1. If a man divorces his wife,and after she leaves him marries another,can he return to her again?Wouldn’t such an act completely corrupt the land?Yet you have prostituted yourself with many lovers.Would you return to me?declares the Lord.
2. Look to the well-traveled paths and see!Where haven’t you committed adultery?On the roadsides you sit in wait for lovers,like a nomad in the wilderness.You have corrupted the landwith your cheap and reckless behavior.
3. That’s why the showers have failedand the spring rains have ceased.Still you act like a brazen prostitutewho refuses to blush.
4. At the same time you say to me,"My father, my friend since youth,
5. will you stay angry forever?Will you continue to be furious?"This is what you saywhile you do as much evil as you possibly can.
6. During the rule of King Josiah, the Lord said to me: Have you noticed what unfaithful Israel has done? She’s gone about looking for lovers on top of every high hill and under every lush tree.
7. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me, but she didn’t. Her disloyal sister Judah saw this.
8. She also saw that I sent unfaithful Israel away with divorce papers because of all her acts of unfaithfulness; yet disloyal sister Judah was not afraid but kept on playing the prostitute.
9. She didn’t think twice about corrupting the land and committing adultery with stone and tree.
10. Yet even after all this, disloyal sister Judah didn’t return to me with all her heart but only insincerely, declares the Lord.
11. Then the Lord said to me: Unfaithful Israel is less guilty than disloyal Judah.
12. Go proclaim these words to the north and say:Return, unfaithful Israel,declares the Lord.I won’t reject you,for I’m faithful,declares the Lord;I won’t stay angry forever.
13. Only acknowledge your wrongdoing:how you have rebelled against the Lord your God,and given yourself to strangersunder every lush treeand haven’t obeyed me,declares the Lord.
14. Return, rebellious children,declares the Lord, for I’m your husband.I’ll gather you—one from a city and two from a tribe—and bring you back to Zion.
15. I will appoint shepherds with whom I’m pleased, and they will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
16. And in those days, when your numbers have greatly increased in the land, declares the Lord, people will no longer talk about the Lord’s covenant chest; they won’t recall or remember it; they won’t even miss it or try to build another one.
17. At that time, they will call Jerusalem the Lord’s throne, and all nations will gather there to honor the Lord’s name. No longer will they follow their own willful and evil hearts.
18. In those days the people of Judah and Israel will leave the north together for the land that I gave their ancestors as an inheritance.