Jeremías 3

1 »Supongamos que un hombre se divorcia de su mujer, y que ella lo deja para casarse con otro. ¿Volvería el primero a casarse con ella? ¡Claro que no! Semejante acción *contaminaría por completo la tierra. Pues bien, tú te has prostituido con muchos amantes, y ya no podrás volver a mí —afirma el Señor—.
2 »Fíjate bien en esas lomas estériles:
¡Dónde no se han acostado contigo! Como un beduino en el desierto, te sentabas junto al camino, a la espera de tus amantes. Has contaminado la tierra con tus infames prostituciones. 3 Por eso se demoraron las lluvias,
y no llegaron los aguaceros de primavera. Tienes el descaro de una prostituta; ¡no conoces la vergüenza! 4 No hace mucho me llamabas:
“Padre mío, amigo de mi juventud, 5 ¿vas a estar siempre enojado?
¿Guardarás rencor eternamente?” Y mientras hablabas, hacías todo el mal posible.»

La infidelidad de Israel

6 Durante el reinado del rey Josías el Señor me dijo: «¿Has visto lo que ha hecho Israel, la infiel? Se fue a todo monte alto, y allí, bajo todo árbol frondoso, se prostituyó. 7 Yo pensaba que después de hacer todo esto ella volvería a mí. Pero no lo hizo. Esto lo vio su hermana, la infiel Judá, 8 y vios también que yo había repudiado a la apóstata Israel, y que le había dado carta de divorcio por todos los adulterios que había cometido. No obstante, su hermana, la infiel Judá, no tuvo ningún temor, sino que también ella se prostituyó.
9 »Como Israel no tuvo ningún reparo en prostituirse, *contaminó la tierra y cometió adulterio al adorar ídolos de piedra y de madera. 10 A pesar de todo esto, su hermana, la infiel Judá, no se volvió a mí de todo *corazón, sino que sólo fingió volverse», afirma el Señor.
11 El Señor me dijo: «La apóstata Israel ha resultado ser más justa que la infiel Judá. 12 Ve al norte y proclama este mensaje:
»“¡Vuelve, apóstata Israel! No te miraré con ira —afirma el Señor—. No te guardaré rencor para siempre, porque soy misericordioso —afirma el Señor—. 13 Tan sólo reconoce tu culpa,
y que te rebelaste contra el Señor tu Dios.
Bajo todo árbol frondoso has brindado a dioses extraños tus favores, y no has querido obedecerme” —afirma el Señor—. 14 »¡Vuélvanse a mí, apóstatas —afirma el Señor—, porque yo soy su esposo! De ustedes tomaré uno de cada ciudad y dos de cada familia, y los traeré a *Sión. 15 Les daré *pastores que cumplan mi voluntad, para que los guíen con sabiduría y entendimiento.
16 »En aquellos días, cuando ustedes se hayan multiplicado y sean numerosos en el país, ya no se dirá más: “Arca del *pacto del Señor”. Nadie pensará más en ella ni la recordará; nadie la echará de menos ni volverá a fabricarla —afirma el Señor—.
17 »En aquel tiempo llamarán a Jerusalén: “Trono del Señor”. Todas las naciones se reunirán en Jerusalén para honrar el *nombre del Señor, y ya no volverán a obedecer ciegamente a su malvado corazón.
18 »En aquellos días la tribu de Judá se unirá al pueblo de Israel, y juntos vendrán del país del norte, a la tierra que di como herencia a sus antepasados.
19 »Yo mismo dije:
»“¡Cómo quisiera tratarte como a un hijo, y darte una tierra codiciable, la heredad más hermosa de las naciones!” Yo creía que me llamarías “Padre mío”, y que nunca dejarías de seguirme. 20 Pero tú, pueblo de Israel,
me has sido infiel como una mujer infiel a su esposo», afirma el Señor. 21 Se escucha un grito en las lomas estériles,
la súplica angustiosa del pueblo de Israel, porque han pervertido su conducta, se han olvidado del Señor su Dios.
22 «¡Vuélvanse, apóstatas,
y los curaré de su infidelidad!» «Aquí estamos, a ti venimos, porque tú eres el Señor nuestro Dios.
23 Ciertamente son un engaño las colinas,
y una mentira el estruendo sobre las montañas. Ciertamente en el Señor nuestro Dios
está la *salvación de Israel. 24 Desde nuestra juventud, la vergonzosa idolatría
se ha engullido el esfuerzo de nuestros antepasados: sus rebaños y su ganado, sus hijos y sus hijas. 25 ¡Acostémonos en nuestra vergüenza,
y que nos cubra nuestra desgracia! ¡Nosotros y nuestros antepasados hemos pecado contra el Señor nuestro Dios!
Desde nuestra juventud y hasta el día de hoy, no hemos obedecido al 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.’