and thou hadst an harlot’s forehead, thou didst refuse to be ashamed.
4 Wilt thou not from this time cry to 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 done evil things as thou couldest.
6 The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she hath 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, Turn thou to me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it .
8 And I saw, when for all the causes by which 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.
9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her harlotry, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. [1]
10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned to me with her whole heart, but deceitfully, saith the LORD. [2]
11 And the LORD said to me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause my anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13 Only acknowledge thy 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.
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married to 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 shall 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 miss it ; neither shall that be done any more. [3] [4]
17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. [5]
18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together from the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance to your fathers. [6] [7]
19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. [8] [9] [10]
20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. [11]
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.
22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come to thee; for thou art the LORD 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.
24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from 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 to this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
CHAP. 4.
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return to me: and if thou wilt put away thy abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not be removed.
2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Declare ye in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, confirm, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.
6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. [12] [13]
7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
- ↑ lightness: or, fame
- ↑ feignedly: Heb. in falsehood
- ↑ come to mind: Heb. come upon the heart
- ↑ that...: or, it be magnified
- ↑ imagination: or, stubbornness
- ↑ with: or, to
- ↑ given...: or, caused your fathers to possess
- ↑ from me: Heb. from after me
- ↑ a goodly...: Heb. an heritage of glory, or, beauty
- ↑ pleasant...: Heb. land of desire
- ↑ husband: Heb. friend
- ↑ retire: or, strengthen
- ↑ destruction: Heb. breaking
