Jeremiah 3

Unfaithful Israel

1If a man divorces his wife,

and she goes from him and becomes another man’s,

shall he return to her again?

Shall not that land be greatly polluted? # Dt 24:1–4

But you have played the harlot with many lovers; # Jer 2:20

yet return again to Me,

says the Lord.

2Lift up your eyes to the high places,

and see! Where have you not been ravished?

In the roads you have sat for them # Ge 38:14

as the Arabian in the wilderness.

And you have polluted the land

with your harlotry and with your wickedness. # Jer 2:7

3Therefore the showers have been withheld,

and there has been no latter rain. # Lev 26:19

And you had a harlot’s forehead;

you refused to be ashamed. # Jer 6:15

4Shall you not from this time cry to Me,

“My Father, # Jer 3:19 You are the guide of my youth? # Jer 2:2

5Shall He reserve His anger forever? # Isa 57:16; Jer 3:12

Shall He keep it to the end?”

Behold, you have spoken,

but you have done all the evil things that you could.

A Call to Repentance

6The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the harlot. 7I said after she had done all these things, “Turn to Me.” But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. # Eze 16:46 8I saw that for all the adulteries of backsliding Israel, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce. # Dt 24:1; Isa 50:1 Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9Through the lightness of her harlotry she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with trees. # Isa 57:6; Jer 2:27 10Yet for all this, her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, # Hos 7:14 but feignedly, says the Lord.

God Invites Repentance

11The Lord said to me: Backsliding Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. # Eze 16:51–52; 23:11 12Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say:

Return, backsliding Israel, says the Lord, # Eze 33:11

and I will not cause My anger to fall on you.

For I am merciful, says the Lord,

and I will not keep anger forever. # Ps 86:15

13Only acknowledge your iniquity, # Dt 30:1–3

that you have transgressed against the Lord your God

and have scattered your ways to the strangers

under every green tree, # Dt 12:2

and you have not obeyed My voice,

says the Lord.

14Return, O backsliding sons, says the Lord, for I am married to you. # Isa 54:5; Jer 31:32 And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15And I will give you shepherds # Jer 23:4; Ac 20:28 according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16It shall come to pass when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days, says the Lord, they will say no more, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, # Isa 65:17 nor will they call for it, nor will it be made any more. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem, the Throne of the Lord, # Jer 17:12 and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord; nor will they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil hearts. # Jer 11:8 18In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together # Jer 50:4 out of the land of the north # Jer 31:8 to the land that I have given to your fathers for an inheritance.

19But I said:

How can I put you among My sons

and give you a pleasant land,

the most beautiful inheritance of the nations?

And I said: You shall call Me, My Father, # Isa 63:16; Jer 3:4

and shall not turn away from Me.

20Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband,

so you have dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, # Isa 48:8; Jer 5:11

says the Lord.

21A voice was heard upon the high places, # Isa 15:2

the weeping and the supplications of the Israelites,

because they have perverted their way,

they have forgotten the Lord their God. # Isa 17:10

22Return, O backsliding sons,

and I will heal your backslidings. # Hos 14:4

“Behold, we come to You,

for You are the Lord our God.

23Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, # Ps 121:1–2

and from the multitude of mountains.

Truly, in the Lord our God

is the salvation of Israel. # Ps 3:8

24For shame has devoured the labor

of our fathers from our youth, # Hos 9:10

their flocks and their herds,

their sons and their daughters.

25We lie down in our shame,

and our humiliation covers us.

For we have sinned against the Lord our God,

we and our fathers,

from our youth even to this day,

and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.” # Jer 22:21

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Jeremiah 3: MEV

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Jeremiah 3

1“If a man divorces his wife

and she leaves him and marries another man,

should he return to her again?

Would not the land be completely defiled?

But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—

would you now return to me?”

declares the Lord.

2“Look up to the barren heights and see.

Is there any place where you have not been ravished?

By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers,

sat like a nomad in the desert.

You have defiled the land

with your prostitution and wickedness.

3Therefore the showers have been withheld,

and no spring rains have fallen.

Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute;

you refuse to blush with shame.

4Have you not just called to me:

‘My Father, my friend from my youth,

5will you always be angry?

Will your wrath continue forever?’

This is how you talk,

but you do all the evil you can.”

Unfaithful Israel

6During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. 9Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. 10In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the Lord.

11The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. 12Go, proclaim this message toward the north:

“ ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,

‘I will frown on you no longer,

for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,

‘I will not be angry forever.

13Only acknowledge your guilt—

you have rebelled against the Lord your God,

you have scattered your favors to foreign gods

under every spreading tree,

and have not obeyed me,’ ”

declares the Lord.

14“Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

19“I myself said,

“ ‘How gladly would I treat you like my children

and give you a pleasant land,

the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’

I thought you would call me ‘Father’

and not turn away from following me.

20But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,

so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,”

declares the Lord.

21A cry is heard on the barren heights,

the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel,

because they have perverted their ways

and have forgotten the Lord their God.

22“Return, faithless people;

I will cure you of backsliding.”

“Yes, we will come to you,

for you are the Lord our God.

23Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills

and mountains is a deception;

surely in the Lord our God

is the salvation of Israel.

24From our youth shameful gods have consumed

the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—

their flocks and herds,

their sons and daughters.

25Let us lie down in our shame,

and let our disgrace cover us.

We have sinned against the Lord our God,

both we and our ancestors;

from our youth till this day

we have not obeyed the Lord our God.”

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