Jeremiah 3

1 “If a man divorces [puts away, separates from] his wife and she leaves [goes away, departs from] him to marry [become the wife of] another, can he ever return [come back, turn back] to her? Would not such a land [country, territory] be completely defiled [polluted, corrupted, made unclean]? But you have played the harlot [acted like a prostitute, been unfaithful] with many lovers [idolatrous relationships, false gods]— and you would return [turn back, come back] to Me?” declares the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 2 “Lift up your eyes [to the high places, to the open hilltops] to the barren heights [bare, smooth, or treeless] and see [look, behold, and consider]. Is there any place where [in what manner] you have not been [violated, ravished, or lain with] [by your lovers, in a violent act] violated? You sat [dwelt, remained] beside the highways [roads, paths, or ways] waiting for your lovers [idols, or those you have worshiped], like a nomad [an Arabian, a desert wanderer] in the desert [wilderness, or open field]. You have defiled [polluted, soiled, or corrupted] the land [earth, country, or territory] with your prostitution [fornication, unfaithfulness, or whoredoms] and wickedness [evil, bad, or moral harm]. word study 3 Therefore the showers [heavy rains, spring floods] have been withheld [kept back, restrained], and no spring rains [latter rain, seasonal downpours] have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look [forehead of a whore, shameless face] of a prostitute [harlot, unfaithful woman]; you refuse [reject, say no] to be ashamed [humiliated, insulted]. word study 4 Have you not [just now, at this time] just called to Me, ‘My Father [the guide, leader, and protector of my life], You are my friend [close companion, ally] from youth [the time of being young, formative years]. word study 5 Will He be angry [retain His anger, reserve His wrath] forever [to the end, for all eternity]? Will He be indignant [keep His anger, watch for ever] to the end [perpetuity, everlastingness]?’ This you have spoken [said, communicated], but you keep doing [making, committing] all the evil [bad, harmful] you can [are able, have power to].” word study 6 Now in the days [period of time, era] of King [ruler, monarch] Josiah, the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to me, “Have you seen [looked upon, observed] what faithless [backsliding, rebellious] Israel [God’s chosen people] has done [committed, acted]? She has gone up [ascended, risen] on every high [elevated, lofty] hill [mountain, elevated area] and under [beneath, below] every green [luxuriant, fresh] tree [a tree; wood, timber, a plank] to prostitute [commit adultery, be unfaithful] herself [spiritually, morally] there [in that place, at that time]. word study 7 I thought [hoped, expected] that after she had done [committed, carried out] all these things [actions, deeds], she would return [turn back, come back] to Me [toward God, to her Creator]. But she did not return [come back, turn back], and her unfaithful [treacherous, deceitful] sister Judah [the tribe of Judah, God’s chosen people] saw [perceived, observed] it. word study 8 She saw that because faithless [unbelieving, untrustworthy] Israel had committed adultery [been unfaithful, played the harlot], I gave her a certificate of divorce [a bill of divorcement, a written notice of separation] and sent her away [put her away, divorced her]. Yet that unfaithful [treacherous, deceitful] sister Judah had no fear [did not revere, was not afraid] and prostituted herself [played the harlot, committed fornication] as well [also, too]. word study 9 Indifferent to her own infidelity [unfaithfulness, spiritual adultery], Israel had defiled [polluted, morally corrupted] the land [the earth, territory] and committed adultery [fornication, idolatrous worship] with stones [idols, objects of worship] and trees [wooden images, false deities]. word study 10 Yet in spite of all [everything, every circumstance] this, her unfaithful [treacherous, deceitful] sister Judah did not return [turn back, come back] to Me with all [her whole, entire] her heart [inner being, will, and intellect], but only in pretense [deception, falsehood],” declares [says, utters] the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God]. word study 11 And the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] said to me, “Faithless [backsliding, rebellious] Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] has shown herself more righteous [justified herself, made herself right] than unfaithful [treacherous, acting deceitfully] Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob]. word study 12 Go, proclaim this message [toward the northern regions, to the direction of Israel’s exile] toward the north: ‘Return, O [backsliding, unfaithful, rebellious] faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]. ‘I will no longer look on you with anger [or cause my wrath to fall upon you], for I am [pious, kind, and full of] merciful [loving-kindness],’ declares the LORD. ‘I will not be angry [or keep my anger] forever [or for all eternity]. word study 13 Only acknowledge [be conscious of, admit] your guilt [iniquity, moral evil], that you have rebelled [transgressed, broken away] against the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the