Jeremiah 3
3
Jeremiah’s summons to change
1If a man divorces his wife,
and after she leaves him marries another,
can he return to her again?
Wouldn’t such an act completely corrupt the land?
Yet you have prostituted yourself with many lovers.
Would you return to me?
declares the LORD.
2Look to the well-traveled paths#3.2 Or bare heights and see!
Where haven’t you committed adultery?
On the roadsides you sit in wait for lovers,
like a nomad in the wilderness.
You have corrupted the land
with your cheap and reckless behavior.
3That’s why the showers have failed
and the spring rains have ceased.
Still you act like a brazen prostitute#3.3 Or You have a prostitute’s forehead.
who refuses to blush.
4At the same time you say to me,
“My father, my friend since youth,
5will you stay angry forever?
Will you continue to be furious?”
This is what you say
while you do as much evil as you possibly can.
6During the rule of King Josiah, the LORD said to me: Have you noticed what unfaithful Israel has done? She’s gone about looking for lovers on top of every high hill and under every lush tree. 7I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me, but she didn’t. Her disloyal sister Judah saw this. 8She#3.8 LXX, Syr; MT I also saw that I sent unfaithful Israel away with divorce papers because of all her acts of unfaithfulness; yet disloyal sister Judah was not afraid but kept on playing the prostitute. 9She didn’t think twice about corrupting the land and committing adultery with stone and tree. 10Yet even after all this, disloyal sister Judah didn’t return to me with all her heart but only insincerely, declares the LORD. 11Then the LORD said to me: Unfaithful Israel is less guilty#3.11 Or more righteous than disloyal Judah.
12Go proclaim these words to the north and say:
Return, unfaithful Israel,
declares the LORD.
I won’t reject you,
for I’m faithful,
declares the LORD;
I won’t stay angry forever.
13Only acknowledge your wrongdoing:
how you have rebelled against the LORD your God,
and given yourself to strangers
under every lush tree
and haven’t obeyed me,
declares the LORD.
14Return, rebellious children,
declares the LORD,
for I’m your husband.
I’ll gather you—
one from a city and two from a tribe—
and bring you back to Zion.
15I will appoint shepherds with whom I’m pleased, and they will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16And in those days, when your numbers have greatly increased in the land, declares the LORD, people will no longer talk about the LORD’s covenant chest; they won’t recall or remember it; they won’t even miss it or try to build another one. 17At that time, they will call Jerusalem the LORD’s throne, and all nations will gather there to honor the LORD’s name. No longer will they follow their own willful and evil hearts. 18In those days the people of Judah and Israel will leave the north together for the land that I gave their ancestors as an inheritance.
19I thought to myself, How wonderful it would be
to treat you like children
and give you a beautiful land,
an inheritance unrivaled among the nations.
And I thought, You will call me father,
and you won’t turn away from me.
20But as a woman betrays her lover,
so you, people of Israel, have betrayed me,
declares the LORD.
21A voice is heard on the well-traveled paths;#3.21 Or bare heights
it’s the crying and pleading of the people of Israel,
who have lost their way
and forgotten the LORD their God.
22Return, rebellious children,
and I will heal your rebellion.
“Here we are; we come to you,
for you are the LORD our God.
23Surely what happens on the hills#3.23 LXX, Syr, Vulg; MT from the hills is a waste,
as is the uproar on the mountains.
Only in the LORD our God
is the salvation of Israel.
24From our youth, shame#3.24 Or the shame has devoured
the fruit of our parents’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
as well as their sons and daughters.
25Let’s lie down in our shame.
Let our dishonor cover us,
for we have sinned against the LORD our God,
both we and our ancestors,
from our youth to this very day.
We have disobeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”
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Jeremiah 3: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
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.”
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