“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.
“Look up to the barren heights(E) and see.
    Is there any place where you have not been ravished?
By the roadside(F) you sat waiting for lovers,
    sat like a nomad in the desert.
You have defiled the land(G)
    with your prostitution(H) and wickedness.
Therefore the showers have been withheld,(I)
    and no spring rains(J) have fallen.
Yet you have the brazen(K) look of a prostitute;
    you refuse to blush with shame.(L)
Have you not just called to me:
    ‘My Father,(M) my friend from my youth,(N)
will you always be angry?(O)
    Will your wrath continue forever?’
This is how you talk,
    but you do all the evil you can.”

Unfaithful Israel

During the reign of King Josiah,(P) the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what faithless(Q) Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree(R) and has committed adultery(S) there. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister(T) Judah saw it.(U) I gave faithless Israel(V) her certificate of divorce(W) and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear;(X) she also went out and committed adultery. Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land(Y) and committed adultery(Z) with stone(AA) and wood.(AB) 10 In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return(AC) to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,(AD)” declares the Lord.(AE)

11 The Lord said to me, “Faithless Israel is more righteous(AF) than unfaithful(AG) Judah.(AH) 12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(AI)

“‘Return,(AJ) faithless(AK) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(AL) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry(AM) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(AN) your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(AO)
    under every spreading tree,(AP)
    and have not obeyed(AQ) me,’”
declares the Lord.

14 “Return,(AR) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(AS) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(AT) after my own heart,(AU) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(AV) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(AW) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(AX) of the Lord, and all nations(AY) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(AZ) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(BA) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(BB) and together(BC) they will come from a northern(BD) land to the land(BE) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

19 “I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,(BF)
    the most beautiful inheritance(BG) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(BH)
    and not turn away from following me.
20 But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,
    so you, Israel, have been unfaithful(BI) to me,”
declares the Lord.

21 A cry is heard on the barren heights,(BJ)
    the weeping(BK) and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
    and have forgotten(BL) the Lord their God.

22 “Return,(BM) faithless people;
    I will cure(BN) you of backsliding.”(BO)

“Yes, we will come to you,
    for you are the Lord our God.
23 Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills(BP)
    and mountains is a deception;
surely in the Lord our God
    is the salvation(BQ) of Israel.
24 From our youth shameful(BR) gods have consumed
    the fruits of our ancestors’ labor—
their flocks and herds,
    their sons and daughters.
25 Let us lie down in our shame,(BS)
    and let our disgrace cover us.
We have sinned(BT) against the Lord our God,
    both we and our ancestors;(BU)
from our youth(BV) till this day
    we have not obeyed(BW) the Lord our God.”

“If you, Israel, will return,(BX)
    then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(BY) out of my sight
    and no longer go astray,
and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
    you swear,(BZ) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(CA)
then the nations will invoke blessings(CB) by him
    and in him they will boast.(CC)

This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground(CD)
    and do not sow among thorns.(CE)
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
    circumcise your hearts,(CF)
    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(CG) will flare up and burn like fire(CH)
    because of the evil(CI) you have done—
    burn with no one to quench(CJ) it.

Disaster From the North

“Announce in Judah and proclaim(CK) in Jerusalem and say:
    ‘Sound the trumpet(CL) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
    ‘Gather together!
    Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(CM)
Raise the signal(CN) to go to Zion!
    Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(CO) from the north,(CP)
    even terrible destruction.”

A lion(CQ) has come out of his lair;(CR)
    a destroyer(CS) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
    to lay waste(CT) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(CU)
    without inhabitant.
So put on sackcloth,(CV)
    lament(CW) and wail,
for the fierce anger(CX) of the Lord
    has not turned away from us.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “the king and the officials will lose heart,(CY)
the priests will be horrified,
    and the prophets will be appalled.”(CZ)

10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(DA) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(DB) when the sword is at our throats!”

11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(DC) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(DD) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(DE) against them.”

13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(DF)
    his chariots(DG) come like a whirlwind,(DH)
his horses(DI) are swifter than eagles.(DJ)
    Woe to us! We are ruined!(DK)
14 Jerusalem, wash(DL) the evil from your heart and be saved.(DM)
    How long(DN) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(DO)
    proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(DP)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
    proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(DQ)
    raising a war cry(DR) against the cities of Judah.(DS)
17 They surround(DT) her like men guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled(DU) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(DV)
    have brought this on you.(DW)
This is your punishment.
    How bitter(DX) it is!
    How it pierces to the heart!”

19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(DY)
    I writhe in pain.(DZ)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
    My heart pounds(EA) within me,
    I cannot keep silent.(EB)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(EC)
    I have heard the battle cry.(ED)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(EE)
    the whole land lies in ruins.(EF)
In an instant my tents(EG) are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(EH)
    and hear the sound of the trumpet?(EI)

22 “My people are fools;(EJ)
    they do not know me.(EK)
They are senseless children;
    they have no understanding.(EL)
They are skilled in doing evil;(EM)
    they know not how to do good.”(EN)

23 I looked at the earth,
    and it was formless and empty;(EO)
and at the heavens,
    and their light(EP) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
    and they were quaking;(EQ)
    all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
    every bird in the sky had flown away.(ER)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(ES)
    all its towns lay in ruins(ET)
    before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(EU)

27 This is what the Lord says:

“The whole land will be ruined,(EV)
    though I will not destroy(EW) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(EX)
    and the heavens above grow dark,(EY)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(EZ)
    I have decided and will not turn back.(FA)

29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(FB)
    every town takes to flight.(FC)
Some go into the thickets;
    some climb up among the rocks.(FD)
All the towns are deserted;(FE)
    no one lives in them.

