1[God] says,"Ifa husbanddivorceshis wifeAnd she goesfrom him And belongsto anotherman,Will he stillreturnto her? Will not that landbe completelypolluted?But you are a harlot[with] manylovers;Yet you turnto Me," declaresthe LORD.
2"Liftup your eyesto the bareheightsand see;Wherehave you not been violated?By the roadsyou have satfor them Like an Arabin the desert,And you have polluteda landWith your harlotryand with your wickedness.
3"Therefore the showershave been withheld,And there has beennospringrain.Yet you hada harlot'sforehead;You refusedto be ashamed.
4"Have you not just nowcalledto Me, 'My Father,You are the friendof my youth?
5Will He be angryforever?Will He be indignantto the end?'Behold,you have spokenAnd have doneevilthings,And you have hadyour way."
6Then the LORDsaidto me in the daysof Josiahthe king,"Have you seenwhatfaithlessIsraeldid?She wentup on everyhighhilland undereverygreentree,and she was a harlotthere.7"I thought,'Aftershe has doneallthesethingsshe will returnto Me'; but she did not return,and her treacheroussisterJudahsawit.8"And I sawthat for allthe adulteriesof faithlessIsrael,I had senther awayand givenher a writof divorce,yet her treacheroussisterJudahdid not fear;but she wentand was a harlotalso.9"Becauseof the lightnessof her harlotry,she pollutedthe landand committedadulterywith stonesand trees.10"Yetin spite of allthisher treacheroussisterJudahdid not returnto Me with allher heart,but ratherin deception,"declaresthe LORD.
11And the LORDsaidto me, "FaithlessIsraelhas provedherselfmorerighteousthantreacherousJudah.
12"Goand proclaimthesewordstoward the northand say,Return,faithlessIsrael,'declaresthe LORD;I will not lookupon you in anger. For I am gracious,'declaresthe LORD;'I will not be angryforever.
13Onlyacknowledgeyour iniquity,That you have transgressedagainst the LORDyour GodAnd have scatteredyour favorsto the strangersundereverygreentree,And you have not obeyedMy voice,'declaresthe LORD.
14Return,O faithlesssons,'declaresthe LORD;For I am a masterto you, And I will takeyou onefrom a cityand twofrom a family,And I will bringyou to Zion.'
15"Then I will giveyou shepherdsafter My own heart,who will feedyou on knowledgeand understanding.16"It shall be in thosedayswhenyou are multipliedand increasedin the land,"declaresthe LORD,"they will nolongersay,'The arkof the covenantof the LORD.'And it will not cometo mind,norwill they rememberit, norwill they miss[it], norwill it be madeagain.17"At that timethey will callJerusalemThe Throneof the LORD,'and allthe nationswill be gatheredto it, to Jerusalem,for the nameof the LORD;norwill they walkanymoreafterthe stubbornnessof their evilheart.18"In thosedaysthe houseof Judahwill walkwith the houseof Israel,and they will cometogetherfrom the landof the northto the landthat I gaveyour fathersas an inheritance.
19"Then I said,'HowI would setyou among My sonsAnd giveyou a pleasantland,The mostbeautifulinheritanceof the nations!'And I said,'You shall callMe, My Father,And not turnawayfrom followingMe.'
20"Surely,as a womantreacherouslydeparts from her lover,Soyou have dealttreacherouslywith Me, O houseof Israel,"declaresthe LORD.
21A voiceis heardon the bareheights,The weeping[and] the supplicationsof the sonsof Israel;Becausethey have pervertedtheir way,They have forgottenthe LORDtheir God.
22"Return,O faithlesssons,I will healyour faithlessness.""Behold,we cometo You; For You are the LORDour God.
23"Surely,the hillsare a deception,A tumult[on] the mountains.Surelyin the LORDour GodIs the salvationof Israel.
24"But the shamefulthinghas consumedthe laborof our fatherssinceour youth,their flocksand their herds,their sonsand their daughters.25"Let us liedownin our shame,and let our humiliationcoverus; for we have sinnedagainst the LORDour God,we and our fathers,from our youtheven to thisday.And we have not obeyedthe voiceof the LORDour God."
