why will you contend with Me? You have all transgressed against Me – the utterance of the Lord.

לַשָּׁוְא הִכֵּיתִי אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶם – מוּסָר לֹא לָקָחוּ אָכְלָה חַרְבְּכֶם נְבִיאֵיכֶם כְּאַרְיֵה מַשְׁחִית

In vain I smote your children, as one strikes his child for educational purposes; they did not accept chastisement. Instead of your heeding the reproach of the true prophets, your sword consumed your prophets like a destroying lion. Recently, not only had the prophets been persecuted; they had even been put to death.

הַדּוֹר אַתֶּם רְאוּ דְבַר־ה' הֲמִדְבָּר הָיִיתִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אִם אֶרֶץ מַאְפֵּלְיָה ! מַדּוּעַ אָמְרוּ עַמִּי רַדְנוּ לוֹא־נָבוֹא עוֹד אֵלֶיךָ

You, the current generation, see and listen to the word of the Lord. Have I been hard and exhausting like a wilderness for Israel, or have I been a land of pitch darkness? Why did My people say: We have detached ourselves, and we will not come to You anymore?

הֲתִשְׁכַּח בְּתוּלָה עֶדְיָהּ כַּלָּה קִשֻּׁרֶיהָ וְעַמִּי שְׁכֵחוּנִי יָמִים אֵין מִסְפָּר

Will a maiden forget her jewelry, or a bride forget her accoutrements, the ribbons with which she adorns herself? But My people have forgotten Me for days without number.

מַה־תֵּיטִבִי דַרְכֵּךְ לְבַקֵּשׁ אַהֲבָה! לָכֵן גַּם אֶת־הָרָעוֹת לִמַּדְתְּ אֶת־דְּרָכָיִךְ

How much you adorn your way to seek love! You go to the various idols like one who seeks love. This is not a casual search; it involves active commitments to other gods. Therefore, you have even learned and taught evils as your ways.

גַּם בִּכְנָפַיִךְ נִמְצְאוּ דַּם נַפְשׁוֹת אֶבְיוֹנִים נְקִיִּים לֹא־בַמַּחְתֶּרֶת מְצָאתִים כִּי עַל־כָּל־אֵלֶּה

Moreover, besides your sin of idolatry, on the edge of your garments, under your auspices, the blood of the lives of the blameless poor is found. This expression refers both to actual murder and to neglecting the destitute to the point that they die. You did not find them, these evildoings, while excavating in a secret place, but rather, the responsibility is cast on all of these, the entire nation and its leaders.

וַתֹּאמְרִי כִּי נִקֵּיתִי אַךְ שָׁב אַפּוֹ מִמֶּנִּי הִנְנִי נִשְׁפָּט אוֹתָךְ עַל־אָמְרֵךְ לֹא חָטָאתִי

You said: For I am innocent, for His wrath has turned from me, and He is not angry with me. But you spoke incorrectly, as behold, I am entering into judgment with you and hold you liable for saying: I did not sin. You will be punished not only for the sins themselves but also for denying them.

מַה־תֵּזְלִי מְאֹד לְשַׁנּוֹת אֶת־דַּרְכֵּךְ גַּם מִמִּצְרַיִם תֵּבֹשִׁי כַּאֲשֶׁר בֹּשְׁתְּ מֵאַשּׁוּר

Here the prophet makes a political statement with regard to the repeated attempts on the part of the kings of Judah to build diplomatic and military relationships with Egypt, the superpower that stood against the northern empires of Assyria and later Babylonia. How greatly do you demean yourself to change your way, pursuing political treaties with Egypt? You will be ashamed of Egypt too, as you were once ashamed of your former ally Assyria.

גַּם מֵאֵת זֶה תֵּצְאִי וְיָדַיִךְ עַל־רֹאשֵׁךְ כִּי־מָאַס ה' בְּמִבְטָחַיִךְ וְלֹא תַצְלִיחִי לָהֶם

From this one too, the Egyptian ruler, you will emerge with your hands on your head, like one who cries in anguish after being hurt, as the Lord has spurned those whom you trusted, and you will not succeed with them.