Israel is Shameless

3 “They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him

And becomes another man’s,

aMay he return to her again?’

Would not that bland be greatly polluted?

But you have cplayed the harlot with many lovers;

dYet return to Me,” says the Lord.

2 “Lift up your eyes to ethe desolate heights and see:

Where have you not 1lain with men?

fBy the road you have sat for them

Like an Arabian in the wilderness;

gAnd you have polluted the land

With your harlotries and your wickedness.

3 Therefore the hshowers have been withheld,

And there has been no latter rain.

You have had a iharlot’s forehead;

You refuse to be ashamed.

4 Will you not from this time cry to Me,

‘My Father, You are jthe guide of kmy youth?

5 lWill He remain angry forever?

Will He keep it to the end?’

Behold, you have spoken and done evil things,

As you were able.”

A Call to Repentance

6 The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what mbacksliding Israel has done? She has ngone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. 7 oAnd I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous psister Judah saw it. 8 Then I saw that qfor all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had rput her away and given her a certificate of divorce; syet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. 9 So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she tdefiled the land and committed adultery with ustones and trees. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me vwith her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord.