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Jeremiah 3-4
New King James Version
Jeremiah 3-4
New King James Version
Israel Is Shameless
3 “They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife,
And she goes from him
And becomes another man’s,
(A)May he return to her again?’
Would not that (B)land be greatly polluted?
But you have (C)played the harlot with many lovers;
(D)Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.
2 “Lift up your eyes to (E)the desolate heights and see:
Where have you not [a]lain with men?
(F)By the road you have sat for them
Like an Arabian in the wilderness;
(G)And you have polluted the land
With your harlotries and your wickedness.
3 Therefore the (H)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no latter rain.
You have had a (I)harlot’s forehead;
You refuse to be ashamed.
4 Will you not from this time cry to Me,
‘My Father, You are (J)the guide of (K)my youth?
5 (L)Will He remain angry forever?
Will He keep it to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken and done evil things,
As you were able.”
A Call to Repentance
6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what (M)backsliding Israel has done? She has (N)gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 (O)And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous (P)sister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that (Q)for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had (R)put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; (S)yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she (T)defiled the land and committed adultery with (U)stones and trees. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me (V)with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.
11 Then the Lord said to me, (W)“Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward (X)the north, and say:
‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you.
For I am (Y)merciful,’ says the Lord;
‘I will not remain angry forever.
13 (Z)Only acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God,
And have (AA)scattered your [b]charms
To (AB)alien deities (AC)under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.
14 “Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; (AD)“for I am married to you. I will take you, (AE)one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to (AF)Zion. 15 And I will give you (AG)shepherds according to My heart, who will (AH)feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 “Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and (AI)increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ (AJ)It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.
17 “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, (AK)to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they (AL)follow[c] the dictates of their evil hearts.
18 “In those days (AM)the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of (AN)the north to (AO)the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
19 “But I said:
‘How can I put you among the children
And give you (AP)a pleasant land,
A beautiful heritage of the hosts of nations?’
“And I said:
‘You shall call Me, (AQ)“My Father,”
And not turn away from Me.’
20 Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her [d]husband,
So (AR)have you dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” says the Lord.
21 A voice was heard on (AS)the desolate heights,
Weeping and supplications of the children of Israel.
For they have perverted their way;
They have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you backsliding children,
And I will (AT)heal your backslidings.”
“Indeed we do come to You,
For You are the Lord our God.
23 (AU)Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills,
And from the multitude of mountains;
(AV)Truly, in the Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 (AW)For shame has devoured
The labor 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 [e]reproach covers us.
(AX)For we have sinned against the Lord our God,
We and our fathers,
From our youth even to this day,
And (AY)have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
Jeremiah Laments over Judah
4 “If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,
(AZ)“Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.
2 (BA)And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’
(BB)In truth, in [f]judgment, and in righteousness;
(BC)The nations shall bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they shall (BD)glory.”
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
(BE)“Break up your [g]fallow ground,
And (BF)do not sow among thorns.
4 (BG)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.”
An Imminent Invasion
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
(BH)“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, (BI)‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
6 Set up the [h]standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the (BJ)north,
And great destruction.”
7 (BK)The lion has come up from his thicket,
And (BL)the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
(BM)To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant.
8 For this, (BN)clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,
“That the heart of the king shall perish,
And the heart of the princes;
The priests shall be astonished,
And the prophets shall wonder.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!
(BO)Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
(BP)Saying, ‘You shall have peace,’
Whereas the sword reaches to the [i]heart.”
11 At that time it will be said
To this people and to Jerusalem,
(BQ)“A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness
Toward the daughter of My people—
Not to fan or to cleanse—
12 A wind too strong for these will come for Me;
Now (BR)I will also speak judgment against them.”
13 “Behold, he shall come up like clouds,
And (BS)his chariots like a whirlwind.
(BT)His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are plundered!”
14 O Jerusalem, (BU)wash your heart from wickedness,
That you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares (BV)from Dan
And proclaims [j]affliction from Mount Ephraim:
16 “Make mention to the nations,
Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem,
That watchers come from a (BW)far country
And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 (BX)Like keepers of a field they are against her all around,
Because she has been rebellious against Me,” says the Lord.
18 “Your(BY) ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you.
This is your wickedness,
Because it is bitter,
Because it reaches to your heart.”
Sorrow for the Doomed Nation
19 O my (BZ)soul, my soul!
I am pained in my very heart!
My heart makes a noise in me;
I cannot hold my peace,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 (CA)Destruction upon destruction is cried,
For the whole land is plundered.
Suddenly (CB)my tents are plundered,
And my curtains in a moment.
