(KJV) Jeremiah 3¹

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⥃The Wages of the Harlot

[1] They say², If a man³ put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that⁴ land be greatly polluted? but thou hast⁵ played the harlot with many lovers; yet return⁶ again to me, saith the Lord. [2] Lift⁷ up thine eyes unto⁸ the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the⁹ ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast¹⁰ polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. [3] Therefore the showers¹¹ have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain¹²; and thou hadst a whore’s¹³ forehead, thou refusedst¹⁴ to be ashamed. [4] Wilt thou¹⁵ not from this time cry unto me, My father¹⁶, thou [art] the guide¹⁷ of my youth? [5] Will he reserve¹⁸ [his anger] for ever? will he keep [it] to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken¹⁹ and done evil things as thou couldest.

⥃Judah Follows Israel’s Example

[6] The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen [that] which backsliding²⁰ Israel hath done? she is²¹ gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played²² the harlot.²³ [7] And I said after she had done all these [things], Turn thou²⁴ unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous²⁵ sister Judah saw [it]. [8] And I saw, when for²⁶ all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her²⁷ a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not²⁸, but went and played the harlot also. [9] And it came to pass through the lightness²⁹ of her whoredom, that she defiled³⁰ the land, and committed³¹ adultery with stones and with stocks. [10] And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah³² hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly³³, saith the Lord.

⥃A Call to Repentance ^{[ Hosea 14:1–3 † Zechariah 1:1–6 ]}

[11] And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding³⁴ Israel hath justified³⁵ herself more than treacherous Judah.

[12] Go and proclaim these words toward the north³⁶, and say, Return³⁷, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; [and] I will not³⁸ cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I [am³⁹] merciful, saith the Lord, [and] I will⁴⁰ not keep [anger] for ever. [13] Only acknowledge⁴¹ thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered⁴² thy ways to the strangers under every⁴³ green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. [14] Turn, O backsliding⁴⁴ children, saith the Lord; for I am married⁴⁵ unto you: and I will take you one of a city⁴⁶, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: [15] And I⁴⁷ will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall⁴⁸ feed you with knowledge and understanding. [16] And it shall come to pass, when⁴⁹ ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say⁵⁰ no more, The ark⁵¹ of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind⁵²: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit [it]; neither shall [that] be done⁵³ any more. [17] At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne⁵⁴ of the Lord; and all the nations⁵⁵ shall be gathered unto it, to the name⁵⁶ of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk⁵⁷ any more after the imagination⁵⁸ of their evil heart. [18] In⁵⁹ those days the house of Judah shall walk with⁶⁰ the house of Israel, and they shall come together out⁶¹ of the land of the north to the land that I have given⁶² for an inheritance unto your fathers. [19] But I said, How⁶³ shall I put thee⁶⁴ among the children, and give thee a pleasant land⁶⁵, a goodly heritage⁶⁶ of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt⁶⁷ call me, My father; and shalt not⁶⁸ turn away from me⁶⁹.

[20] Surely [as] a wife treacherously departeth from her husband⁷⁰, so have⁷¹ ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. [21] A voice⁷² was heard upon the high places, weeping [and] supplications of the children of Israel: for they have⁷³ perverted their way, [and] they have⁷⁴ forgotten the Lord their God. [22] Return⁷⁵, ye backsliding children, [and] I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we⁷⁶ come unto thee; for thou [art] the Lord our God. [23] Truly in vain⁷⁷ [is salvation hoped for] from the hills, [and from] the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord⁷⁸ our God [is] the salvation of Israel. [24] For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.⁷⁹ [25] We lie down⁸⁰ in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned⁸¹ against the Lord our God, we and our⁸² fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not⁸³ obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.

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