Jeremiah, 3

1. They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.

1. If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he come back to her? Wouldn't the land be totally polluted? But you, you are a harlot with many lovers, and you still have the nerve to return to me? - it is Yahweh who speaks.

2. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

2. Lift your eyes to the hills and see: Where have you not been violated? By the wayside you sat waiting for your lovers, like an Arab in the wilderness, and you have dishonored the land with your evil and your harlotry!

3. Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

3. The showers held back and there was no spring rain for you, yet you have a harlot's brow and refuse to be ashamed!

4. Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou [art] the guide of my youth?

4. Worse still you called to me: 'Father, guide of my youth!

5. Will he reserve [his anger] for ever? will he keep [it] to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.

5. Will you always be angry? Will your wrath last forever?' That is what you said, and did evil as much as you were able to."

6. The LORD said also 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.

6. During the reign of King Josiah, Yahweh said to me, "Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone on every high hill and under every green tree and there played the harlot!

7. And I said after she had done all these [things], Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw [it].

7. So I thought: After all this she will return to me; but she did not. Her perverse sister, Judah, saw

8. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

8. that for all the adulteries of that unfaithful Israel, I sent her away with a certificate of divorce. Yet I saw that the disloyal Judah had no fear and that she too went and played the harlot!

9. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

9. Because of her harlotry, she dishonored the land, sinning with stones and trees.

10. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

10. And even after that her sister, the unfaithful Judah, did not come to me wholeheartedly. It was only pretense. It is Yahweh who speaks."

11. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

11. And Yahweh continued, "Rebellious Israel has been less guilty than false Judah.

12. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; [and] I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I [am] merciful, saith the LORD, [and] I will not keep [anger] for ever.

12. Go and shout this message to the north: Come back, unfaithful Israel - it is Yahweh who speaks - I will not let my anger fall on you for I am merciful, I will not be angry forever.

13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

13. Simply confess your guilt; you have rebelled against Yahweh your God, and have scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice - it is the word of Yahweh.

14. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

14. Come back, faithless people - it is Yahweh who speaks - for I am your master. I will select one from a city and two from a family and bring you to Zion.

15. And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

15. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and prudence.

16. And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit [it]; neither shall [that] be done any more.

16. And when you have increased and multiplied in the land in those days - it is Yahweh who speaks - people will no longer speak of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; it will not be remembered or missed, nor shall it be made again!

17. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

17. Then they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of Yahweh' and all the nations will gather there to honor the name of Yahweh and no longer will they follow the stubbornness of their wicked hearts.

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 have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

18. In those days the people of Judah will unite with the people of Israel and together they will return from the north to the land that I gave to their ancestors as a heritage.

19. But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

19. And I thought: How gladly would I have placed you among my children and given you as your inheritance a beautiful land, the most splendid among all the nations! And I thought you would call me 'my father' and not turn 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 the LORD.

20. But, like a woman unfaithful to her husband, you have been unfaithful to me, O people of Israel! - it is Yahweh who speaks."

21. A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping [and] supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, [and] they have forgotten the LORD their God.

21. A cry is heard in the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the children of Israel, because they have perverted their way and have forgotten Yahweh their God!

22. Return, ye backsliding children, [and] I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou [art] the LORD our God.

22. "Come back, unfaithful people, I will heal you of your rebelliousness!" 'Yes, we come to you, for you are Yahweh our God!

23. Truly in vain [is salvation hoped for] from the hills, [and from] the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God [is] the salvation of Israel.

23. Truly the temples on the heights and the feasts on the hills are useless; only Yahweh our God can save Israel.

24. For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

24. The infamous god has devoured all the fruits of our forefathers' labor since our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

25. We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.

25. Let us lie down in our shame and let our confusion cover us, for it is against Yahweh our God that we have sinned from our youth until this day, we and our fathers, and we have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God!'