God 1says, " aIf
a husband
divorces
his wife
And she goes
from him And belongs
to another
man
, Will he still
return
to her? Will not that land
be completely
2polluted
? But you bare a harlot
with many
3lovers
; Yet you cturn
to Me," declares
the LORD
.
"Lift up your eyes
to the abare
heights
and see
; Where
have you not been violated
? By the roads
you have bsat
for them Like an Arab
in the desert
, And you have cpolluted
a land
With your harlotry
and with your wickedness
.
"Therefore the ashowers have been withheld
, And there has been
no
spring
rain
. Yet you had
a bharlot's
forehead
; You refused
to be ashamed
.
"Have you not just now called
to Me, ` aMy Father
, You are the 1 bfriend
of my cyouth
?
` aWill He be angry forever
? Will He 1be indignant
to the end
?' Behold
, you have spoken
And have done
evil
things
, And you have 2had
your way
."
Then the LORD said
to me in the days
of Josiah
the king
, "Have you seen
what
faithless
Israel
did
? She awent
up on every
high
hill
and under
every
green
tree
, and she was a harlot
there
.
" aI 1thought, `After
she has done
all
these
things
she will return
to Me'; but she did not return
, and her btreacherous
sister
Judah
saw
it.
"And I saw that for all
the adulteries
of faithless
Israel
, I had sent
her away
and agiven
her a writ
of divorce
, yet her btreacherous
sister
Judah
did not fear
; but she went
and was a harlot
also
.
"Because of the lightness
of her harlotry
, she apolluted
the land
and committed
adultery
with bstones
and trees
.
"Yet in spite of all
this
her treacherous
sister
Judah
did not return
to Me with all
her heart
, but rather
in adeception
," declares
the LORD
.
And the LORD said
to me, " aFaithless
Israel
has proved
herself
more
righteous
than
treacherous
Judah
.
"Go and proclaim
these
words
toward the north
and say
, ` aReturn
, faithless
Israel
,' declares
the LORD
; ` bI will not 1look
upon you in anger. For I am cgracious
,' declares
the LORD
; `I will not be angry
forever
.
`Only 1 aacknowledge
your iniquity
, That you have transgressed
against the LORD
your God
And have bscattered
your 2favors
to the strangers
cunder
every
green
tree
, And you have not obeyed
My voice
,' declares
the LORD
.
`Return, O faithless
sons
,' declares
the LORD
; `For I am a amaster
to you, And I will take
you one
from a city
and two
from a family
, And bI will bring
you to Zion
.'
"Then I will give you ashepherds
after My own heart
, who will bfeed
you on knowledge
and understanding
.
"It shall be in those days
when
you are multiplied
and increased
in the land
," declares
the LORD
, "they will ano
longer
say
, `The ark
of the covenant
of the LORD
.' And it will not come
to mind
, nor
will they remember
it, nor
will they miss
it, nor
will it be made
again
.
"At that time they will call
Jerusalem
`The aThrone
of the LORD
,' and ball
the nations
will be gathered
to it, to Jerusalem
, for the cname
of the LORD
; nor
will they dwalk
anymore
after
the stubbornness
of their evil
heart
.
" aIn those days
the house
of Judah
will walk
with the house
of Israel
, and they will come
together
bfrom the land
of the north
to the cland
that I gave
your fathers
as an inheritance
.
"Then I said, `How
I would set
you among 1My sons
And give
you a pleasant
land
, The most
abeautiful
inheritance
of the nations
!' And I said
, `You shall call
Me, bMy Father
, And not turn
away
from following
Me.'
"Surely, as a woman
treacherously
departs from her 1lover
, So
you have adealt
treacherously
with Me, O house
of Israel
," declares
the LORD
.
A voice is heard
on the abare
heights
, The weeping
and the supplications
of the sons
of Israel
; Because
they have perverted
their way
, They have bforgotten
the LORD
their God
.
"Return, O faithless
sons
, aI will heal
your faithlessness
." "Behold
, we come
to You; For You are the LORD
our God
.
"Surely, athe hills
are a deception
, A tumult
on the mountains
. Surely
in the bLORD
our God
Is the salvation
of Israel
.
"But athe shameful thing
has consumed
the labor
of our fathers
since
our youth
, their flocks
and their herds
, their sons
and their daughters
.
"Let us lie down
in our ashame
, and let our humiliation
cover
us; for we have sinned
against the LORD
our God
, we and our fathers
, bfrom our youth
even to this
day
. And we have not obeyed
the voice
of the LORD
our God
."