Jeremiah 3:12-22

12Go now. Shout this message to my people in the north: “You people of Israel have not been faithful to me. But now return to me,” says the Lord. “I will not always turn away from you. I am kind and I forgive people. I will not be angry with you for ever,” says the Lord.

13“But you must agree that you are guilty of sin. You have turned against me, the Lord your God. You have loved to serve many foreign gods. You have worshipped them under every big tree. You have not obeyed my commands.” ’ That is what the Lord says.

14The Lord says, ‘Return to me, you people who have turned away. Remember that you belong to me. If you turn back to me, I will choose one of you from each town and two from each family. I will bring you safely back to Zion.

15I will give you leaders who will serve me faithfully. They will take care of you like shepherds. They will be wise and they will lead you well.

16Then the number of your people who live in your land will increase. You will no longer need to talk about the Lord's Covenant Box. You will not think that it is important any more. You will forget all about it. You will not want to make another one.

17Instead, you will call the city of Jerusalem “The Lord's throne”. At that time, people from all nations will come to Jerusalem. They will meet there to give honour to the Lord's name. They will no longer do the wicked things that they enjoy.

18At that time, the nations of Judah and Israel will join together as one kingdom. They will leave their exile in a country in the north. They will come back to this land that I gave to your ancestors to be their home for ever.

19I thought this: “I want you people of Israel to be my children. That would make me very happy. I want to give you a good land as your home. It is a more beautiful land than any other nation enjoys.” I thought that you would call me “Father”. I thought that you would always be faithful to me.

20But you, Israel, have gone away from me, like a woman who leaves her husband. You have not been faithful to me.’ That is what the Lord says.

21‘I can hear a noise on the tops of the hills. Israel's people are weeping. They are calling out for help. Yes, they have turned to bad ways. They have forgotten to serve the Lord their God.

22Return to me, all of you have turned away. I will help you to be faithful to me. Now you should say, “Yes, we will return to you, because you are the Lord our God.