Jeremiah 3 Parallel Bible Translations

Jeremiah 3 ▼
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1 A saying: If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him and marries another man, her first husband shouldn't go back to her again. The land would become thoroughly polluted. |You have acted like a prostitute who has many lovers. And now you want to come back to me!| declares the LORD. “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. “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 at the bare hills, and see. You have had sex with men in every place. You sat by the roadside waiting for them like a nomad in the desert. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and wickedness. Lift 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. “Look up to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been ravished? By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers, sat like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.
3 So the rain has been withheld, and there have been no spring showers. Yet, you have the shameless look of a prostitute, and you refuse to blush. Therefore 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. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame.
4 But now you are calling to me. You say, 'Father! You have been my companion ever since I was young. Have you not just now called to me, ‘My father, you are the friend of my youth— Have you not just called to me: ‘My Father, my friend from my youth,
5 He won't hold a grudge forever. He won't always be angry.' You have said and done all the evil things that you could.| will 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.” will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?’ This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.”
6 When Josiah was king, the LORD asked me, |Did you see what unfaithful Israel did? She went up every high mountain and under every large tree, and she acted like a prostitute there. The 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? During the reign of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there.
7 I thought that after she had done all this that she would come back to me. But she didn't come back, and her treacherous sister Judah saw her. And 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. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.
8 Judah saw that I sent unfaithful Israel away because of her adultery and that I gave Israel her divorce papers. But treacherous Judah, her sister, wasn't afraid. She also acted like a prostitute. She 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. I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.
9 Because she wasn't concerned about acting like a prostitute, she polluted the land and committed adultery with standing stones and wood pillars. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.
10 Even after all this, Israel's treacherous sister Judah didn't wholeheartedly come back to me. She was deceitful,| declares the LORD. Yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me with her whole heart, but in pretense, declares the LORD.” In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
11 Then the LORD said to me, |Unfaithful Israel was less guilty than treacherous Judah. And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. The LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah.
12 Go and proclaim these things to the north: | 'Come back, unfaithful Israel. It is the LORD speaking. I will no longer frown on you because I'm merciful,' declares the LORD. 'I will no longer be angry with you. Go, 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. Go, proclaim this message toward the north: “’Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will not be angry forever.
13 Admit that you've done wrong! You have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have given yourself to strangers under every large tree. You have not obeyed me,' declares the LORD. Only 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. Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the LORD your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,’” declares the LORD.
14 |Come back, you rebellious people,| declares the LORD. |I'm your husband. I will take you, one from every city and two from every family, and bring you to Zion. Return, 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. “Return, faithless people,” declares the LORD, “for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion.
15 I will give you shepherds after my own heart. They will be shepherds who feed you with knowledge and insight. “‘And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.
16 In those days you will be fertile, and your population will increase in the land,| declares the LORD. |People will no longer talk about the ark of the LORD's promise. It will no longer come to mind. They won't remember it, miss it, or make another one. And 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. In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the LORD, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.
17 At that time they will call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD. All nations will gather in Jerusalem because the name of the LORD will be found there. They will no longer follow their own stubborn, evil ways. At 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. At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.
18 In those days the nation of Judah will live with the nation of Israel. They will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave their ancestors as their own property. In 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. In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
19 |I wanted to treat you like children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful property among the nations. I thought that you would call me Father and wouldn't turn away from me. “‘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. “I myself said, “’How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a wife who betrays her husband, so you, nation of Israel, betrayed me,| declares the LORD. Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD.’” But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,” declares the LORD.
21 The sound of crying is heard on the hills. It is the crying and the pleading of the people of Israel. They have become crooked and have forgotten the LORD their God. A 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. A cry is heard on the barren heights, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel, because they have perverted their ways and have forgotten the LORD their God.
22 |Come back, you rebellious people, and I will forgive you for being unfaithful.| Here we are! We have come to you because you are the LORD our God. “Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness.” “Behold, we come to you, for you are the LORD our God. “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.” “Yes, we will come to you, for you are the LORD our God.
23 Truly, the noise from the hills, from the mountains, is the noise of false worship. Truly, the LORD our God will rescue us. Truly the hills are a delusion, the orgies on the mountains. Truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception; surely in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
24 Ever since we were young, the shameful worship [of Baal] has taken everything our ancestors worked for, their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters. “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. From our youth shameful gods have consumed the fruits of our ancestors’ labor— their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
25 We must lie down in our shame and be covered by our disgrace. Ever since we were young, we and our ancestors have sinned against the LORD our God. We haven't obeyed the LORD our God. Let 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.” Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our ancestors; from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the LORD our God.”
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