| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me? declares the LORD. | 1If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Wouldn't such a land become totally defiled? But you! You have played the prostitute with many partners-- can you return to Me? This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 2Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been ravished? By the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers like an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your vile whoredom. | 2Look to the barren heights and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. |
| 3Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore; you refuse to be ashamed. | 3This is why the showers haven't come-- why there has been no spring rain. You have the brazen look of a prostitute and refuse to be ashamed. |
| 4Have you not just now called to me, ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth— | 4Have you not lately called to Me, "My Father. You were my friend in my youth. |
| 5will he be angry forever, will he be indignant to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken, but you have done all the evil that you could.” | 5Will He bear a grudge forever? Will He be endlessly infuriated?" This is what you have said, but you have done the evil things you are capable of. |
| 6The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: “Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? | 6In the days of King Josiah the LORD asked me, "Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there. |
| 7And I thought, ‘After she has done all this she will return to me,’ but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. | 7I thought: After she has done all these things, she will return to Me. But she didn't return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. |
| 8She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. | 8I observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce. Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself. |
| 9Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. | 9Indifferent to her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. |
| 10Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” | 10Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn't return to Me with all her heart--only in pretense." This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 11And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. | 11The LORD announced to me, "Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. |
| 12Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, “‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever. | 12Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say: Return, unfaithful Israel. This is the LORD's declaration. I will not look on you with anger, for I am unfailing in My love. This is the LORD's declaration. I will not be angry forever. |
| 13Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD. | 13Only acknowledge your guilt-- you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice. This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 14Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. | 14"Return, you faithless children"--this is the LORD's declaration--"for I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. |
| 15“‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. | 15I will give you shepherds who are loyal to Me, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill. |
| 16And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. | 16When you multiply and increase in the land, in those days"--the LORD's declaration--"no one will say any longer, 'The ark of the LORD's covenant.' It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. It will never again be made. |
| 17At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. | 17At that time Jerusalem will be called, Yahweh's Throne, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh in Jerusalem. They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. |
| 18In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage. | 18In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit." |
| 19“‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me. | 19I thought: How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations. I thought: You will call Me, my Father, and never turn away from Me. |
| 20Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD.’” | 20However, as a woman may betray her lover, so you have betrayed Me, house of Israel. This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 21A voice on the bare heights is heard, the weeping and pleading of Israel’s sons because they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the LORD their God. | 21A sound is heard on the barren heights, the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, for they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the LORD their God. |
| 22“Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness.” “Behold, we come to you, for you are the LORD our God. | 22Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness. "Here we are, coming to You, for You are the LORD our God. |
| 23Truly the hills are a delusion, the orgies on the mountains. Truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. | 23Surely, falsehood comes from the hills, commotion from the mountains, but the salvation of Israel is only in the LORD our God. |
| 24“But from our youth the shameful thing has devoured all for which our fathers labored, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. | 24From the time of our youth the shameful one has consumed what our fathers have worked for-- their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. |
| 25Let us lie down in our shame, and let our dishonor cover us. For we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, and we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.” | 25Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers, from the time of our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God." |
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