Yirmeyahu (Jer) 3
3
1[Adonai] says:
“If a man divorces his wife,
and she leaves him and marries another man,
then if the first one marries her again,
that land will be completely defiled.
But you prostituted yourself to many lovers,
yet you want to return to me?” says Adonai.
2“Raise your eyes to the bare hills, take a look:
where have you not had sex?
You sat by the roadsides waiting for them
like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land
with your prostitution and wickedness.
3For this reason the showers have been withheld,
there has been no rain in the spring;
still you maintain a whore’s brazen look
and refuse to be ashamed.
4Didn’t you just now cry to me,
‘My father, you are my friend from my youth’? —
5[thinking,] ‘He won’t bear a grudge forever, will he?
He wouldn’t maintain it right to the end.’
You say this, but you keep doing evil things,
you just do whatever you want.”
6In the days of Yoshiyahu the king, Adonai asked me, “Have you seen the things that backsliding Isra’el has been doing? She goes up on every bare hill and under every green tree and prostitutes herself there. 7I said that after she had done all these things, she would return to me; but she hasn’t returned. Meanwhile, her unfaithful sister Y’hudah has been watching. 8I saw that even though backsliding Isra’el had committed adultery, so that I had sent her away and given her a divorce document, unfaithful Y’hudah her sister was not moved to fear — instead she too went and prostituted herself. 9The ease with which Isra’el prostituted herself defiled the land, as she committed adultery with stones and with logs. 10Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Y’hudah has not returned to me wholeheartedly; she only makes a pretense of it,” said Adonai.
11Then Adonai said to me, “Backsliding Isra’el has proved herself more righteous than unfaithful Y’hudah. 12Go and proclaim these words toward the north:
‘“Return, backsliding Isra’el,” says Adonai.
“I will not frown on you, for I am merciful,” says Adonai.
“I will not bear a grudge forever.
13Only acknowledge your guilt,
that you have committed crimes
against Adonai your God,
that you were promiscuous with strangers
under every green tree,
and that you have not paid attention
to my voice,” says Adonai.
14“Return, backsliding children,” says Adonai;
“for I am your master.
I will take you, one from a city,
two from a family, and bring you to Tziyon.
15I will give you shepherds
after my own heart,
and they will feed you
with knowledge and understanding.
16“‘“And,” says Adonai, “in those days, when your numbers have increased in the land, people will no longer talk about the ark for the covenant of Adonai — they won’t think about it, they won’t miss it, and they won’t make another one. 17When that time comes, they will call Yerushalayim the throne of Adonai. All the nations will be gathered there to the name of Adonai, to Yerushalayim. No longer will they live according to their stubbornly evil hearts. 18In those days, the house of Y’hudah will live together with the house of Isra’el; they will come together from the lands in the north to the land I gave your ancestors as their heritage.
19“‘“I thought that I would like to put you among the sons [with inheritance rights] and give you a pleasant land, the best heritage of all the nations. I thought that you would call me ‘My father’ and never stop following me. 20But like a faithless woman who betrays her husband, you, house of Isra’el, have betrayed me,” says Adonai.’”
21A sound is heard on the heights,
the house of Isra’el crying, pleading for mercy,
because they have perverted their way
and forgotten Adonai their God.
22“Return, backsliding children,
and I will heal your backsliding.”
“Here we are, we are coming to you,
for you are Adonai our God.
23Indeed the hills have proved a delusion,
likewise the orgies on the mountains.
Truly the salvation of Isra’el
is in Adonai our God.
24But from our youth the shameful thing [idolatry]
has devoured the fruit of our ancestors’ work,
their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
25Let us lie down in our shame,
let our disgrace cover us,
for we have sinned against Adonai our God,
both we and our ancestors,
from our youth until today;
we have not paid attention
to the voice of Adonai our God.”
Currently Selected:
Yirmeyahu (Jer) 3: CJB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
For more information and to purchase a hard copy of the Complete Jewish Bible,
Learn More About Complete Jewish BibleJeremiah 3
3
Unfaithful Israel
1#Dt 24:1–4; Jer 2:20If 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?
But you have played the harlot with many lovers;
yet return again to Me,
says the Lord.
2#Ge 38:14; Jer 2:7 Lift up your eyes to the high places,
and see! Where have you not been ravished?
In the roads you have sat for them
as the Arabian in the wilderness.
And you have polluted the land
with your harlotry and with your wickedness.
3#Jer 6:15; Lev 26:19 Therefore the showers have been withheld,
and there has been no latter rain.
And you had a harlot’s forehead;
you refused to be ashamed.
4#Jer 2:2; 3:19 Shall you not from this time cry to Me,
“My Father, You are the guide of my youth?
5#Isa 57:16; Jer 3:12 Shall He reserve His anger forever?
Shall He keep it to the end?”
Indeed, you have spoken
and done evil things as 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. 7#Eze 16:46I said after she had done all these things, “Turn to Me.” But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8#Dt 24:1; Isa 50:1I saw that for all the adulteries of backsliding Israel, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9#Jer 2:27; Isa 57:6Through the lightness of her harlotry she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with trees. 10#Hos 7:14Yet for all this, her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but feignedly, says the Lord.
God Invites Repentance
11#Eze 16:51–52; 23:11The Lord said to me: Backsliding Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12#Ps 86:15; Eze 33:11Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say:
Return, backsliding Israel, says the Lord,
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.
13#Dt 12:2; 30:1–3 Only acknowledge your iniquity,
that you have transgressed against the Lord your God
and have scattered your ways to the strangers
under every green tree,
and you have not obeyed My voice,
says the Lord.
14#Isa 54:5; Jer 31:32Return, O backsliding sons, says the Lord. For I am married to you. And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15#Ac 20:28; Jer 23:4And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16#Isa 65:17It 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, nor will they call for it, nor will it be made any more. 17#Jer 11:8; 17:12At that time they will call Jerusalem, the Throne of the Lord, 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. 18#Jer 31:8; 50:4In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given to your fathers for an inheritance.
19#Jer 3:4; Isa 63:16But I said:
How can I put you among My sons
and give you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful heritage of the nations?
And I said: You shall call Me, My Father,
and shall not turn away from Me.
20#Isa 48:8; Jer 5:11 Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband,
so you have dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,
says the Lord.
21#Isa 15:2; 17:10 A voice was heard upon the high places,
the weeping and the supplications of the sons of Israel,
because they have perverted their way,
they have forgotten the Lord their God.
22#Hos 14:4 Return, O backsliding sons,
and I will heal your backslidings.
“We come to You;
for You are the Lord our God.
23#Ps 3:8; 121:1–2 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills,
and from the multitude of mountains.
Truly, in the Lord our God
is the salvation of Israel.
24#Hos 9:10 For shame has devoured the labor
of our fathers from our youth,
their flocks and their herds,
their sons and their daughters.
25#Jer 22:21 We 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.”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Military Bible Association