Jeremiah 3

Judah's Treachery Jeremiah 3:6–10

⁶Verse 6. Moreover, Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and has played the prostitute there. ⁷Verse 7. I said after she had done all these things, ‘She will return to me;’ but she didn’t return; and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. ⁸Verse 8. I saw when, for this very cause, that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce, yet treacherous Judah, her sister, had no fear; but she also went and played the prostitute.

⁹Verse 9. Because she took her prostitution lightly, the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with wood. ¹⁰Verse 10. Yet for all this her treacherous sister, Judah, has not returned to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense,” says Yahweh.

Call to Return Jeremiah 3:11–14

¹¹Verse 11. Yahweh said to me, “Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. ¹²Verse 12. Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, you backsliding Israel,’ says Yahweh; ‘I will not look in anger on you; for I am merciful,’ says Yahweh. ‘I will not keep anger forever. ¹³Verse 13. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against Yahweh your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice,’ says Yahweh.” ¹⁴Verse 14. “Return, backsliding children,” says Yahweh; “for I am a husband to you. I will take one of you from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

Promise of Shepherds Jeremiah 3:15–19

¹⁵Verse 15. I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. ¹⁶Verse 16. It will come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days,” says Yahweh, “they will no longer say, ‘the ark of Yahweh’s covenant!’ It will not come to mind. They won’t remember it. They won’t miss it, nor will another be made. ¹⁷Verse 17. At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘Yahweh’s Throne;’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Yahweh’s name, to Jerusalem. They will no longer walk after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

¹⁸Verse 18. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together out of the land of the north to the land that I gave for an inheritance to your fathers. ¹⁹Verse 19. “But I said, ‘How I desire to put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the armies of the nations!’ and I said, ‘You shall call me “My Father”, and shall not turn away from following me.’

Recognition of Shame Jeremiah 3:20–25

²⁰Verse 20. “Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so you have dealt treacherously with me, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. ²¹Verse 21. A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping and the petitions of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Yahweh their God. ²²Verse 22. Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backsliding. “Behold, we have come to you; for you are Yahweh our God. ²³Verse 23. Truly in vain is help from the hills, the tumult on the mountains. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God. ²⁴Verse 24. But the shameful thing has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

²⁵Verse 25. Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Yahweh our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed Yahweh our God’s voice.”