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
Jeremiah 3:11-22
Common English Bible
11 Then the Lord said to me: Unfaithful Israel is less guilty[a] than disloyal Judah.
12 Go proclaim these words to the north and say:
Return, unfaithful Israel,
declares the Lord.
I won’t reject you,
for I’m faithful,
declares the Lord;
I won’t stay angry forever.
13 Only acknowledge your wrongdoing:
how you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
and given yourself to strangers
under every lush tree
and haven’t obeyed me,
declares the Lord.
14 Return, rebellious children,
declares the Lord,
for I’m your husband.
I’ll gather you—
one from a city and two from a tribe—
and bring you back to Zion.
15 I will appoint shepherds with whom I’m pleased, and they will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And in those days, when your numbers have greatly increased in the land, declares the Lord, people will no longer talk about the Lord’s covenant chest; they won’t recall or remember it; they won’t even miss it or try to build another one. 17 At that time, they will call Jerusalem the Lord’s throne, and all nations will gather there to honor the Lord’s name. No longer will they follow their own willful and evil hearts. 18 In those days the people of Judah and Israel will leave the north together for the land that I gave their ancestors as an inheritance.
19 I thought to myself, How wonderful it would be
to treat you like children
and give you a beautiful land,
an inheritance unrivaled among the nations.
And I thought, You will call me father,
and you won’t turn away from me.
20 But as a woman betrays her lover,
so you, people of Israel, have betrayed me,
declares the Lord.
21 A voice is heard on the well-traveled paths;[b]
it’s the crying and pleading of the people of Israel,
who have lost their way
and forgotten the Lord their God.
22 Return, rebellious children,
and I will heal your rebellion.
“Here we are; we come to you,
for you are the Lord our God.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 3:11 Or more righteous
- Jeremiah 3:21 Or bare heights
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