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.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 3:12 Lit make My face fall
  2. Jeremiah 3:13 Lit know
  3. Jeremiah 3:13 Lit ways
  4. Jeremiah 3:15 I.e., with hearts like Mine
  5. Jeremiah 3:19 Lit the

A Call for Repentance

11 Then the Lord told me, “Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say,

‘Return, unfaithful Israel,’
    declares the Lord.
‘I won’t look on you in anger,
    for I am gracious,’[a]
        declares the Lord.
‘I won’t remain angry forever.
13 ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity,
    that you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
    and have scattered your favors to strangers
        under every green tree.
But you haven’t obeyed me,’
        declares the Lord.

14 “Return, unfaithful people,”[b] declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.[c] I’ll take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I’ll bring you to Zion. 15 I’ll give you shepherds[d] after my own heart, and they’ll shepherd you with knowledge and good sense.”

16 “And in those days when you increase in numbers and multiply in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord,’ and it won’t come to mind, and they won’t remember it or miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time people will call Jerusalem, “The Throne of the Lord,” and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. They’ll no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires.[e] 18 In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and together they’ll come to the land that I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.”

God’s Desire for His People

19 “I said,

‘How I wanted to treat you like children,
    and give you a pleasant land,
        the most beautiful inheritance of the nations.’
I said, ‘You will call me, my father,
    and won’t turn back from following me.’
20 Instead, like an unfaithful wife leaves her husband,
    so you have been unfaithful to me, house of Israel,”
        declares the Lord.

Israel Cries for Help

21 “A voice is heard on the barren heights,
    the weeping and pleading of the children of Israel
because they have perverted their way.
    They have forgotten the Lord their God.”

God Calls for Repentance

22 “Turn back, unfaithful people,[f]
    and I’ll heal your unfaithfulness.”

Israel Replies

“Look, we’re coming to you
    because you are the Lord our God.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 3:12 I.e. characterized by gracious love
  2. Jeremiah 3:14 Or sons
  3. Jeremiah 3:14 Or master
  4. Jeremiah 3:15 I.e. leaders
  5. Jeremiah 3:17 Lit. follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts
  6. Jeremiah 3:22 Or sons