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.
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 hadst a whore'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 the Lord 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 the Lord.
11. And the Lord said unto me, Backsliding Israel hath shewn herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.