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.

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.

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."

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.

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 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.
Literal Translations
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.

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.

Smith's Literal Translation
For my people did two evils: they forsook me the fountain of living waters, to hew out for them wells, broken wells which will not hold water.
Catholic Translations
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.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For my people have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the Fountain of living water, and they have dug for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that are unable to 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.

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.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and they went and dug for themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
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
OT Translations
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.

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.

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 4:10-14
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.” / “Sir,” the woman replied, “You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then will You get this living water? / Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?” ...

John 7:37-39
On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’” / He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Isaiah 55:1-3
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! / Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods. / Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.

Revelation 21:6
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:1-2
Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb / down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:17
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

Psalm 36:8-9
They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You give them drink from Your river of delights. / For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.

Isaiah 12:2-3
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.” / With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation,

Isaiah 44:3
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.

Ezekiel 47:1-12
Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. / Next he brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and there I saw the water trickling out from the south side. / As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and led me through ankle-deep water. ...

Zechariah 14:8
And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.

1 Corinthians 10:4
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

2 Peter 2:17
These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

Jude 1:12
These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.

Proverbs 14:27
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.


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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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.














For My people
This phrase indicates a personal relationship between God and the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "My people" is "עַמִּי" (ammi), which signifies possession and covenant. God is not speaking to strangers but to those He has chosen and set apart. This highlights the intimacy and responsibility inherent in the covenant relationship. Historically, Israel was chosen to be a light to the nations, a people through whom God would reveal His character and purposes.

have committed
The Hebrew root here is "עָשָׂה" (asah), meaning to do or to make. This word implies deliberate action, not accidental or unintentional behavior. The use of "committed" suggests a breach of trust and a conscious decision to turn away from God. It underscores the gravity of Israel's actions as a willful departure from their covenant obligations.

two evils
The phrase "two evils" is significant because it specifies the nature of Israel's transgressions. The Hebrew word for "evils" is "רָע" (ra), which can mean wickedness or calamity. This indicates not just moral failure but also the resulting consequences. The dual nature of their sin is emphasized, suggesting a comprehensive failure in both their relationship with God and their spiritual practices.

They have forsaken Me
"Forsaken" comes from the Hebrew "עָזַב" (azab), meaning to leave or abandon. This word conveys a sense of betrayal and neglect. God, who is the source of life and sustenance, has been abandoned by His people. This forsaking is not just a physical departure but a spiritual and relational severance, highlighting the depth of Israel's unfaithfulness.

the fountain of living water
The imagery of "the fountain of living water" is rich with meaning. In Hebrew, "מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים" (mekor mayim chayyim) suggests a source of life, refreshment, and purity. Water is essential for life, and living water implies a continuous, flowing source. This metaphor portrays God as the sustainer and provider, offering spiritual nourishment and vitality. Historically, water was a precious commodity in the arid regions of the Near East, making this imagery particularly poignant.

and they have dug their own cisterns—
The act of digging "cisterns" (בֹּארוֹת, borot) implies human effort and self-reliance. Cisterns were man-made reservoirs for storing water, often stagnant and prone to contamination. This contrasts sharply with the living water God provides. The choice to rely on cisterns symbolizes Israel's attempt to find satisfaction and security apart from God, reflecting a misplaced trust in their own abilities and resources.

broken cisterns that cannot hold water
The description of the cisterns as "broken" (נִשְׁבָּרוֹת, nishbarot) emphasizes their inadequacy and futility. A broken cistern is useless, unable to fulfill its intended purpose. This imagery illustrates the emptiness and failure of Israel's pursuits apart from God. Spiritually, it represents the futility of idolatry and self-reliance, which cannot sustain or satisfy the soul. The phrase serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the inherent insufficiency of human efforts to replace divine provision.

(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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