Jeremías 3

1 Dios dice: Si un hombre se divorcia de su mujer, y ella se va de su lado y llega a ser de otro hombre, ¿volverá él a ella? ¿No quedará esa tierra totalmente profanada? Pues tú eres una ramera con muchos amantes, y sin embargo, vuelves a mí--declara el Señor.2 Alza tus ojos a las alturas desoladas y mira: ¿dónde no te has prostituido? Junto a los caminos te sentabas para ellos como el árabe en el desierto, y has profanado la tierra con tu prostitución y tu maldad.3 Por eso fueron detenidas las lluvias, y no hubo lluvia de primavera; pero tú tenías frente de ramera, no quisiste avergonzarte.4 ¿No acabas de llamarme: "Padre mío, tú eres el amigo de mi juventud", pensando:

5 "¿Guardará rencor para siempre? ¿Estará indignado hasta el fin?" He aquí, así has hablado, pero has hecho lo malo, y has hecho tu voluntad.
6 Y el Señor me dijo en días del rey Josías: ¿Has visto lo que hizo la infiel Israel? Ella andaba sobre todo monte alto y bajo todo árbol frondoso, y allí fornicaba.7 Y me dije: "Después que ella haya hecho todas estas cosas, volverá a mí"; mas no regresó, y lo vio su pérfida hermana Judá.8 Y vio que a causa de todos los adulterios de la infiel Israel, yo la había despedido, dándole carta de divorcio; con todo, su pérfida hermana Judá no tuvo temor, sino que ella también fue y se hizo ramera.9 Y sucedió que por la liviandad con que fornicó, profanó la tierra, y cometió adulterio con la piedra y con el leño.

10 A pesar de todo esto, su pérfida hermana Judá tampoco se volvió a mí de todo corazón, sino con engaño--declara el Señor.
11 Y el Señor me dijo: Más justa ha probado ser la infiel Israel que la pérfida Judá.12 Ve y proclama estas palabras al norte, y di: "Regresa, infiel Israel"--declara el Señor--, "no te miraré con ira, porque soy misericordioso"--declara el Señor--; "no guardaré rencor para siempre.13 "Sólo reconoce tu iniquidad, pues contra el Señor tu Dios te has rebelado, has repartido tus favores a los extraños bajo todo árbol frondoso, y no has obedecido mi voz"--declara el Señor.14 "Volved, hijos infieles"--declara el Señor--, "porque yo soy vuestro dueño, y os tomaré, uno de cada ciudad y dos de cada familia, y os llevaré a Sion."15 Entonces os daré pastores según mi corazón, que os apacienten con conocimiento y con inteligencia.16 Y sucederá que en aquellos días, cuando os multipliquéis y crezcáis en la tierra--declara el Señor-- no se dirá más: "Arca del pacto del Señor"; no les vendrá a la mente ni la recordarán, no la echarán de menos ni será hecha de nuevo.17 En aquel tiempo llamarán a Jerusalén: "Trono del Señor"; y todas las naciones acudirán a ella, a Jerusalén, a causa del nombre del Señor; y no andarán más tras la terquedad de su malvado corazón.

18 En aquellos días andará la casa de Judá con la casa de Israel, y vendrán juntas de la tierra del norte a la tierra que di en heredad a vuestros padres.
19 Yo había dicho: "¡Cómo quisiera ponerte entre mis hijos, y darte una tierra deseable, la más hermosa heredad de las naciones!" Y decía: "Padre mío me llamaréis, y no os apartaréis de seguirme."

20 Ciertamente, como una mujer se aparta pérfidamente de su amado, así habéis obrado pérfidamente conmigo, oh casa de Israel--declara el Señor.
21 Se oye una voz sobre las alturas desoladas, el llanto de las súplicas de los hijos de Israel; porque han pervertido su camino, han olvidado al Señor su Dios.22 Volved, hijos infieles, yo sanaré vuestra infidelidad. Aquí estamos, venimos a ti, porque tú, el Señor, eres nuestro Dios.23 Ciertamente engaño son las colinas, y el tumulto sobre los montes; ciertamente, en el Señor nuestro Dios está la salvación de Israel.24 Pero lo vergonzoso consumió el trabajo de nuestros padres desde nuestra juventud: sus ovejas y sus vacas, sus hijos y sus hijas.25 Acostémonos en nuestra vergüenza, y que nos cubra nuestra humillación; porque hemos pecado contra el Señor nuestro Dios, nosotros y nuestros padres desde nuestra juventud hasta hoy, y no hemos obedecido la voz del Señor nuestro Dios.

Jeremiah 3

1 “If a man divorces his wife
and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife,
he may not take her back again.ts
Doing that would utterly defile the land.t
But you, Israel, have given yourself as a prostitute to many gods.t
So what makes you think you can return to me?”t
says the Lord.

2 “Look up at the hilltops and consider this.t
You have had sex with other gods on every one of them.t
You waited for those gods like a thief lying in wait in the desert.t
You defiled the land by your wicked prostitution to other gods.t

3 That is why the rains have been withheld,
and the spring rains have not come.
Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute.t
You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.

4 Even now you say to me, ‘You are my father!t
You have been my faithful companion ever since I was young.

5 You will not always be angry with me, will you?
You will not be mad at me forever, will you?’t
That is what you say,
but you continually do all the evil that you can.”t
6 When Josiah was king of Judah, the Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, you have no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done.t You have seen how she went up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a prostitute to other gods.t7 Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me.ts But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did.t8 She also saws that I gave wayward Israel her divorce papers and sent her away because of her adulterous worship of other gods.t Even after her unfaithful sister Judah had seen this,t she still was not afraid, and she too went and gave herself like a prostitute to other gods.t9 Because she took her prostitution so lightly, she defiled the lands through her adulterous worship of gods made of wood and stone.t10 In spite of all this,t Israel’s sister, unfaithful Judah, has not turned back to me with any sincerity; she has only pretended to do so,”t says the Lord.

11 Then the Lord said to me, “Under the circumstances, wayward Israel could even be considered less guilty than unfaithful Judah.ts

The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent

12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north.t Tell them,
‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure.t
For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.
‘I will not be angry with you forever.

13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong,t
and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.
You must confesst that you have given yourself tost foreign gods under every green tree,
and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.
14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master.ts If you do,t I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion.15 I will give you leaderst who will be faithful to me.t They will lead you with knowledge and insight.16 In those days, your population will greatly increaset in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the arkt that contains the Lord’s covenant with us.t They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done any more!t17 At that time the city of Jerusalems will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name.t They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts.t

18 At that timet the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited.t Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession. ”t

19 “I thought to myself,t
‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son!ts
What a joy it would be for me to givet you a pleasant land,
the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’t
I thought you would call me, ‘Father’t
and would never cease being loyal to me.t

20 But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel,t
like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband,”t
says the Lord.

21 “A noise is heard on the hilltops.
It is the sound of the people of Israel crying and pleading to their gods.
Indeed they have followed sinful ways;t
they have forgotten to be true to the Lord their God.t

22 Come back to me, you wayward people.
I want to cure your waywardness.t
Say,t ‘Here we are. We come to you
because you are the Lord our God.

23 We know our noisy worship of false gods
on the hills and mountains did not help us.t
We know that the Lord our God
is the only one who can deliver Israel.t

24 From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal,
has taken awayt all that our ancestorst worked for.
It has taken away our flocks and our herds,
and even our sons and daughters.

25 Let us acknowledget our shame.
Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve.t
For we have sinned against the Lord our God,
both we and our ancestors.
From earliest times to this very day
we have not obeyed the Lord our God.’