Jeremiah 2:34 On your clothes is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this 35 you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me.’ But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ 34 The stain of the blood of the poor and the innocent is on your clothes Even though you didn’t find them breaking into your houses. In spite of it all, 35 Still you dare to say, “I am innocent; surely God could not be angry with me anymore.” Yet watch as I condemn you because you perjure yourself saying, “I have not sinned.” (The Voice Bible)
ESV - 1 The word of the Lord came to me, saying. 2 Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, "I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
In my opinion, the passage is saying that, if the inhabitants of Jerusalem had caught the poor breaking into their homes, it would have given those inhabitants a valid excuse from a legal standpoint for shedding the blood of the poor in the process of repelling them. However, that was not the case. Those living in Jerusalem were shedding the blood of the poor through cruelty and oppression, without any justifiable provocation or reason for doing so.
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.