6 During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what fickle Israel has done? Like a wife who commits adultery, Israel has worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. 7 I thought, ‘After she has done all this, she will return to me.’ But she did not return, and her faithless sister Judah saw this. 8 She saw that I divorced faithless Israel because of her adultery. But that treacherous sister Judah had no fear, and now she, too, has left me and given herself to prostitution. 9 Israel treated it all so lightly - she thought nothing of committing adultery by worshiping idols made of wood and stone. So now the land has been polluted. 10 But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord , have spoken!”
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Even faithless Israel is less guilty than treacherous Judah!
12
Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. 1 This is what the Lord says: “O Israel, my faithless people,
come home to me again,
for I am merciful.
I will not be angry with you forever.
13
Only acknowledge your guilt.
Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God
and committed adultery against him
by worshiping idols under every green tree.
Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.
I, the Lord , have spoken!
14
“Return home, you wayward children,”
says the Lord ,
“for I am your master.
I will bring you back to the land of Israel 2 -
one from this town and two from that family -
from wherever you are scattered.
15
And I will give you shepherds after my own heart,
who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.
16
“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the Lord , “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the Lord ’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark.
17
In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord .’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord . They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires.
18
In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave their ancestors as an inheritance forever.
19
“I thought to myself,
‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’
I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land -
the finest possession in the world.
I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’
and I wanted you never to turn from me.
20
But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel!
You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband.
I, the Lord , have spoken.”
21
Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains,
the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people.
For they have chosen crooked paths
and have forgotten the Lord their God.
22
“My wayward children,” says the Lord ,
“come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”
“Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply,
“for you are the Lord our God.
23
Our worship of idols on the hills
and our religious orgies on the mountains
are a delusion.
Only in the Lord our God
will Israel ever find salvation.
24
From childhood we have watched
as everything our ancestors worked for -
their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters -
was squandered on a delusion.
25
Let us now lie down in shame
and cover ourselves with dishonor,
for we and our ancestors have sinned
against the Lord our God.
From our childhood to this day
we have never obeyed him.”
1
“O Israel,” says the Lord ,
“if you wanted to return to me, you could.
You could throw away your detestable idols
and stray away no more.
2
Then when you swear by my name, saying,
‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
you could do so
with truth, justice, and righteousness.
Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world,
and all people would come and praise my name.”
3
This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Plow up the hard ground of your hearts!
Do not waste your good seed among thorns.
4
O people of Judah and Jerusalem,
surrender your pride and power.
Change your hearts before the Lord , 3
or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire
because of all your sins.