Jeremiah 3:1-18

New International Version

3 “If a man divorces^(A) his wife
    and she leaves him and marries another man,
should he return to her again?
    Would not the land be completely defiled?^(B)
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers^(C)—
    would you now return to me?”^(D)
declares the Lord.
²“Look up to the barren heights^(E) and see.
    Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside^(F) you sat waiting for lovers,
    sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land^(G)
    with your prostitution^(H) and wickedness.
³Therefore the showers have been withheld,^(I)
    and no spring rains^(J) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen^(K) look of a prostitute;
    you refuse to blush with shame.^(L)
⁴Have you not just called to me:
    ‘My Father,^(M) my friend from my youth,^(N)
⁵will you always be angry?^(O)
    Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
    but you do all the evil you can.”

Unfaithful Israel

⁶During the reign of King Josiah,^(P) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless^(Q) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree^(R) and has committed adultery^(S) there. ⁷I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister^(T) Judah saw it.^(U) ⁸I gave faithless Israel^(V) her certificate of divorce^(W) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;^(X) she also went out and committed adultery. ⁹Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land^(Y) and committed adultery^(Z) with stone^(AA) and wood.^(AB) ¹⁰In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return^(AC) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,^(AD)” declares the Lord.^(AE)

¹¹The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous^(AF) than unfaithful^(AG) Judah.^(AH) ¹²Go, proclaim this message toward the north:^(AI)

“‘Return,^(AJ) faithless^(AK) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’^(AL) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry^(AM) forever.
¹³Only acknowledge^(AN) your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods^(AO)
    under every spreading tree,^(AP)
    and have not obeyed^(AQ) me,’”
declares the Lord.

¹⁴“Return,^(AR) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.^(AS) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. ¹⁵Then I will give you shepherds^(AT) after my own heart,^(AU) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. ¹⁶In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark^(AV) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;^(AW) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. ¹⁷At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne^(AX) of the Lord, and all nations^(AY) will gather in Jerusalem to honor^(AZ) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.^(BA) ¹⁸In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,^(BB) and together^(BC) they will come from a northern^(BD) land to the land^(BE) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

Read full chapter

Ezekiel 16

New International Version

Jerusalem as an Adulterous Wife

16 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, confront^(A) Jerusalem with her detestable practices^(B) ³and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry^(C) and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father^(D) was an Amorite^(E) and your mother a Hittite.^(F) ⁴On the day you were born^(G) your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. ⁵No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.

⁶“‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”^[a]^(H) ⁷I made you grow^(I) like a plant of the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.^(J)

⁸“‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment^(K) over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant^(L) with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.^(M)

⁹“‘I bathed you with water and washed^(N) the blood from you and put ointments on you. ¹⁰I clothed you with an embroidered^(O) dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen^(P) and covered you with costly garments.^(Q) ¹¹I adorned you with jewelry:^(R) I put bracelets^(S) on your arms and a necklace^(T) around your neck, ¹²and I put a ring on your nose,^(U) earrings^(V) on your ears and a beautiful crown^(W) on your head.^(X) ¹³So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes^(Y) were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil^(Z) and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen.^(AA) ¹⁴And your fame^(AB) spread among the nations on account of your beauty,^(AC) because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AD)

¹⁵“‘But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by^(AE) and your beauty became his.^(AF) ¹⁶You took some of your garments to make gaudy high places,^(AG) where you carried on your prostitution.^(AH) You went to him, and he possessed your beauty.^[b] ¹⁷You also took the fine jewelry I gave you, the jewelry made of my gold and silver, and you made for yourself male idols and engaged in prostitution with them.^(AI) ¹⁸And you took your embroidered clothes to put on them, and you offered my oil and incense^(AJ) before them. ¹⁹Also the food I provided for you—the flour, olive oil and honey I gave you to eat—you offered as fragrant incense before them. That is what happened, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AK)

²⁰“‘And you took your sons and daughters^(AL) whom you bore to me^(AM) and sacrificed them as food to the idols. Was your prostitution not enough?^(AN) ²¹You slaughtered my children and sacrificed them to the idols.^(AO) ²²In all your detestable practices and your prostitution you did not remember the days of your youth,^(AP) when you were naked and bare,^(AQ) kicking about in your blood.^(AR)

