1 T hat 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

«إنْ طَلَّقَ رَجُلٌ زَوجَتَهُ، فَخَرَجَتْ مِنْ عِندِهِ، ثُمَّ تَزَوَّجَتْ رَجُلاً آخَرَ، فَهَلْ يُمكِنُ أنْ يَعُودَ إلَيها؟ ألا يُنَجِّسُ هَذا الأرْضَ تَماماً؟ وَأنتِ يا يَهُوذا، زَنَيْتِ مَعَ مُحِبِّينَ كَثِيرِينَ، وَتَعُودِينَ إلَيَّ،» يَقُولُ اللهُ.

2 L ift 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).

«ارفَعِي عَينَيكِ إلَى الهِضابِ الجَرداءِ، فَأينَ المَكانُ الَّذِي لَمْ تَزنِي فِيهِ؟ تَنتَظِرِينَ عِنْدَ جَوانِبِ الطُّرُقِ، كَبَدَوِيٍّ فِي الصَّحراءِ. نَجَّسْتِ الأرْضَ بِزِناكِ وَشَرِّكِ.

3 T herefore 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.

وَلِذَلِكَ امتَنَعَتِ الأمطارُ الغَزِيرَةُ، وَأمطارُ الرَّبِيعِ لَمْ تَأتِ. أنتِ مِثلُ زانِيَةٍ لا يَظهَرُ الخَجَلُ عَلَى وَجهِها.

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

ألَيسَ لِفَترَةٍ قَصِيرَةٍ دَعَوتِنِي: ‹أبِي، رَفِيقَ حَياتِي›؟

5 W ill 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.

وَقُلْتِ: ‹هَلْ سَيَغْضَبُ اللهُ إلَى الأبَدِ؟ هَلْ سَيَحفَظُ سَخَطَهُ إلَى النِّهايَةِ؟› تَقُولِينَ هَذا، ثُمَّ تَعمَلِينَ كُلَّ ما تَستَطِيعِينَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ!» الأُختانِ الشِّرِّيرَتانِ: إسْرائِيلُ وَيَهُوذا

6 M oreover, 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?

ثُمَّ قالَ اللهُ لِي فِي فَترَةِ حُكمِ يُوشِيّا المَلِكِ: «هَلْ رَأيتَ ما عَمِلَتُهُ إسْرائِيلُ المُرتَدَّةُ؟ صَعِدَتْ إلَى كُلِّ تَلَّةٍ عالِيَةٍ وَتَحتَ كُلِّ شَجَرَةٍ مُورِقَةٍ، وَزَنَتْ هُناكَ.

7 A nd 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.

فَقُلْتُ: ‹بَعدَ أنْ عَمِلَتْ كُلَّ هَذِهِ الأُمُورَ سَتَرجِعُ إلَيَّ.› وَلَكِنَّها لَمْ تَرجِعْ. وَأُختُها الخائِنَةُ يَهُوذا رَأتْ ذَلِكَ.

8 A nd 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.

وَرَأتْ أنَّهُ بِسَبَبِ الأعمالِ النَّجِسَةِ الَّتِي عَمِلَتْها إسْرائِيلُ المُرتَدَّةُ، أنا طَلَّقْتُها. وَلَكِنَّ أُختَها الخائِنَةَ يَهُوذا لَمْ تَخَفْ، فَذَهَبَتْ هِيَ أيضاً وَصارَتْ زانِيَةً.

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

بَلِ استَهانَتْ بِزِناها، حَتَّى نَجَّسَتِ الأرْضَ بِهِ. مارَسِتِ الزِّنَى مَعَ الصُّخُورِ وَالأشجارِ!

10 B ut 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.

وَبِالرَّغمِ مِنْ هَذا، لَمْ تَعُدْ إلَيَّ أُختُها الخائِنَةُ يَهُوذا بِكُلِّ قَلبِها، وَلَكِنْ بِالكَذِبِ فَقَطْ،» يَقُولُ اللهُ.

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

ثُمَّ قالَ لِيَ اللهُ: «إسْرائِيلُ المُرتَدَّةُ أكثَرُ بِرّاً مِنَ الخائِنَةِ يَهُوذا.

12 G o 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.

اذْهَبْ يا إرْمِيا وَنادِ بِهَذِهِ الكَلِماتِ نَحوَ الشَّمالِ وَقُلْ: «‹ارجِعِي أيَّتُها المُرتَدَّةُ إسْرائِيلُ.› يَقُولُ اللهُ: ‹لَنْ أنظُرَ إلَيكِ بِعُبُوسٍ، لأنِّي رَحِيمٌ،› يَقُولُ اللهُ: ‹لَنْ أغضَبَ إلَى الأبَدِ.

