Jeremiah 3 - New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Chapter 3

1 If a man divorces his wife(A)
and she leaves him
and then becomes the wife of another,
Can she return to the first?[a]
Would not this land be wholly defiled?
But you have played the prostitute with many lovers,
and yet you would return to me!—oracle of the Lord.
2 Raise your eyes to the heights, and look,
where have men not lain with you?
Along the roadways you waited for them
like an Arabian[b] in the wilderness.
You defiled the land
by your wicked prostitution.(B)
3 Therefore the showers were withheld,
the spring rain did not fall.
But because you have a prostitute’s brow,
you refused to be ashamed.(C)
4 Even now do you not call me, “My father,
you are the bridegroom of my youth?
5 Will he keep his wrath forever,
will he hold his grudge to the end?”
This is what you say; yet you do
all the evil you can.

Judah and Israel. 6 The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: Do you see what rebellious Israel has done? She has gone up every high mountain, and under every green tree she has played the prostitute.(D) 7 And I thought: After she has done all this, she will return to me. But she did not return. Then, even though that traitor her sister Judah, saw 8 that, in response to all the adulteries rebel Israel had committed, I sent her away and gave her a bill of divorce, nevertheless Judah, the traitor, her sister, was not frightened; she too went off and played the prostitute.(E) 9 With her casual prostitution, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and wood.(F) 10 In spite of all this, Judah, the traitor, her sister, did not return to me wholeheartedly, but insincerely—oracle of the Lord.

Restoration of Israel. 11 Then the Lord said to me: Rebel Israel is more just than traitor Judah.(G) 12 Go, proclaim these words toward the north, and say:

Return, rebel Israel—oracle of the Lord
I will not remain angry with you;
For I am merciful, oracle of the Lord,
I will not keep my anger forever.(H)
13 Only admit your guilt:
how you have rebelled against the Lord, your God,
How you ran here and there to strangers
under every green tree
and would not listen to my voice—oracle of the Lord.(I)
14 Return, rebellious children—oracle of the Lord[c]
for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan,
and bring you to Zion.(J)
15 I will appoint for you shepherds after my own heart,
who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.(K)
16 When you increase in number and are fruitful in the land—
oracle of the Lord
They will in those days no longer say,
“The ark of the covenant of the Lord!”
They will no longer think of it, or remember it,
or miss it, or make another one.

17 At that time they will call Jerusalem “the Lord’s throne.” All nations will gather together there to honor the name of the Lord at Jerusalem, and they will no longer stubbornly follow their wicked heart.(L) 18 In those days the house of Judah will walk alongside the house of Israel; together they will come from the land of the north to the land which I gave your ancestors as a heritage.(M)

Conditions for Forgiveness

19 I thought:
How I would like to make you my children!
So I gave you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful heritage among the nations!
You would call me, “My Father,” I thought,
and you would never turn away from me.(N)
20 But like a woman faithless to her lover,
thus have you been faithless to me,
house of Israel—oracle of the Lord.(O)
21 A cry is heard on the heights!
the plaintive weeping of Israel’s children,
Because they have perverted their way,
they have forgotten the Lord, their God.
22 Return, rebellious children!
I will heal your rebellions.
“Here we are! We belong to you,
for you are the Lord, our God.(P)
23 Deceptive indeed are the hills,
the mountains, clamorous;
Only in the Lord our God
is Israel’s salvation.(Q)
24 The shameful thing[d] has devoured
our ancestors’ worth from our youth,
Their sheep and cattle,
their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,
let our disgrace cover us,
for we have sinned against the Lord, our God,
We and our ancestors, from our youth to this day;
we did not listen to the voice of the Lord, our God.”(R)

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 Can she return to the first?: i.e., her first husband. Here the Hebrew is emended in light of the Septuagint and Dt 24:1–4, which forbids a man to take back a woman once he has divorced her. The prophet uses this analogy to illustrate the presumption of Judah, the unfaithful wife, who assumes she can easily return to the Lord after worshiping other gods.
  2. 3:2 An Arabian: here depicted as a marauder lying in wait for caravans.
  3. 3:14–18 A remnant of Israel (v. 14) will reunite with Judah (v. 18). The former Israelite community, represented by the ark of the covenant, will be replaced by a universal alliance, symbolized by Jerusalem, the Lord’s throne, to which all nations will be gathered (v. 17).
  4. 3:24 The shameful thing: Heb. bosheth (“shame”), a term often substituted for the name of Baal, a Canaanite god worshiped at local shrines.

