The Wages of the Harlot

1Commonly when a man putteth away his wyfe, and she goeth from hym & maryeth with another, then the question is: shoulde he resort vnto her any more after that? (Is not that lande then defiled and vncleane?) But as for thee thou hast played the harlot with many louers, yet turne agayne to me, saith the Lorde.

2Lift vp thine eyes to the hygh places, and loke where thou hast not ben defiled: Thou hast wayted for them in the streetes, and as a murtherer in the wildernesse, through thy whoredome and shamefull blasphemies is the lande defiled.

3This is the cause that the rayne and euenyng deawe hath ceassed: Thou hast gotten thee an whores forehead, and wylt not be ashamed.

4Wylt thou not herafter say vnto me, O my father, thou art he that hast brought me vp, and led me from my youth?

5Wyll God continue his wrath for euer? wyll he kepe our faultes in memorie to the ende? Neuerthelesse, thou speakest such wordes, but thou art euer doyng worse and worse to the vtmost of thy power.

Judah Follows Israel’s Example

6The Lorde sayde also vnto me in the tyme of Iosiah the kyng, Hast thou seene what that rebellion Israel hath done? howe she hath runne vp vpon all the hylles, and among all thicke trees, and there played the harlot? 7Hast thou seene also when she had done all this, howe I sayde vnto her, that she shoulde turne agayne vnto me, and yet she is not returned? Iuda that vnfaithfull sister of hers also sawe this: 8Namely, that after I had well seene the adulterie of the shrinckyng harlot Israel, I put her away, and gaue her a byll of deuorcement: For all this, her vnfaithfull sister Iuda was not ashamed, but went backe and played the whore. 9Yea and the wantonnesse of her whoredome hath defyled the whole lande: For she hath comitted fornication with stones and stockes. 10Neuerthelsse, her vnfaithfull sister Iuda is not turned vnto me agayne with her whole heart, but faignedlye saith the Lorde.

A Call to Repentance
(Hosea 14:1–3; Zechariah 1:1–6)

11And the Lorde sayde vnto me, The backslyder Israel, is more righteous then the vnfaithfull Iuda.

12And therfore go preach these wordes towarde the north, and say, Thou disobedient Israel, turne agayne saith the Lorde, and I wyll not bring my wrath vpon you: for I am mercifull saith the Lorde, and I wyll not alway beare displeasure agaynst thee:

13But on this condition, that thou know thy great blasphemie, namely that thou hast vnfaithfully forsaken the Lord thy God, and hast made thy selfe partaker of straunge gods vnder all greene trees, and hast had no wyll to heare my voyce, saith the Lorde.

14O ye disobedient childre, turne againe saith the Lorde, and I wyll be maryed with you: for I wyll take one out of the citie, and two out of one generation from among you, and bryng you into Sion,

15And wyll geue you heardmen after myne owne mynde, which shall feede you with learnyng and wisdome. 16Moreouer, when ye be encreased and multiplied in the lande, then saith the Lorde, there shall no more boast be made of the arke of the Lordes testament: No man shall thinke vpon it, neither shall any man make mention of it: for from thencefoorth it shall neither be visited, neither shall such thyng be done any more. 17Then shall Hierusalem be called the Lordes seate, and all heathen shalbe gathered vnto it for the name of the Lordes sake which shalbe set vp at Hierusalem: And from that tyme foorth they shall folowe no more the imagination of their owne frowarde heart. 18Then those that be of the house of Iuda, shal go vnto the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the north, into the same lande that I haue geuen your fathers.

19I haue thought thus: howe shall I take thee to be my children, and geue a pleasaunt lande for thine heritage, yea and a goodly hoast of the heathen? And I sayd, Call me father, and shrincke not from me.

20Truely, lyke as a woman fayleth her husbande, so are ye vnfaithfull vnto me O ye house of Israel, saith the Lorde.

21The voyce of the children of Israel was hearde on hye, weepyng and waylyng: for that they haue defiled their way, and forgotten God their Lorde.

22O ye disobedient children, turne againe, & so shall I heale your backturnynges. Lo we come vnto thee, for thou art the Lorde our God.

23Truely, in vayne is health hoped for from the hylles, be they neuer so many: but the health of Israel standeth only vpon God our Lorde.

24Confusion hath deuoured our fathers labour from our youth vp, yea their sheepe and bullockes, their sonnes and daughters. 25So do we also sleepe in our confusion, and shame couereth vs: for we & our fathers from our youth vp vnto this day haue sinned agaynst the Lord our God, and haue not obeyed the voyce of the Lorde our God.