03:001

...saying: If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, may he return unto her again? Will not that land be greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; and wouldest thou yet return to Me? saith HaShem

03:002

Lift up thine eyes unto the high hills, and see: where hast thou not been lain with? By the ways hast thou sat for them, as an Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy harlotries and with thy wickedness

03:003

Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there hath been no latter rain; yet thou hadst a harlot's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed

03:004

Didst thou not just now cry unto Me: 'My father, Thou art the friend of my youth

03:005

Will He bear grudge for ever? Will He keep it to the end?' Behold, thou hast spoken, but hast done evil things, and hast had thy way

03:006

And HaShem said unto me in the days of Josiah the king: 'Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel did? she went up upon every high mountain and under every leafy tree, and there played the harlot

03:007

And I said: After she hath done all these things, she will return unto me; but she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it

03:008

And I saw, when, forasmuch as backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorcement, that yet treacherous Judah her sister feared not; but she also went and played the harlot

03:009

and it came to pass through the lightness of her harlotry, that the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with stocks

03:010

and yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not returned unto Me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith HaShem-

03:011

even HaShem said unto me--backsliding Israel hath proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah

03:012

Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: return, thou backsliding Israel, saith HaShem; I will not frown upon you; for I am merciful, saith HaShem, I will not bear grudge for ever

03:013

Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against HaShem thy G-d, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every leafy tree, and ye have not hearkened to My voice, saith HaShem

03:014

Return, O backsliding children, saith HaShem; for I am a lord unto you, and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion

03:015

and I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding

03:016

And it shall come to pass, when ye are multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith HaShem, they shall say no more: The ark of the covenant of HaShem; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they make mention of it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more

03:017

At that time they shall call Jerusalem The throne of HaShem; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of HaShem, to Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart

03:018

In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.

03:019

But I said: 'How would I put thee among the sons, and give thee a pleasant land, the goodliest heritage of the nations!' And I said: 'Thou shalt call Me, My father; and shalt not turn away from following Me.

03:020

Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, saith HaShem

03:021

Hark! upon the high hills is heard the suppliant weeping of the children of Israel; for that they have perverted their way, they have forgotten HaShem their G-d

03:022

Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings.

03:023

Truly vain have proved the hills, the uproar on the mountains; truly in HaShem our G-d is the salvation of Israel

03:024

But the shameful thing hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters

03:025

Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against HaShem our G-d, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day; and we have not hearkened to the voice of HaShem our G-d.