1 "They say, ‘If a man puts away his wife, and she goes from him, and becomes another man’s, should he return to her again?’ Wouldn’t that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the prostitute with many lovers; yet return again to me," says Yahweh.
2 "Lift up your eyes to the bare heights, and see! Where have you not been lain with? You have sat waiting for them by the road, as an Arabian in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and with your wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers have been withheld and there has been no latter rain; yet you have had a prostitute’s forehead and you refused to be ashamed. 4 Will you not from this time cry to me, ‘My Father, you are the guide of my youth!’?
5 "‘Will he retain his anger forever? Will he keep it to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken and have done evil things, and have had your way."
6 Moreover, Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, "Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and has played the prostitute there. 7 I said after she had done all these things, ‘She will return to me;’ but she didn’t return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 I saw when, for this very cause, that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce, yet treacherous Judah, her sister, had no fear, but she also went and played the prostitute. 9 Because she took her prostitution lightly, the land was polluted, and she committed adultery with stones and with wood. 10 Yet for all this her treacherous sister, Judah, has not returned to me with her whole heart, but only in pretense," says Yahweh.
11 Yahweh said to me, "Backsliding Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, you backsliding Israel,’ says Yahweh; ‘I will not look in anger on you, for I am merciful,’ says Yahweh. ‘I will not keep anger forever. 13 Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against Yahweh your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed my voice,’" says Yahweh. 14 "Return, backsliding children," says Yahweh, "for I am a husband to you. I will take one of you from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15 I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 It will come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days," says Yahweh, "they will no longer say, ‘the ark of Yahweh’s covenant!’ It will not come to mind. They won’t remember it. They won’t miss it, nor will another be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘Yahweh’s Throne;’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Yahweh’s name, to Jerusalem. They will no longer walk after the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together out of the land of the north to the land that I gave for an inheritance to your fathers.
19 "But I said, ‘How I desire to put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the armies of the nations!’ and I said, ‘You shall call me "My Father", and shall not turn away from following me.’
20 "Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so you have dealt treacherously with me, house of Israel," says Yahweh. 21 A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping and the petitions of the children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten Yahweh their God. 22 Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backsliding.
"Behold, we have come to you; for you are Yahweh our God. 23 Truly help from the hills, the tumult on the mountains, is in vain. Truly the salvation of Israel is in Yahweh our God. 24 But the shameful thing has devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our shame, and let our confusion cover us; for we have sinned against Yahweh our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. We have not obeyed Yahweh our God’s voice."
1 耶和华说： "人若是休妻， 妻子离开了他， 又嫁了别人， 前夫怎能与她复合呢？如果复合， 那地不是大大玷污了吗？你曾与许多情人行淫， 还想归向我。"这是耶和华的宣告。
2 "你向光秃的高冈举目看看， 哪里没有你的淫迹？你坐在路边等候情人， 像阿拉伯人在旷野埋伏一样。你以淫乱和邪恶， 把这地玷污了。
3 所以甘霖停止， 春雨不降； 你还是一副妓女的面孔（"面孔"原文作"额"）， 不顾羞耻。
4 你刚刚不是还呼叫我： ‘我父啊！ 你是我年轻时的良伴；
5 耶和华怎会永远怀怒， 常存愤恨呢？’你虽然这样说了， 还是尽力去作恶。"
6 约西亚王在位的日子， 耶和华对我说： "背道的以色列所作的， 她怎样走上各高山， 在每棵繁茂的树下行淫， 你看见了没有？
7 我以为她作了这些事以后， 就必回转过来， 可是她没有回转。她诡诈的妹妹犹大也看见了。
8 因背道的以色列犯了淫乱， 我就给她休书， 把她休了。我看见她诡诈的妹妹犹大还是不惧怕， 照样行淫。
9 因以色列把自己的淫行视作等闲， 去与石头木头行淫， 就把这地玷污了。
10 虽然这样， 她诡诈的妹妹犹大还没有全心归向我， 只是假意地归我。"这是耶和华的宣告。
11 耶和华对我说： "背道的以色列， 比诡诈的犹大还显得正义。
12 你去， 把这些话向北方宣告， 说： ‘背道的以色列啊， 回转吧！ ’这是耶和华的宣告。’我必不向你们变脸， 因为我是慈爱的， 我必不永远怀怒。’这是耶和华的宣告。
13 ‘只要你承认自己的罪孽， 就是悖逆了耶和华你的 神， 在每棵繁茂的树下， 滥爱外族人的神， 没有听从我的话。’这是耶和华的宣告。
14 ‘背道的人哪， 回转吧！ ’这是耶和华的宣告。’因为我才是你们的主。我要每城取一人， 每族取二人， 把你们带到锡安。
15 "我必把合我心意的牧人赐给你们， 他们要用知识和智慧牧养你们。
16 当那些日子， 你们在这地繁殖增多的时候， 人必不再提说耶和华的约柜， 不把它放在心上， 不思念它， 不觉得缺少， 也不再制造。’这是耶和华的宣告。
17 ‘那时， 人必称耶路撒冷为耶和华的宝座， 万国要聚集到她那里， 因耶和华名的缘故来到耶路撒冷； 他们必不再随从自己顽梗的恶心行事。
18 在那些日子， 犹大家必与以色列家同行， 他们必从北方之地一同来到我赐给你们列祖为业的地方。’"
19 "我说： ‘我待你， 像待儿女一样， 赐给你佳美之地， 就是列国中最美好的产业； 我以为你会称我为父， 不再离去不跟从我了。
20 以色列家啊！ 妻子怎样行奸诈对丈夫不忠， 你也照样以奸诈待我。’"这是耶和华的宣告。
21 在光秃的高冈听到人声， 就是以色列人哭泣恳求的声音； 因为他们改转了自己的道路， 忘记了耶和华他们的 神。
22 "背道的人哪， 回转吧！ 我必医治你们背道的病。""看哪！ 我们来到你这里， 因为你是耶和华我们的 神！
23 小山和大山上的喧嚷， 真是徒然的， 以色列的救恩诚然在于耶和华我们的 神。
24 从我们幼年以来， 我们列祖劳苦得来的， 他们的牛羊， 他们的儿女， 都给那可耻的偶像吞掉了。
25 但愿我们躺卧在羞耻中， 让惭愧遮盖着我们！ 因为我们得罪了耶和华我们的 神， 从我们幼年直到现在， 我们和列祖都没有听从耶和华我们的 神的话。"