²³“‘Woe!^(AS) Woe to you, declares the Sovereign Lord. In addition to all your other wickedness, ²⁴you built a mound for yourself and made a lofty shrine^(AT) in every public square.^(AU) ²⁵At every street corner^(AV) you built your lofty shrines and degraded your beauty, spreading your legs with increasing promiscuity to anyone who passed by.^(AW) ²⁶You engaged in prostitution^(AX) with the Egyptians,^(AY) your neighbors with large genitals, and aroused my anger^(AZ) with your increasing promiscuity.^(BA) ²⁷So I stretched out my hand^(BB) against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over^(BC) to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines,^(BD) who were shocked by your lewd conduct. ²⁸You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians^(BE) too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied.^(BF) ²⁹Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia,^[c]^(BG) a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.^(BH)

³⁰“‘I am filled with fury against you,^[d] declares the Sovereign Lord, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute!^(BI) ³¹When you built your mounds at every street corner and made your lofty shrines^(BJ) in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.

³²“‘You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! ³³All prostitutes receive gifts,^(BK) but you give gifts^(BL) to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors.^(BM) ³⁴So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.

³⁵“‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! ³⁶This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood,^(BN) ³⁷therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip^(BO) you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked.^(BP) ³⁸I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood;^(BQ) I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.^(BR) ³⁹Then I will deliver you into the hands^(BS) of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.^(BT) ⁴⁰They will bring a mob against you, who will stone^(BU) you and hack you to pieces with their swords. ⁴¹They will burn down^(BV) your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women.^(BW) I will put a stop^(BX) to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. ⁴²Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.^(BY)

⁴³“‘Because you did not remember^(BZ) the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down^(CA) on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign Lord. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?^(CB)

⁴⁴“‘Everyone who quotes proverbs^(CC) will quote this proverb about you: “Like mother, like daughter.” ⁴⁵You are a true daughter of your mother, who despised^(CD) her husband^(CE) and her children; and you are a true sister of your sisters, who despised their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite.^(CF) ⁴⁶Your older sister^(CG) was Samaria, who lived to the north of you with her daughters; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you with her daughters, was Sodom.^(CH) ⁴⁷You not only followed their ways and copied their detestable practices, but in all your ways you soon became more depraved than they.^(CI) ⁴⁸As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign^(CJ) Lord, your sister Sodom^(CK) and her daughters never did what you and your daughters have done.^(CL)

⁴⁹“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:^(CM) She and her daughters were arrogant,^(CN) overfed and unconcerned;^(CO) they did not help the poor and needy.^(CP) ⁵⁰They were haughty^(CQ) and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.^(CR) ⁵¹Samaria did not commit half the sins you did. You have done more detestable things than they, and have made your sisters seem righteous by all these things you have done.^(CS) ⁵²Bear your disgrace, for you have furnished some justification for your sisters. Because your sins were more vile than theirs, they appear more righteous^(CT) than you. So then, be ashamed and bear^(CU) your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.

⁵³“‘However, I will restore^(CV) the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and of Samaria and her daughters, and your fortunes along with them,^(CW) ⁵⁴so that you may bear your disgrace^(CX) and be ashamed of all you have done in giving them comfort. ⁵⁵And your sisters, Sodom with her daughters and Samaria with her daughters, will return to what they were before; and you and your daughters will return to what you were before.^(CY) ⁵⁶You would not even mention your sister Sodom in the day of your pride, ⁵⁷before your wickedness was uncovered. Even so, you are now scorned^(CZ) by the daughters of Edom^[e]^(DA) and all her neighbors and the daughters of the Philistines—all those around you who despise you. ⁵⁸You will bear the consequences of your lewdness and your detestable practices, declares the Lord.^(DB)

⁵⁹“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant.^(DC) ⁶⁰Yet I will remember the covenant^(DD) I made with you in the days of your youth,^(DE) and I will establish an everlasting covenant^(DF) with you. ⁶¹Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed^(DG) when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters,^(DH) but not on the basis of my covenant with you. ⁶²So I will establish my covenant^(DI) with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.^(DJ) ⁶³Then, when I make atonement^(DK) for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed^(DL) and never again open your mouth^(DM) because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(DN)’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Ezekiel 16:6 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts repeat and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live!”
Ezekiel 16:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
Ezekiel 16:29 Or Chaldea
Ezekiel 16:30 Or How feverish is your heart,
Ezekiel 16:57 Many Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Vulgate Aram

Hosea 2

New International Version

2 ^[a]“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’^(A)