Cross references

  1. 3:1 : Dt 24:1–4.
  2. 3:2 : Ex 16:24–25.
  3. 3:3 : Jer 6:15; 8:12.
  4. 3:6 : Jer 2:20; Dt 12:2.
  5. 3:8 : 2 Kgs 17:6, 18–23; Ez 23:11.
  6. 3:9 : Jer 2:27.
  7. 3:11 : Ez 16:51; 23:11.
  8. 3:12 : Dt 4:29–31.
  9. 3:13 : Jer 2:20, 25; Lv 26:40.
  10. 3:14 : Jer 23:3; Is 10:21–22.
  11. 3:15 : Ez 34:23; Jn 21:15.
  12. 3:17 : Is 2:2.
  13. 3:18 : Jer 30:3; 31:8.
  14. 3:19 : Jer 31:9, 20; Is 63:16.
  15. 3:20 : Jer 5:11.
  16. 3:22 : Hos 3:5.
  17. 3:23 : Jer 14:8.
  18. 3:25 : Jer 16:11–12; 22:21.

You Might Also Like:

Jeremiah 3 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

3 Saying, `Lo, one sendeth away his wife, And she hath gone from him, And she hath been to another man, Doth he turn back unto her again? Greatly defiled is not that land? And thou hast committed whoredom with many lovers, And turn again to Me, an affirmation of Jehovah. 2 Lift thine eyes to the hig...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

3 It is said commonly, If a man forsaketh his wife, and she go away from him, and be wedded to another husband, whether he shall turn again [any] more to her? whether that woman shall not be defouled, and made unclean? (shall he return to her again? shall that woman not be defiled, and made unclean?...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - World English Bible (WEB)

3 “They say, ‘If a man puts away his wife, and she goes from him, and becomes another man’s, should he return to her again?’ Wouldn’t that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the prostitute with many lovers; yet return again to me,” says Yahweh. 2 “Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, an...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - The Voice (VOICE)

3 Eternal One: If a husband divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he ever go back to her again? Such behavior would violate what is right, and the land itself would be tainted with sin. Now you, Judah, have acted like a whore and taken on many lovers. Why are you tryin...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Unfaithful Judah and Unfaithful Israel3 “If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to be with another man, will he return to her again? Would not such a land be totally polluted? You are a prostitute with many lovers. Now are you returning to Me?”It is a declaration of Adonai. 2 “Lift your eyes ...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Unfaithful Israel3 “If[a] a man divorces his wifeand she goes from himand becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her?Would not that land be greatly polluted?You have played the harlot with many lovers; and would you return to me? says the Lord.2 Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Unfaithful Israel3 “If[a] a man divorces his wifeand she goes from himand becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her?Would not that land be greatly polluted?You have played the harlot with many lovers; and would you return to me? says the Lord.2 Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see!...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Unfaithful Israel3 If[a] a man divorces his wife and she goes from himand becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her?Would not such a land be greatly polluted?You have played the whore with many lovers; and would you return to me?says the Lord.2 Look up to the bare heights,[b] and see! Where ...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Unfaithful Israel3 If[a] a man divorces his wife and she goes from himand becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her?Would not such a land be greatly polluted?You have prostituted yourself with many lovers, and would you return to me? says the Lord.(A)2 Look up to the bare heights[b] and see!...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New Living Translation (NLT)

3 “If a man divorces a woman and she goes and marries someone else,he will not take her back again, for that would surely corrupt the land.But you have prostituted yourself with many lovers, so why are you trying to come back to me?” says the Lord.2 “Look at the shrines on every hilltop. Is there an...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New Life Version (NLV)

Israel Is Not Faithful3 God says, “If a husband divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, should he return to her again? Would not the land be made unclean? But you are like a sinful woman with many lovers, yet would you return to Me?” says the Lord. 2 “Lift up your eyes to the ...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Israel Is Shameless3 “They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife,And she goes from himAnd becomes another man’s,(A)May he return to her again?’Would not that (B)land be greatly polluted?But you have (C)played the harlot with many lovers;(D)Yet return to Me,” says the Lord. 2 “Lift up your eyes to (E)the ...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

3 ‘If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man,should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled?But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers – would you now return to me?’declares the Lord.2 ‘Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any ...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New International Version (NIV)

3 “If a man divorces(A) his wife and she leaves him and marries another man,should he return to her again? Would not the land be completely defiled?(B)But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers(C)— would you now return to me?”(D)declares the Lord.2 “Look up to the barren heights(E) and see....
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

3 “Suppose a man divorces his wife. What if she then marries another man?Should her first husband return to her again? If he does, won’t the land become completely ‘unclean’?People of Israel, you have lived like a prostitute. You have loved many other gods. So do you think you can return to me now?”...
Read More

Jeremiah 3 - New English Translation (NET)

3 “If a man divorces his wifeand she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife,he may not take her back again.[a]Doing that would utterly defile the land.[b]But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods.[c]So what makes you think you can return to me?”[d]says the Lord.2 “Look up ...
Read More