30 What are you doing,(FF) you devastated one?
    Why dress yourself in scarlet
    and put on jewels(FG) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(FH)
    You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(FI) despise you;
    they want to kill you.(FJ)

31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(FK)
    a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(FL) gasping for breath,(FM)
    stretching out her hands(FN) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
    my life is given over to murderers.”(FO)

Not One Is Upright

“Go up and down(FP) the streets of Jerusalem,
    look around and consider,(FQ)
    search through her squares.
If you can find but one person(FR)
    who deals honestly(FS) and seeks the truth,
    I will forgive(FT) this city.
Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(FU)
    still they are swearing falsely.(FV)

Lord, do not your eyes(FW) look for truth?
    You struck(FX) them, but they felt no pain;
    you crushed them, but they refused correction.(FY)
They made their faces harder than stone(FZ)
    and refused to repent.(GA)
I thought, “These are only the poor;
    they are foolish,(GB)
for they do not know(GC) the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.
So I will go to the leaders(GD)
    and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
    the requirements of their God.”
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
    and torn off the bonds.(GE)
Therefore a lion from the forest(GF) will attack them,
    a wolf from the desert will ravage(GG) them,
a leopard(GH) will lie in wait near their towns
    to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
    and their backslidings many.(GI)

“Why should I forgive you?
    Your children have forsaken me
    and sworn(GJ) by gods that are not gods.(GK)
I supplied all their needs,
    yet they committed adultery(GL)
    and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.(GM)
They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
    each neighing for another man’s wife.(GN)
Should I not punish them for this?”(GO)
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(GP) myself
    on such a nation as this?

10 “Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
    but do not destroy them completely.(GQ)
Strip off her branches,
    for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11 The people of Israel and the people of Judah
    have been utterly unfaithful(GR) to me,”
declares the Lord.

12 They have lied(GS) about the Lord;
    they said, “He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;(GT)
    we will never see sword or famine.(GU)
13 The prophets(GV) are but wind(GW)
    and the word is not in them;
    so let what they say be done to them.”

14 Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:

“Because the people have spoken these words,
    I will make my words in your mouth(GX) a fire(GY)
    and these people the wood it consumes.(GZ)
15 People of Israel,” declares the Lord,
    “I am bringing a distant nation(HA) against you—
an ancient and enduring nation,
    a people whose language(HB) you do not know,
    whose speech you do not understand.
16 Their quivers(HC) are like an open grave;
    all of them are mighty warriors.
17 They will devour(HD) your harvests and food,
    devour(HE) your sons and daughters;
they will devour(HF) your flocks and herds,
    devour your vines and fig trees.(HG)
With the sword(HH) they will destroy
    the fortified cities(HI) in which you trust.(HJ)

18 “Yet even in those days,” declares the Lord, “I will not destroy(HK) you completely. 19 And when the people ask,(HL) ‘Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?’ you will tell them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods(HM) in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners(HN) in a land not your own.’

20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
    and proclaim(HO) it in Judah:
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,(HP)
    who have eyes(HQ) but do not see,
    who have ears but do not hear:(HR)
22 Should you not fear(HS) me?” declares the Lord.
    “Should you not tremble(HT) in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,(HU)
    an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
    they may roar,(HV) but they cannot cross it.
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious(HW) hearts;
    they have turned aside(HX) and gone away.
24 They do not say to themselves,
    ‘Let us fear(HY) the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains(HZ) in season,
    who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’(IA)
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
    your sins have deprived you of good.(IB)

26 “Among my people are the wicked(IC)
    who lie in wait(ID) like men who snare birds
    and like those who set traps(IE) to catch people.
27 Like cages full of birds,
    their houses are full of deceit;(IF)
they have become rich(IG) and powerful
28     and have grown fat(IH) and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
    they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;(II)
    they do not defend the just cause of the poor.(IJ)
29 Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(IK) myself
    on such a nation as this?

30 “A horrible(IL) and shocking thing
    has happened in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy lies,(IM)
    the priests(IN) rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
    But what will you do in the end?(IO)

The Spirit(A) clearly says that in later times(B) some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits(C) and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.(D) They forbid people to marry(E) and order them to abstain from certain foods,(F) which God created(G) to be received with thanksgiving(H) by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good,(I) and nothing is to be rejected(J) if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God(K) and prayer.

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith(L) and of the good teaching that you have followed.(M) Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales;(N) rather, train yourself to be godly.(O) For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,(P) holding promise for both the present life(Q) and the life to come.(R) This is a trustworthy saying(S) that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God,(T) who is the Savior of all people,(U) and especially of those who believe.

11 Command and teach these things.(V) 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you(W) because you are young, but set an example(X) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith(Y) and in purity. 13 Until I come,(Z) devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,(AA) to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy(AB) when the body of elders(AC) laid their hands on you.(AD)

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save(AE) both yourself and your hearers.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Timothy 4:6 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.

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