Israel Punished and Restored

²“Rebuke your mother,^(B) rebuke her,
    for she is not my wife,
    and I am not her husband.
Let her remove the adulterous^(C) look from her face
    and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
³Otherwise I will strip^(D) her naked
    and make her as bare as on the day she was born;^(E)
I will make her like a desert,^(F)
    turn her into a parched land,
    and slay her with thirst.
⁴I will not show my love to her children,^(G)
    because they are the children of adultery.^(H)
⁵Their mother has been unfaithful
    and has conceived them in disgrace.
She said, ‘I will go after my lovers,^(I)
    who give me my food and my water,
    my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’^(J)
⁶Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
    I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.^(K)
⁷She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
    she will look for them but not find them.^(L)
Then she will say,
    ‘I will go back to my husband^(M) as at first,^(N)
    for then I was better off^(O) than now.’
⁸She has not acknowledged^(P) that I was the one
    who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil,^(Q)
who lavished on her the silver and gold^(R)—
    which they used for Baal.^(S)

⁹“Therefore I will take away my grain^(T) when it ripens,
    and my new wine^(U) when it is ready.
I will take back my wool and my linen,
    intended to cover her naked body.
¹⁰So now I will expose^(V) her lewdness
    before the eyes of her lovers;^(W)
    no one will take her out of my hands.^(X)
¹¹I will stop^(Y) all her celebrations:^(Z)
    her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
    her Sabbath days—all her appointed festivals.^(AA)
¹²I will ruin her vines^(AB) and her fig trees,^(AC)
    which she said were her pay from her lovers;^(AD)
I will make them a thicket,^(AE)
    and wild animals will devour them.^(AF)
¹³I will punish her for the days
    she burned incense^(AG) to the Baals;^(AH)
she decked herself with rings and jewelry,^(AI)
    and went after her lovers,^(AJ)
    but me she forgot,^(AK)”
declares the Lord.^(AL)

¹⁴“Therefore I am now going to allure her;
    I will lead her into the wilderness^(AM)
    and speak tenderly to her.
¹⁵There I will give her back her vineyards,
    and will make the Valley of Achor^[b]^(AN) a door of hope.
There she will respond^[c]^(AO) as in the days of her youth,^(AP)
    as in the day she came up out of Egypt.^(AQ)

¹⁶“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “you will call me ‘my husband’;^(AR)
    you will no longer call me ‘my master.^[d]’
¹⁷I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;^(AS)
    no longer will their names be invoked.^(AT)
¹⁸In that day I will make a covenant for them
    with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
    and the creatures that move along the ground.^(AU)
Bow and sword and battle
    I will abolish^(AV) from the land,
    so that all may lie down in safety.^(AW)
¹⁹I will betroth^(AX) you to me forever;
    I will betroth you in^[e] righteousness and justice,^(AY)
    in^[f] love and compassion.^(AZ)
²⁰I will betroth you in^[g] faithfulness,
    and you will acknowledge^(BA) the Lord.^(BB)

²¹“In that day I will respond,”
    declares the Lord—
“I will respond^(BC) to the skies,
    and they will respond to the earth;
²²and the earth will respond to the grain,
    the new wine and the olive oil,^(BD)
    and they will respond to Jezreel.^[h]^(BE)
²³I will plant^(BF) her for myself in the land;
    I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.^[i]^(BG)’
I will say to those called ‘Not my people,^[j]’ ‘You are my people’;^(BH)
    and they will say, ‘You are my God.^(BI)’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Hosea 2:1 In Hebrew texts 2:1-23 is numbered 2:3-25.
Hosea 2:15 Achor means trouble.
Hosea 2:15 Or sing
Hosea 2:16 Hebrew baal
Hosea 2:19 Or with
Hosea 2:19 Or with
Hosea 2:20 Or with
Hosea 2:22 Jezreel means God plants.
Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ruhamah (see 1:6)
Hosea 2:23 Hebrew Lo-Ammi (see 1:9)

Hosea 3

New International Version

Hosea’s Reconciliation With His Wife

3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress.^(A) Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.^(B)”

²So I bought her for fifteen shekels^[a] of silver and about a homer and a lethek^[b] of barley. ³Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

⁴For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince,^(C) without sacrifice^(D) or sacred stones,^(E) without ephod^(F) or household gods.^(G) ⁵Afterward the Israelites will return and seek^(H) the Lord their God and David their king.^(I) They will come trembling^(J) to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.^(K)