Jeremiah 3

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 If a man sends away his wife and, after leaving him, she marries another man, Does the first husband come back to her? Would not the land be wholly defiled? But you have sinned with many lovers, and yet you would return to me! says the LORD.	1 It is commonly said: If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and marry another man, shall he return to her any more? shall not that woman be polluted, and defiled? but thou hast prostituted thyself to many lovers: nevertheless return to me, saith the Lord, and I will receive thee.
2 Lift your eyes to the heights, and see, where have men not lain with you? By the waysides you waited for them like an Arab in the desert. You defiled the land by your wicked harlotry.	2 Lift up thy eyes on high: and see where thou hast not prostuted thyself: Thou didst sit in the ways, waiting for them as a robber in the wilderness: and thou hast polluted the land with thy fornications, and with thy wickedness.
3 Therefore the showers were withheld, the spring rain failed. But because you have a harlot's brow, you refused to blush.	3 Therefore the showers were withholden, and there was no lateward rain: thou hadst a harlot's forehead, thou wouldst not blush.
4 Even now do you not call me, "My father, you who are the bridegroom of my youth"?	4 Therefore at least at this time call to me: Thou art my father, the guide of my virginity:
5 "Will he keep his wrath forever, will he hold his grudge to the end?" This is what you say; yet you do all the evil you can.	5 Wilt thou be angry for ever, or wilt thou continue until the end? Behold, thou hast spoken, and hast done evil things, and hast been able.
6 The LORD said to me in the days of King Josiah: See now what rebellious Israel has done! She has gone up every high mountain, and under every green tree she has played the harlot.	6 And the Lord said to me in the days of king Josias: Hast thou seen what rebellious Israel hast done? she hath gone out of herself upon every high mountain, and under every green tree, and hath played the harlot there.
7 And I thought, after she has done all this she will return to me. But she did not return. Then, even though her traitor sister Judah saw	7 And when she had done all these things, I said: Return to me, and she did not return. And her treacherous sister Juda saw,
8 that for all the adulteries rebellious Israel had committed, I put her away and gave her a bill of divorce, nevertheless her traitor sister Judah was not frightened; she too went off and played the harlot.	8 That because the rebellious Israel had played the harlot, I had put her away, and had given her a bill of divorce: yet her treacherous sister Juda was not afraid, but went and played the harlot also herself.
9 Eager to sin, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and wood.	9 And by the facility of her fornication she defiled the land, and played the harlot with stones and with stocks.
10 With all this, the traitor sister Judah did not return to me wholeheartedly, but insincerely, says the LORD.	10 And after all this, her treacherous sister Juda hath not returned to me with her whole heart, but with falsehood, saith the Lord.
11 Then the LORD said to me: Rebel Israel is inwardly more just than traitorous Judah.	11 And the Lord said to me: The rebellious Israel hath justified her soul, in comparison of the treacherous Juda.
12 Go, proclaim these words toward the north, and say: Return, rebel Israel, says the LORD, I will not remain angry with you; For I am merciful, says the LORD, I will not continue my wrath forever.	12 Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and thou shalt say: Return, O rebellious Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not turn away my face from you: for I am holy, saith the Lord, and I will not be angry for ever.
13 Only know your guilt: how you rebelled against the LORD, your God, How you ran hither and yon to strangers (under every green tree) and would not listen to my voice, says the LORD.	13 But yet acknowledge thy iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God: and thou hast scattered thy ways to strangers under every green tree, and hast not heard my voice, saith the Lord.
14 Return, rebellious children, says the LORD, for I am your Master; I will take you, one from a city, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion.	14 Return, O ye revolting children, saith the Lord: for I am your husband: and I will take you, one of a city, and two of a kindred, and will bring you into Sion.
15 I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart, who will shepherd you wisely and prudently.	15 And I will give you pastors according to my own heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and doctrine.
16 When you multiply and become fruitful in the land, says the LORD, They will in those days no longer say, "The ark of the covenant of the LORD!" They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or miss it, or make another.	16 And when you shall be multiplied, and increase 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 upon the heart, neither shall they remember it, neither shall it be visited, neither shall that be done any more.
17 At that time they will call Jerusalem the LORD'S throne; there all nations will be gathered together to honor the name of the LORD at Jerusalem, and they will walk no longer in their hardhearted wickedness.	17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the thrown of the Lord: and all the nations shall be gathered together to it, in the name of the Lord to Jerusalem, and they shall not walk after the perversity of their most wicked heart.
18 In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel; together they will come from the land of the north to the land which I gave to your fathers as a heritage.	18 In those days the house of Juda shall go to the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land which I gave to your fathers.
19 I had thought: How I should like to treat you as sons, And give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful among the nations! You would call me, "My Father," I thought, and never cease following me.	19 But I said: How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a lovely land, the goodly inheritance of the armies of the Gentiles? And I said: Thou shalt call me father and shalt cease to walk after me.
20 But like a woman faithless to her lover, even so have you been faithless to me, O house of Israel, says the LORD.	20 But as a woman that despiseth her lover, so hath the house of Israel despised me, saith the Lord.
21 A cry is heard on the heights! the plaintive weeping of Israel's children, Because they have perverted their ways and forgotten the LORD, their God.	21 A voice was heard in the highways, weeping and howling of the children of Israel: because they have made their way wicked, they have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 Return, rebellious children, and I will cure you of your rebelling. "Here we are, we now come to you because you are the LORD, our God.	22 Return, you rebellious children, and I will heal your rebellions. Behold we come to thee: for thou art the Lord our God.
23 Deceptive indeed are the hills, the thronging mountains; In the LORD, our God, alone is the salvation of Israel.	23 In very deed the hills were liars. and the multitude of the mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.
24 The shame-god has devoured our fathers' toil from our youth, Their sheep and their cattle, their sons and their daughters.	24 Confusion hath 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, let our disgrace cover us, for we have sinned against the LORD, our God, From our youth to this day, we and our fathers also; we listened not to the voice of the LORD, our God."	25 We shall sleep in our confusion, and our shame shall cover us, because we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers from our youth even to this day, and we have not hearkened to the voice of theLord our God.