Jeremiah 3:11-22
New American Standard Bible
God Invites Repentance
11 And the Lord said to me, “(A)Faithless Israel has proved herself to be more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘(B)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘(C)I will not [a]look at you in anger.
For I am (D)gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Only [b](E)acknowledge your wrongdoing,
That you have revolted against the Lord your God,
And have (F)scattered your [c]favors to the strangers (G)under every leafy tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, you faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a (H)master to you,
And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
And (I)bring you to Zion.’
15 “Then I will give you (J)shepherds [d]after My own heart, who will (K)feed you knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall be in those days when you become numerous and are fruitful in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will (L)no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The (M)Throne of the Lord,’ and (N)all the nations will assemble at it, at Jerusalem, for the (O)name of the Lord; and they will no longer (P)follow the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 (Q)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together (R)from the land of the north to the (S)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
19 “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among [e]My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most (T)beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, (U)My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 However, as a woman treacherously leaves her lover,
So you have (V)dealt treacherously with Me,
House of Israel,” declares the Lord.
21 A voice is heard on the (W)bare heights,
The weeping, the pleading of the sons of Israel.
Because they have perverted their way,
They have (X)forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, you faithless sons,
(Y)I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the Lord our God.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 3:12 Lit make My face fall
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit know
- Jeremiah 3:13 Lit ways
- Jeremiah 3:15 I.e., with hearts like Mine
- Jeremiah 3:19 Lit the
Jeremiah 3:11-22
Holman Christian Standard Bible
11 The Lord announced to me, “Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah.(A) 12 Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say:
Return, unfaithful Israel.(B)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will not look on you with anger,[a]
for I am unfailing in My love.(C)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will not be angry forever.(D)
13 Only acknowledge your guilt(E)—
you have rebelled against the Lord your God.(F)
You have scattered your favors to strangers
under every green tree(G)
and have not obeyed My voice.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
14 “Return, you faithless children”(H)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“for I am your master,(I) and I will take you,(J) one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 I will give you shepherds who are loyal to Me,[b](K) and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill. 16 When you multiply and increase in the land,(L) in those days”—the Lord’s declaration—“no one will say any longer, ‘The ark of the Lord’s covenant.’(M) It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. It will never again be made. 17 At that time Jerusalem will be called, Yahweh’s Throne,(N) and all the nations will be gathered to it,(O) to the name of Yahweh in Jerusalem.(P) They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel,(Q) and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit.”(R)
True Repentance
19 I thought: How I long to make you My sons
and give you a desirable land,
the most beautiful inheritance(S) of all the nations.
I thought: You will call Me, my Father,
and never turn away from Me.
20 However, as a woman may betray her lover,[c]
so you have betrayed(T) Me, house of Israel.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
21 A sound is heard on the barren heights,
the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy,
for they have perverted their way;
they have forgotten the Lord their God.(U)
22 Return, you faithless children.
I will heal your unfaithfulness.(V)
“Here we are, coming to You,
for You are the Lord our God.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 3:12 Lit not cause My face to fall on you
- Jeremiah 3:15 Lit shepherds according to My heart
- Jeremiah 3:20 Lit friend
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