national name for God]. You have scattered [dispersed, thrown away] your favors [ways, manner of life] to foreign gods [strangers, idols] under every green [luxuriant, fresh] tree and have not obeyed [listened to, heeded] My voice [sound, utterance],’” declares [says, speaks] the LORD. word study 14 “Return [come back, turn away from sin], O faithless [backsliding, disobedient] children,” declares the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God], “for I am your master [husband, ruler], and I will take you—one from a city [town, urban area] and two from a family—and bring you to Zion [the city of God, the holy mountain]. word study 15 Then I will give [bestow, appoint] you shepherds [pastors, leaders] after My own heart [according to My will, having My nature], who will feed [nourish, guide] you with knowledge [deep understanding, discernment] and understanding [prudence, wisdom].” word study 16 “In those days [when you are multiplied and increased], when you multiply [become very numerous] and increase [are fruitful] in the land,” declares the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], “they will no longer discuss [say no more, not need to talk about] the ark [a box or chest] of the covenant [a promise or agreement] of the LORD. It will never come to mind [not come into their minds, not be thought about], and no one will remember [recall, mark] it or miss [not need, not be conscious of the loss of] it, nor will another one be made [constructed, created]. word study 17 At that time [in the future, when God’s plan is fulfilled] Jerusalem will be called [named, known as] The Throne [seat of authority, royal chair] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God], and all [every, the whole] the nations [Gentiles, non-Jewish peoples] will be gathered [assembled, collected] in Jerusalem to honor [worship, give reverence to] the name [reputation, character] of the LORD [the one true God]. They will no longer [not anymore, cease to] follow [walk after, obey] the stubbornness [hard-heartedness, unyielding attitude] of their evil [wicked, sinful] hearts [inner beings, minds]. word study 18 In those days [a future time of restoration] the house [family, tribe] of Judah will walk [live, journey] with the house [family, tribe] of Israel, and they will come together [unite, gather] from the land [region, territory] of the north [Zaphon, a direction] to the land [inheritance, promised territory] that I gave [granted, bestowed] to your fathers [ancestors, forefathers] as an inheritance [possession, heritage]. word study 19 Then I said, ‘How I long [deeply desire, yearn] to make you My sons [children, descendants] and give you a desirable [pleasant, lovely] land, the most beautiful [glorious, lovely] inheritance [heritage, possession] of all the nations [Gentiles, heathen]!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ [Abba, heavenly Father] and never turn away [reject, abandon] from following [obeying, imitating] Me. word study 20 But as a woman [a wife, unfaithful spouse] may betray [act treacherously, deceive] her husband, so you have betrayed [dealt treacherously with] Me, O house [family, nation] of Israel [God’s chosen people],” declares [says, utters] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 21 A voice [sound, cry] is heard on the barren [bare, smooth] heights, the children [sons, descendants] of Israel weeping [crying, lamenting] and begging [pleading, supplicating] for mercy, because they have perverted [twisted, corrupted] their ways [path, manner of life] and forgotten [overlooked, neglected] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] their God [Elohim, Creator]. word study 22 “Return [to faithfulness, turn back], O faithless [backsliding, rebellious] children, and I will heal [mend, cure] your faithlessness [backslidings, apostasy].” “Here we are [behold, look!]. We come to You [approach, draw near], for You are the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] our God [Elohim, the one true Deity]. word study 23 Surely [truly, in very deed] deception [false hope, lies] comes from the hills [small hills], and commotion [tumult, noise] from the mountains [high places]. Surely [truly, in very deed] the salvation [deliverance, rescue] of Israel [God’s chosen people] is in the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] our God [Elohim, the one supreme God]. word study 24 From our [earliest days] youth, that shameful [idolatrous, detestable] god has consumed [devoured, destroyed] what our fathers [ancestors, forefathers] have worked for [labored, toiled]— their flocks [sheep, herds] and herds [cattle, livestock], their sons [male children, descendants] and daughters [female children, offspring]. word study 25 Let us lie down [in humiliation, stretched on the earth] in our shame [guilt, embarrassment]; let our disgrace [confusion, reproach] cover us. We have sinned [missed the mark, gone wrong] against the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] our God [Elohim, the supreme God], both we and our fathers [ancestors, forefathers]; from our youth [the state of being young] even to this day [the present time] we have not obeyed [hearkened, listened to] the voice [sound, utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah] our God.” word study