| 1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and
become another man's, will he return unto her again? will not that land be
greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet
return again to me, saith Jehovah. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the bare
heights, and see; where hast thou not been lain with? By the ways hast thou
sat for them, as an Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the
land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers
have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; yet thou hast a
harlot's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4 Wilt thou not from this
time cry unto me, My Father, thou art the guide of my youth? 5 Will he
retain his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou
hast spoken and hast done evil things, and hast had thy way. 6 Moreover
Jehovah said unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that
which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain
and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said
after she had done all these things, She will return unto me; but she
returned not: and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when,
for this very cause that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put
her away and given her a bill of divorcement, yet treacherous Judah her
sister feared not; but she also went and played the harlot. 9 And it came
to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that the land was polluted,
and she committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 10 And yet for all
this her treacherous sister Judah hath not returned unto me with her whole
heart, but feignedly, saith Jehovah. 11 And Jehovah said unto me,
Backsliding Israel hath showed herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.
12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou
backsliding Israel, saith Jehovah; I will not look in anger upon you; for I
am merciful, saith Jehovah, I will not keep anger for ever.
13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against
Jehovah thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every
green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith Jehovah. 14 Return, O
backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you: and I will
take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
15 and I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you
with knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall come to pass, when ye
are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith Jehovah, they
shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Jehovah; neither shall it come
to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they miss it; neither
shall it be made any more. 17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the
throne of Jehovah; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name
of Jehovah, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the
stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah
shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the
land of the north to the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your
fathers. 19 But I said, How I will put thee among the children, and give
thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of the nations! and I
said, Ye shall call me My Father, and shall not turn away from following me.
20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye
dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah. 21 A voice
is heard upon the bare heights, the weeping and the supplications of
the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have
forgotten Jehovah their God. 22 Return, ye backsliding children, I will
heal your backslidings. Behold, we are come unto thee; for thou art Jehovah
our God. 23 Truly in vain is the help that is looked for from the
hills, the tumult on the mountains: truly in Jehovah our God is the salvation
of Israel. 24 But the shameful thing hath devoured the labor of our
fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their
daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover
us; for we have sinned against Jehovah our God, we and our fathers, from our
youth even unto this day; and we have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our
God.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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