¶ They say¹, 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 that² land be greatly polluted? but thou hast³ played the harlot with many lovers; yet return⁴ again to me, saith the LORD.

Lift⁵ up thine eyes unto⁶ the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the⁷ ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast⁸ polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

Therefore the showers⁹ have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain¹⁰; and thou hadst a whore's¹¹ forehead, thou refusedst¹² to be ashamed.

Wilt thou¹³ not from this time cry unto me, My father¹⁴, thou art the guide¹⁵ of my youth?

Will he reserve¹⁶ his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken¹⁷ and done evil things as thou couldest.

¶ The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding¹⁸ Israel hath done? she is¹⁹ gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played²⁰ the harlot.

And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou²¹ unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous²² sister Judah saw it.

And I saw, when for²³ all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her²⁴ a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not,²⁵ but went and played the harlot also.

And it came to pass through the lightness²⁶ of her whoredom, that she defiled²⁷ the land, and committed²⁸ adultery with stones and with stocks.

¶ And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah²⁹ hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly³⁰, saith the LORD.

And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding³¹ Israel hath justified³² herself more than treacherous Judah.

¶ Go and proclaim these words toward the north³³, and say, Return³⁴, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not³⁵ cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am³⁶ merciful, saith the LORD, and I will³⁷ not keep anger for ever.

Only acknowledge³⁸ thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered³⁹ thy ways to the strangers under every⁴⁰ green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.

Turn, O backsliding⁴¹ children, saith the LORD; for I am married⁴² unto you: and I will take you one of a city⁴³, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

And I⁴⁴ will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall⁴⁵ feed you with knowledge and understanding.

And it shall come to pass, when⁴⁶ ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say⁴⁷ no more, The ark⁴⁸ of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind⁴⁹: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.

At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne⁵⁰ of the LORD; and all the nations⁵¹ shall be gathered unto it, to the name⁵² of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk⁵³ any more after the imagination⁵⁴ of their evil heart.

In⁵⁵ those days the house of Judah shall walk with⁵⁶ the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given⁵⁷ for an inheritance unto your fathers.

But I said, How⁵⁸ shall I put thee⁵⁹ among the children, and give thee a pleasant land⁶⁰, a goodly heritage⁶¹ of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt⁶² call me, My father; and shalt not⁶³ turn away from me⁶⁴.

¶ Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband⁶⁵, so have⁶⁶ ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.

A voice⁶⁷ was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have⁶⁸ perverted their way, and they have⁶⁹ forgotten the LORD their God.

Return⁷⁰, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we⁷¹ come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.

Truly in vain⁷² is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD⁷³ our God is the salvation of Israel.

⁷⁴For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.

We lie down⁷⁵ in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned⁷⁶ against the LORD our God, we and our⁷⁷ fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not⁷⁸ obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.