Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations - Volume 1

1It is said, when a man puts away his wife, And she goes from him to another man, Shall he return to her again? Would not the land be thus greatly polluted? But thou hast played the harlot with many friends; Yet return to me, saith Jehovah.

2Raise thine eyes to the high places, And see where thou hast played the harlot: By the ways thou didst sit for them, As the Arabian in the desert; And polluted hast thou the land With thy whoredoms and thy wickedness.

3Restrained therefore have been the showers, And the late rain has not been; Yet the front of a strumpet has been thine, Thou hast refused to be ashamed.

4Wilt thou not hereafter cry to me, — “My Father, the guide of my youth art thou?

5Will he keep wrathfor ever? Will he reserve it perpetually?” Behold, thou hast spoken, And hast done evils with all thy might. (1:162)

6And Jehovah said to me in the days of Josiah the king, — Hast thou seen what the apostate Israel has done? She went on every high mountain And under every shady tree, And played there the harlot:

7And I said, after she had done all these things, “Return to me;“ but she returned not; And see this did her perfidious sister Judah.

8And I saw, that when for all these things, Because rebellious Israel had played the harlot, I had dismissed her and given her a bill of divorce, Yet fear did not her perfidious sister Judah, But went and played also the harlot. (1:166)

9And it happened through the levity of her whoredom, That she polluted the land, And played the harlot with stone and with wood.

10And yet after all this, returned to me Has not her perfidious sister Judah, With her whole heart, but feignedly, saith Jehovah.

11And Jehovah said to me, — Justified herself has apostate Israel Rather than perfidious Judah:

12Go and publish these words towards the north, And say, Return, rebellious Israel, saith Jehovah; I will not let fall my wrath upon you, For I am merciful, saith Jehovah; I will not keep it for ever:

13But know thine iniquity, That against Jehovah thy God thou hast acted wickedly, And prostituted thy ways to strangers Under every shady tree; (1:176) And to my voice thou didst not hearken, saith Jehovah.

14Return, ye rebellious children, saith Jehovah; For I am your husband; And I will take you, one from a city, And two from a family, and bring you to Sion;

15And will give you pastors according to my heart, And they shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

16And it shall be, when ye shall multiply and increase In the land, in those days, saith Jehovah, That they will no more say, — “The ark of the covenant of Jehovah;” And it shall not come to mind, And they shall not remember nor visit it; Even thisshall not be done any more. (1:185)

17At that time they shall call Jerusalem, The throne of Jehovah; And assemble to it shall all nations, For the name of Jehovah, even to Jerusalem; And walk shall they no more After the evil hardness of their own hearts. (1:186)

18In those days shall come The house of Judah with the house of Israel; Together shall they come from the land of the north, To the land which I have given For an inheritance to your fathers.

19But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, And give thee the desirable land, The heritage coveted by hosts of nations? And I said, “My Father,” shalt thou call me, And from me thou wilt not depart. (1:189)

20Surely as a woman deals perfidiously with her partner, So hast thou dealt perfidiously with me, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah.

21A voice on high places was heard, The weeping of the prayers of the children of Israel; Because they had perverted their way, Andforgotten Jehovah their God. (1:192)

22“Return, ye rebellious children, I will heal your transgressions.” “Behold we come to thee, For thou art Jehovah our God:

23Surely deceit is from the hills, Fromthe multitude of mountains; Surely, in Jehovah our God Is the salvation of Israel. (1:194)

24Even shame hath devoured the labor Of our fathers, from our youth, Even their sheep and their cattle, Their sons and their daughters.

25We have lain down in our shame, And our reproach hath covered us, Because with Jehovah our God We have dealt wickedly, we and our fathers, From our childhood even to this day, (1:196) And have not attended to the voice of Jehovah our God.”