21 How long will I see the [k]standard,
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are [l]silly children,
And they have no understanding.
(CC)They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.”
23 (CD)I beheld the earth, and indeed it was (CE)without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24 (CF)I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And (CG)all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a (CH)wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord:
“The whole land shall be desolate;
(CI)Yet I will not make a full end.
28 For this (CJ)shall the earth mourn,
And (CK)the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have (CL)purposed and (CM)will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks.
Every city shall be forsaken,
And not a man shall dwell in it.
30 “And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
(CN)Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
(CO)Your lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.
31 “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in [m]labor,
The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,
The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself;
She (CP)spreads her hands, saying,
‘Woe is me now, for my soul is [n]weary
Because of murderers!’
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 3:2 Kt. been violated
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit. ways
- Jeremiah 3:17 walk after the stubbornness or imagination
- Jeremiah 3:20 Lit. companion
- Jeremiah 3:25 disgrace
- Jeremiah 4:2 justice
- Jeremiah 4:3 untilled
- Jeremiah 4:6 banner
- Jeremiah 4:10 Lit. soul
- Jeremiah 4:15 Or wickedness
- Jeremiah 4:21 banner
- Jeremiah 4:22 foolish
- Jeremiah 4:31 childbirth
- Jeremiah 4:31 faint
Jeremiah 3-4
New International Version
Jeremiah 3-4
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.
3 Therefore 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)
4 Have you not just called to me:
‘My Father,(M) my friend from my youth,(N)
5 will 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
6 During 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. 7 I 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) 8 I 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. 9 Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(Y) and committed adultery(Z) with stone(AA) and wood.(AB) 10 In 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)
11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(AF) than unfaithful(AG) Judah.(AH) 12 Go, 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.
13 Only 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. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(AT) after my own heart,(AU) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In 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. 17 At 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) 18 In 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.
19 “I myself said,
“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
and give you a pleasant land,(BF)
the most beautiful inheritance(BG) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(BH)
and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(BI) to me,”
declares the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(BJ)
the weeping(BK) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
and have forgotten(BL) the Lord their God.
“Yes, we will come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(BP)
and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
is the salvation(BQ) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(BR) gods have consumed
the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(BS)
and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(BT) against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors;(BU)
from our youth(BV) till this day
we have not obeyed(BW) the Lord our God.”
4 “If you, Israel, will return,(BX)
then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(BY) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear,(BZ) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(CA)
then the nations will invoke blessings(CB) by him
and in him they will boast.(CC)”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground(CD)
and do not sow among thorns.(CE)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
circumcise your hearts,(CF)
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(CG) will flare up and burn like fire(CH)
because of the evil(CI) you have done—
burn with no one to quench(CJ) it.
Disaster From the North
5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim(CK) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet(CL) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(CM)
6 Raise the signal(CN) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(CO) from the north,(CP)
even terrible destruction.”
7 A lion(CQ) has come out of his lair;(CR)
a destroyer(CS) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste(CT) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(CU)
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth,(CV)
lament(CW) and wail,
for the fierce anger(CX) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“the king and the officials will lose heart,(CY)
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.”(CZ)
10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(DA) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(DB) when the sword is at our throats!”
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(DC) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(DD) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(DE) against them.”
13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(DF)
his chariots(DG) come like a whirlwind,(DH)
his horses(DI) are swifter than eagles.(DJ)
Woe to us! We are ruined!(DK)
14 Jerusalem, wash(DL) the evil from your heart and be saved.(DM)
How long(DN) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(DO)
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(DP)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(DQ)
raising a war cry(DR) against the cities of Judah.(DS)
17 They surround(DT) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled(DU) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(DV)
have brought this on you.(DW)
This is your punishment.
How bitter(DX) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(DY)
I writhe in pain.(DZ)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds(EA) within me,
I cannot keep silent.(EB)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(EC)
I have heard the battle cry.(ED)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(EE)
the whole land lies in ruins.(EF)
In an instant my tents(EG) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(EH)
and hear the sound of the trumpet?(EI)
22 “My people are fools;(EJ)
they do not know me.(EK)
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding.(EL)
They are skilled in doing evil;(EM)
they know not how to do good.”(EN)
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty;(EO)
and at the heavens,
and their light(EP) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking;(EQ)
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away.(ER)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(ES)
all its towns lay in ruins(ET)
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(EU)
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,(EV)
though I will not destroy(EW) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(EX)
and the heavens above grow dark,(EY)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(EZ)
I have decided and will not turn back.(FA)”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(FB)
every town takes to flight.(FC)
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks.(FD)
All the towns are deserted;(FE)
no one lives in them.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.