Jeremiah 3:1-14

1God 1says, “2If a husband divorces his wife And she leaves him And becomes another man’s wife, Will he return to her again? Would that land not be completely defiled? But you 3are a prostitute with many 4lovers; Yet you 5turn to Me,” declares the Lord.2“Raise your eyes to the 6bare heights and see; Where have you not been violated? You have 7sat for them by the roads Like an Arab in the desert, And you have 8defiled a land With your prostitution and your wickedness.3Therefore the 9showers have been withheld, And there has been no spring rain. Yet you had a 10prostitute’s 11forehead; You refused to be ashamed.4Have you not just now called to Me, ‘12My Father, You are the 13friend of my 14youth?515Will He be angry forever, Or keep His anger to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken And have done evil things, And you have 16had your own way.”

6Then the Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She 17went up on every high hill and under every leafy tree, and she prostituted herself there. 7Yet 18I 19thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her 20treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8And I saw that for all the 21adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and 22given her a certificate of divorce, yet her 23treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and prostituted herself also. 9And because of the thoughtlessness of her prostitution, she 24defiled the land and committed 25adultery with 26stones and trees. 10Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in 27deception,” declares the Lord.

11And the Lord said to me, “28Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘29Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord; ‘30I will not 31look at you in anger. For I am 32gracious,’ declares the Lord; ‘I will not be angry forever.13Only 3334acknowledge your wrongdoing, That you have revolted against the Lord your God, And have 35scattered your 36favors to the strangers 37under every leafy tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.14‘Return, you faithless sons,’ declares the Lord; ‘For I am a 38master to you, And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, And 39bring you to Zion.’