Jeremiah 2:13
New International Version
“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

New Living Translation
“For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!

English Standard Version
for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Berean Standard Bible
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

King James Bible
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

New King James Version
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

New American Standard Bible
“For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned Me, The fountain of living waters, To carve out for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That do not hold water.

NASB 1995
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.

NASB 1977
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, That can hold no water.

Legacy Standard Bible
“For My people have done two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.

Amplified Bible
“For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned (rejected) Me, The fountain of living water, And they have carved out their own cisterns, Broken cisterns That cannot hold water.

Christian Standard Bible
For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves— cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For My people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned Me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.

American Standard Version
For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Because my people have done two evils to me; they left the fountain of living waters and they went and they have dug pits for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For my people has committed two faults, and evil ones: they have forsaken me, the fountain of water of life, and hewn out for themselves broken cisterns, which will not be able to hold water.

Contemporary English Version
You, my people, have sinned in two ways--you have rejected me, the source of life-giving water, and you've tried to collect water in cracked and leaking pits dug in the ground.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For my people have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

English Revised Version
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"My people have done two things wrong. They have abandoned me, the fountain of life-giving water. They have also dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that can't hold water.

Good News Translation
for my people have committed two sins: they have turned away from me, the spring of fresh water, and they have dug cisterns, cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all.

International Standard Version
"Indeed, my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

JPS Tanakh 1917
For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, That can hold no water.

Literal Standard Version
“For My people have done two evils, | They have forsaken Me, a fountain of living waters, | To hew out for themselves wells—broken wells, | That do not contain the waters.

Majority Standard Bible
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

New American Bible
Two evils my people have done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

NET Bible
"Do so because my people have committed a double wrong: they have rejected me, the fountain of life-giving water, and they have dug cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns which cannot even hold water."

New Revised Standard Version
for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.

New Heart English Bible
"For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Webster's Bible Translation
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed out for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

World English Bible
“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut out cisterns for themselves: broken cisterns that can’t hold water.

Young's Literal Translation
For two evils hath My people done, Me they have forsaken, a fountain of living waters, To hew out for themselves wells -- broken wells, That contain not the waters.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Israel has Forsaken God
12Be stunned by this, O heavens; be shocked and utterly appalled,” declares the LORD. 13“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns— broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Cross References
John 4:10
Jesus answered, "If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

John 4:11
"Sir," the woman replied, "You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water?

John 4:14
But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life."

Deuteronomy 31:16
And the LORD said to Moses, "You will soon rest with your fathers, and these people will rise up and prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I have made with them.

Judges 10:13
But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.

Psalm 36:9
For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

Isaiah 12:3
With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,


Treasury of Scripture

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

for my

Jeremiah 2:31,32
O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? …

Jeremiah 4:22
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Jeremiah 5:26,31
For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men…

forsaken

Jeremiah 2:17
Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?

Jeremiah 1:16
And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

Jeremiah 15:6
Thou hast forsaken me, saith the LORD, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.

the fountain

Jeremiah 17:13
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.

Jeremiah 18:14
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

Psalm 36:9
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

broken cisterns

Jeremiah 2:11,26
Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit…

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands…

Psalm 146:3,4
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help…

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Broken Cisterns Committed Contain Cut Dug Evils Forsaken Fountain Hew Hewed Hold Rock Sins Spring Themselves Use Water Waters Wells
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Broken Cisterns Committed Contain Cut Dug Evils Forsaken Fountain Hew Hewed Hold Rock Sins Spring Themselves Use Water Waters Wells
Jeremiah 2
1. God having shown his former kindness,
5. expostulates with the people on their causeless and unexampled revolt
14. They are the causes of their own calamities
18. The sins and idolatries of Judah
35. Her confidence is rejected.














(13) The fountain of living waters.--The word rendered "well," as in Proverbs 10:11; Proverbs 18:4; "fountain," as in Psalm 36:9, is used of water flowing from the rock. The "cistern," on the other hand, was a tank for surface water. A word identical in sound and meaning, though differently spelt, is variously rendered by "pit," "well," or "cistern."

Verse 13. - Two evils. Israel has not merely offended, like the heathen, by idolatry, but by deserting the only God who can satisfy the needs of human nature. The fountain of living waters. So Jeremiah 17:13 (comp. Psalm 36:9). Fountain; literally, tank or reservoir. Such reservoirs were "dug in the ground (see on Jeremiah 6:7), and chiefly intended for storing living waters, i.e. those of springs and rivulets" (Payne Smith). Cisterns, broken cisterns. A cistern, by its very nature, will only hold a limited amount, and the water "collected from clay roofs or from marly soil, has the color of weak soapsuds, the taste of the earth or the stable." Who would prefer such an impure supply to the sweet, wholesome water of a fountain? But these cisterns cannot even be depended upon for this poor, turbid drink. They are "broken," like so many even of the best rock-hewn cisterns (Thomson, 'The Land and the Book,' p. 287). How fine a description of the combined attractiveness and disappointingness of heathen religions, qualities the more striking in proportion to the scale on which the religions problem is realized (e.g. in Hinduism)!

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“For
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

My people
עַמִּ֑י (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

have committed
עָשָׂ֣ה (‘ā·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

two
שְׁתַּ֥יִם (šə·ta·yim)
Number - fd
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

evils:
רָע֖וֹת (rā·‘ō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

They have forsaken Me,
עָזְב֜וּ (‘ā·zə·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

the fountain
מְק֣וֹר ׀ (mə·qō·wr)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4726: Something dug, a, source, of happiness, wisdom, progeny)

of living
חַיִּ֗ים (ḥay·yîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

water,
מַ֣יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

and they have dug
לַחְצֹ֤ב (laḥ·ṣōḇ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2672: To cut, carve, to hew, split, square, quarry, engrave

cisterns for themselves,
בֹּאר֔וֹת (bō·rō·wṯ)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 877: A cistern, pit, well

broken
נִשְׁבָּרִ֔ים (niš·bā·rîm)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7665: To break, break in pieces

cisterns
בֹּארֹת֙ (bō·rōṯ)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 877: A cistern, pit, well

that
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

cannot
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

hold
יָכִ֖לוּ (yā·ḵi·lū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3557: To keep in, to measure, to maintain

water.
הַמָּֽיִם׃ (ham·mā·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils: (Jer.)
Jeremiah 2:12
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