1 T hey say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the Lord.

That is to say, If a man puts away his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s, will he return to her again? Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—yet would you now return to Me? says the Lord

2 L ift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see. Where have you not been adulterously lain with? By the wayside you have sat waiting for lovers, like an Arabian in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with your vile harlotry and your wickedness (unfaithfulness and disobedience to God).

3 T herefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.

Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no spring rain. Yet you have the brow of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.

4 W ilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?

Have you not just now cried to Me: My Father, You were the guide and companion of my youth?

5 W ill he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.

Will He retain His anger forever? Will He keep it to the end? Behold, you have so spoken, but you have done all the evil things you could and have had your way and have carried them through.

6 T he Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

Moreover, the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen what that faithless and backsliding Israel has done—how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree and there played the harlot?

7 A nd I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

And I said, After she has done all these things, she will return to Me; but she did not return, and her faithless and treacherous sister Judah saw it.

8 A nd I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

And I saw, even though that for this very cause of committing adultery (idolatry) I had put faithless Israel away and given her a bill of divorce; yet her faithless and treacherous sister Judah was not afraid, but she also went and played the harlot.

9 A nd it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.

And through the infamy and unseemly frivolity of Israel’s whoredom, she polluted and defiled the land, committing adultery with stones and trees.

10 A nd yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.

But in spite of all this, her faithless and treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me in sincerity and with her whole heart, but only in sheer hypocrisy, says the Lord.

11 A nd the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.

And the Lord said to me, Backsliding and faithless Israel has shown herself less guilty than false and treacherous Judah.

12 G o and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.

Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, Return, faithless Israel, says the Lord, and I will not cause My countenance to fall and look in anger upon you, for I am merciful, says the Lord; I will not keep My anger forever.

13 O nly acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord.

Only know, understand, and acknowledge your iniquity and guilt—that you have rebelled and transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, says the Lord.

14 T urn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

Return, O faithless children, says the Lord, for I am Lord and Master and Husband to you, and I will take you —one from a city and two from a tribal family—and I will bring you to Zion.

15 a nd I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding and judgment.

16 A nd it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

And it shall be that when you have multiplied and increased in the land in those days, says the Lord, they shall no more say, The ark of the covenant of the Lord. It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they miss or visit it, nor shall it be repaired or made again.

17 A t that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

At that time they shall call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, in the renown and name of the Lord, to Jerusalem; nor shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their own evil hearts.

18 I n 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.

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

19 B ut I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.

And I thought how I would set you among My children and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage, the most beautiful and best among all nations! And I thought you would call Me My Father and would not turn away from following Me.

20 S urely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.

Surely, as a wife treacherously and faithlessly departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously and faithlessly with Me, O house of Israel, says the Lord.

21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the Lord their God.

A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping and pleading of the sons of Israel, because they have perverted their ways, they have forgotten the Lord their God.

22 R eturn, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee: for thou art the Lord our God.

Return, O faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness. Behold, we come to You, for You are the Lord our God.

23 T ruly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.

Truly in vain is the hope of salvation from the hills and from the tumult and noisy throng on the mountains; truly in and with the Lord our God rests the salvation of Israel.

24 F or shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

for the shameful thing has consumed all for which our fathers toiled from our youth—their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

25 W e lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.

Let us lie prostrate in our shame, and let our dishonor and confusion cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.