| King James Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. | 1If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Wouldn't such a land become totally defiled? But you! You have prostituted yourself with many partners--can you return to me? This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 2Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. | 2Look to the barren heights and see. Where have you not been immoral? You sat waiting for them beside the highways like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness. |
| 3Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. | 3This is why the showers haven't come--why there has been no spring rain. You have the brazen look of a prostitute and refuse to be ashamed. |
| 4Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? | 4Haven't you recently called to me, "My Father. You were my friend in my youth. |
| 5Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest. | 5Will he bear a grudge forever? Will he be endlessly infuriated?" This is what you have said, but you have done the evil things you are capable of. |
| 6The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. | 6In the days of King Josiah the LORD asked me, "Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has ascended every high hill and gone under every green tree to prostitute herself there. |
| 7And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. | 7I thought, 'After she has done all these things, she will return to me.' But she didn't return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. |
| 8And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. | 8I observed that it was because unfaithful Israel had committed adultery that I had sent her away and had given her a certificate of divorce. Nevertheless, her treacherous sister Judah was not afraid but also went and prostituted herself. |
| 9And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. | 9Indifferent to her prostitution, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. |
| 10And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. | 10Yet in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah didn't return to me with all her heart--only in pretense." This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 11And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. | 11The LORD announced to me, "Unfaithful Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. |
| 12Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. | 12Go, proclaim these words to the north, and say, 'Return, unfaithful Israel. This is the LORD's declaration. I will not look on you with anger, for I am unfailing in my love. This is the LORD's declaration. I will not be angry forever. |
| 13Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. | 13Only acknowledge your guilt--you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree and have not obeyed me. This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 14Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: | 14"'Return, you faithless children--this is the LORD's declaration--for I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. |
| 15And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. | 15I will give you shepherds who are loyal to me, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and skill. |
| 16And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. | 16When you multiply and increase in the land, in those days--this is the LORD's declaration--no one will say again, "The ark of the LORD's covenant." It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. Another one will not be made. |
| 17At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. | 17At that time Jerusalem will be called The LORD's Throne, and all the nations will be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD in Jerusalem. They will cease to follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. |
| 18In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. | 18In those days the house of Judah will join with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land I have given your ancestors to inherit.'" |
| 19But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. | 19I thought, "How I long to make you my sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations." I thought, "You will call me 'My Father' and never turn away from me." |
| 20Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. | 20However, as a woman may betray her lover, so you have betrayed me, house of Israel. This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 21A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. | 21A sound is heard on the barren heights: the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, for they have perverted their way; they have forgotten the LORD their God. |
| 22Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. | 22Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness. "Here we are, coming to you, for you are the LORD our God. |
| 23Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. | 23Surely, falsehood comes from the hills, commotion from the mountains, but the salvation of Israel is only in the LORD our God. |
| 24For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. | 24From the time of our youth the shameful one has consumed what our fathers have worked for--their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. |
| 25We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God. | 25Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers, from the time of our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed the LORD our God." |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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