Jeremiah 3

The Polluted Land

1God 1saysH559, “2IfH2005 a husbandH376 divorcesH7971 his wifeH802 And she goesH1980 from him And belongsH1961 to anotherH312 manH376, Will he stillH5750 returnH7725 to her? Will not that landH776 be completelyH2610 3pollutedH2610? But you 4are a harlotH2181 with manyH7227 5loversH7453; Yet you 6turnH7725 to Me,” declaresH5002 the LordH3068.2“LiftH5375 up your eyesH5869 to the 7bareH8205 heightsH8205 and seeH7200; WhereH375 have you not been violatedH7693? By the roadsH1870 you have 8satH3427 for them Like an ArabH6163 in the desertH4057, And you have 9pollutedH2610 a landH776 With your harlotryH2183 and with your wickednessH7463.3Therefore the 10showersH7241 have been withheldH4513, And there has beenH1961 noH3808 springH4456 rainH4456. Yet you hadH1961 a 11harlot’sH802H2181 foreheadH4696; You refusedH3985 to be ashamedH3637.4Have you not just nowH6258 calledH7121 to Me, ‘12My FatherH1, You are the 1314friendH441 of my 15youthH5271?516Will He be angryH5201 foreverH5769? Will He 17be indignantH8104 to the endH5331?’ BeholdH2009, you have spokenH1696 And have doneH6213 evilH7451 thingsH7451, And you have 18hadH3201 your wayH3201.”

Faithless Israel

6Then the LordH3068 saidH559 to me in the daysH3117 of JosiahH2977 the kingH4428, “Have you seenH7200 whatH834 faithlessH4878 IsraelH3478 didH6213? She 19wentH1980 up on everyH3605 highH1364 hillH2022 and underH8478 everyH3605 greenH7488 treeH6086, and she was a harlotH2181 thereH8033. 720I 21thoughtH559, ‘AfterH310 she has doneH6213 allH3605 theseH428 thingsH428 she will returnH7725 to Me’; but she did not returnH7725, and her 22treacherousH901 sisterH269 JudahH3063 sawH7200 it. 8And I sawH7200 that for allH3605 the adulteriesH5003 of faithlessH4878 IsraelH3478, I had sentH7971 her awayH7971 and 23givenH5414 her a writH5612 of divorceH3748, yet her 24treacherousH898 sisterH269 JudahH3063 did not fearH3372; but she wentH1980 and was a harlotH2181 alsoH1571. 9BecauseH4480 of the lightnessH7032 of her harlotryH2184, she 25pollutedH2610 the landH776 and committedH5003 adulteryH5003 with 26stonesH68 and treesH6086. 10YetH1571 in spite of allH3605 thisH2088 her treacherousH901 sisterH269 JudahH3063 did not returnH7725 to Me with allH3605 her heartH3820, but ratherH3588H518 in 27deceptionH8267,” declaresH5002 the LordH3068.

God Invites Repentance

11And the LordH3068 saidH559 to me, “28FaithlessH4878 IsraelH3478 has provedH6663 herselfH5315 moreH4480 righteousH6663 thanH4480 treacherousH898 JudahH3063. 12GoH1980 and proclaimH7121 theseH428 wordsH1697 toward the northH6828 and sayH559, ‘29ReturnH7725, faithlessH4878 IsraelH3478,’ declaresH5002 the LordH3068; ‘30I will not 31lookH5307 upon you in anger. For I am 32graciousH2623,’ declaresH5002 the LordH3068; ‘I will not be angryH5201 foreverH5769.13OnlyH389 3334acknowledgeH3045 your iniquityH5771, That you have transgressedH6586 against the LordH3068 your GodH430 And have 35scatteredH6340 your 36favorsH1870 to the strangersH2114 37underH8478 everyH3605 greenH7488 treeH6086, And you have not obeyedH8085 My voiceH6963,’ declaresH5002 the LordH3068.14‘ReturnH7725, O faithlessH7726 sonsH1121,’ declaresH5002 the LordH3068; ‘For I am a 38masterH1166 to you, And I will takeH3947 you oneH259 from a cityH5892 and twoH8147 from a familyH4940, And 39I will bringH935 you to ZionH6726.’

15“Then I will giveH5414 you 40shepherdsH7462 after My own heartH3820, who will 41feedH7462 you on knowledgeH1844 and understandingH7919. 16It shall be in thoseH1992 daysH3117 whenH3588 you are multipliedH7235 and increasedH6509 in the landH776,” declaresH5002 the LordH3068, “they will 42noH3808 longerH5750 sayH559, ‘The arkH727 of the covenantH1285 of the LordH3068.’ And it will not comeH5927 to mindH3820, norH3808 will they rememberH2142 it, norH3808 will they missH6485 it, norH3808 will it be madeH6213 againH5750. 17At that timeH6256 they will callH7121 JerusalemH3389 ‘The 43ThroneH3678 of the LordH3068,’ and 44allH3605 the nationsH1471 will be gatheredH6960 to it, to JerusalemH3389, for the 45nameH8034 of the LordH3068; norH3808 will they 46walkH1980 anymoreH5750 afterH310 the stubbornnessH8307 of their evilH7451 heartH3820. 1847In thoseH1992 daysH3117 the houseH1004 of JudahH3063 will walkH1980 with the houseH1004 of IsraelH3478, and they will comeH935 togetherH3164 48from the landH776 of the northH6828 to the 49landH776 that I gaveH5157 your fathersH1 as an inheritanceH5157.

19“Then I saidH559, ‘HowH349 I would setH7896 you among 50My sonsH1121 And giveH5414 you a pleasantH2532 landH776, The mostH6635 51beautifulH6643 inheritanceH5159 of the nationsH1471!’ And I saidH559, ‘You shall callH7121 Me, 52My FatherH1, And not turnH7725 awayH7725 from followingH310 Me.’20SurelyH403, as a womanH802 treacherouslyH898 departs from her 53loverH7453, SoH3651 you have 54dealtH898 treacherouslyH898 with Me, O houseH1004 of IsraelH3478,” declaresH5002 the LordH3068.

21A voiceH6963 is heardH8085 on the 55bareH8205 heightsH8205, The weepingH1065 and the supplicationsH8469 of the sonsH1121 of IsraelH3478; BecauseH3588 they have pervertedH5753 their wayH1870, They have 56forgottenH7911 the LordH3068 their GodH430.22“ReturnH7725, O faithlessH7726 sonsH1121, 57I will healH7495 your faithlessnessH4878.” “BeholdH2009, we comeH857 to You; For You are the LordH3068 our GodH430.23SurelyH403, 58the hillsH1389 are a deceptionH8267, A tumultH1995 on the mountainsH2022. SurelyH403 in the 59LordH3068 our GodH430 Is the salvationH8668 of IsraelH3478.

24“But 60the shamefulH1322 thingH1322 has consumedH398 the laborH3018 of our fathersH1 sinceH4480 our youthH5271, their flocksH6629 and their herdsH1241, their sonsH1121 and their daughtersH1323. 25Let us lieH7901 downH7901 in our 61shameH1322, and let our humiliationH3639 coverH3680 us; for we have sinnedH2398 against the LordH3068 our GodH430, we and our fathersH1, 62from our youthH5271 even to thisH2088 dayH3117. And we have not obeyedH8085 the voiceH6963 of the LordH3068 our GodH430.”