In Jeremiah 1:1–19 we read about how God called Jeremiah to be a prophet and how God encourages him: I am with you. In Jeremiah 2:1–37 we hear the first words that God speaks through Jeremiah. They are addressed to Jerusalem and Israel. You have to take into account that the northern empire (also often called Israel) has already been taken into exile at this time. By addressing Israel Jeremiah now speaks to the whole people, including the capital of Jerusalem. In this chapter, the prophet looks at the entire history of God’s people, starting from the time in the wilderness.