13 O nly 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.

اعتَرِفِي بِإثمِكِ، اعتَرِفِي بِأنَّكِ تَمَرَّدْتِ عَلَى إلَهِكِ. تَتَنَقَّلِينَ مِنْ إلَهٍ غَرِيبٍ إلَى إلَهٍ غَرِيبٍ آخَرَ تَحتَ كُلِّ شَجَرَةٍ مُورِقَةٍ، وَلَمْ تُطِيعِينِي،›» يَقُولُ اللهُ.

14 R eturn, 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.

يَقُولُ اللهُ: «ارجِعُوا إلَيَّ أيُّها الأولادُ المُتَمَرِّدُونَ، لأنِّي أنا رَبُّكُمْ. سَآخُذُكُمْ واحِداً مِنَ المَدِينَةِ، وَاثْنَينِ مِنَ العَشِيرَةِ، وَآتِي بِكُمْ إلَى صِهْيَوْنَ.

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

سَأُعطِيكُمْ رُعاةً بِحَسَبِ قَلبِي، وَسَيَرعَونَكُمْ بِمَعرِفَةٍ وَمَهارَةٍ.

16 A nd 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.

سَتَتَكاثَرُونَ، وَسَتَسكُنُونَ الأرْضَ فِي تِلكَ الأيّامِ،» يَقُولُ اللهُ. «لَنْ يَحتاجَ النّاسُ إلَى الكَلامِ عَنْ صُنْدُوقِ عَهدِ اللهِ فِيما بَعْدُ. لَنْ يُفَكِّرُوا بِهِ، وَلَنْ يَصنَعُوا مِثلَهُ ثانِيَةً.

17 A t 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.

فِي ذَلِكَ الوَقتِ، سَيَدعُو النّاسُ مَدينَةَ القُدْسِ عَرشَ اللهِ. سَتَجتَمِعُ كُلُّ الأُمَمِ مَعاً فِي القُدْسِ لأجلِ اسْمِ اللهِ. وَلَنْ يَعُودُوا يَتبَعُونَ أفكارَهُمُ الشِّرِّيرَةَ بِعِنادٍ.

18 I n 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.

فِي تِلكَ الأيّامِ، سَيَأتِي بَيتُ يَهُوذا وَبَيتُ إسْرائِيلَ – سَيَأتُونَ مَعاً مِنْ أرْضِ الشَّمالِ إلَى الأرْضِ الَّتِي أعطَيتُها لآبائِكُمْ.»

19 A nd 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.

«سَأُعامِلَكُمْ كَبَنِينَ. وَسَأُعطِيكُمْ أرْضاً شَهِيَّةً، وَمِيراثاً عَظِيماً بَينَ الأُمَمِ. وَقُلْتُ إنَّكِ سَتُنادِينِي ‹يا أبِي،› وَلَنْ تَترُكِينِي.

20 S urely, 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.

وَلَكِنْ كَما تَخُونُ امْرأةٌ شَرِيكَ حَياتِها، هَكَذا خُنتُمُونِي يا بَيتَ إسْرائِيلَ.» يَقُولُ اللهُ.

21 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.

«صَوتٌ يُسمَعُ عَلَى الهِضابِ الجَرداءِ، صَوتُ بُكاءِ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ وَصَلَواتِهِمْ. لأنَّهُمْ جَعَلُوا طَرِيقَهُمْ مُنحَرِفاً، وَنَسَوا إلَهَهُمْ.»

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

قالَ اللهُ: «ارجِعُوا إلَيَّ أيُّها الأولادُ المُرتَدُّونَ، وَأنا سَأشفِي ارتِدادَكُمْ.» قُولُوا فَقَطْ: «سَنَأتِي إلَيكَ، لأنَّكَ أنتَ إلَهُنا.

23 T ruly 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.

حَقّاً، إنَّ التِّلالَ لا تُقَدِّمُ مَعُونَةً، وَالضَّجَّةَ عَلَى الجِبالِ بِلا مَنفَعَةٍ. حَقّاً، إنَّ خَلاصَ إسْرائِيلَ هُوَ فِي إلَهِنا.

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

مُنذُ أيّامِ صِبانا، تَلتَهِمُ الآلِهَةُ المُخزِيَةُ كُلَّ تَعَبِ آبائِنا، غَنَمَهُمْ وَماشِيَتَهُمْ وَبَنِيهِمْ وَبَناتِهِمْ.

25 L et 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.

فَلِنَنَمْ فِي خِزْيِنا، وَلْيُغَطِّنا ذُلُّنا. لأنَّنا أخطَأنا إلَى إلَهِنا ، نَحنُ وَآباؤُنا، مُنذُ نُشُوءِ هَذا الشَّعبِ إلَى اليَومِ. بَلْ لَمْ نُطِعْ إلَهَنا.»