Jeremías 3

1 Cuando un hombre despide a su mujer, y apartándose esta de él, se casa con otro marido, ¿volverá él acaso a ella de nuevo? ¿no quedará aquella mujer totalmente contaminada? Pero tú, que fornicaste con muchos amantes, no obstante ello, vuélvete a Mí —oráculo de Yahvé.

“[Moses wrote that] if a man divorces his wife and then she marries another man, her first husband certainly must not [RHQ] take her back again [to be his wife], because that would certainly [RHQ] cause the whole nation to become unacceptable to me. But you have more [idols than] prostitutes have men whom they have slept with! So, [why should I accept you if] you return to me?” [RHQ] says Yahweh.

2 Alza tus ojos a los collados y mira: ¿Hay lugar donde no te hayas prostituido? Te sentabas junto a los caminos, como el árabe en el desierto, en acecho de los (pasajeros), y contaminaste la tierra con tus fornicaciones y maldades.

“Look up at the barren hilltops. On every hilltop there are [RHQ] [idols that you have worshiped]. [It is as though] they are all lovers with whom you have had sex. [It is as though] you have sat along the roadsides like an Arab, waiting [to attack and steal things from] those who pass by. Because of worshiping idols and all the other wicked things that you have done, you have caused the [entire] land to become unacceptable to me.

3 Por eso se detuvieron las lluvias, y faltaron las aguas de primavera, pero tú guardas el semblante de ramera; no tienes rubor.

That is why I have not sent you any rain at the times of the year when you needed it. But you are like prostitutes [MET] who are not at all ashamed [for what they have done].

4 Me dices ahora: “¡Padre mío! Tú eres el amigo de mi juventud.

Now each of you says to me, ‘You are my father! You have loved me ever since I was young!

5 ¿Acaso guardará Él (la ira) continuamente? ¿se enojará para siempre?” Así dices, y con todo cometes maldades a más no poder.

So surely you will not [RHQ] be angry with me forever!’ But you will not quit sinning!”

6 Me dijo Yahvé en los días del rey Josías: “¿Has visto lo que hizo la apóstata Israel? Se fue a todo monte alto y bajo todo árbol frondoso, y cometió allí fornicación.

[One day] when Josiah was the king of Judah, Yahweh said to me, “Have you seen what the people of Israel have done? They have turned away from me, like a woman who has abandoned her husband and sleeps with other men. They have gone up on every hilltop and under every big tree and worshiped idols there [MET].

7 Dije Yo: Después de haber ella hecho todo esto, se volverá a Mí, pero no se volvió. Vio esto su hermana, la pérfida Judá;

I thought that they would return to me, so I said to them, ‘Come back to me!’ But they refused. So I sent them away [to other countries, like a man] writes a note saying that he is divorcing his wife and then sends his wife away because she has committed adultery [MET].

8 y vio también que a causa de todos sus adulterios que había cometido la apóstata Israel, Yo la había despedido, dándole el libelo de repudio; y con todo no se amedrentó su hermana, la pérfida Judá, sino que fue y fornicó también ella.

The people of Judah saw what I did to them. But they are just like the people of Israel. They are not afraid [of what I will do to them]. They also [have turned away from me and are worshiping idols like] women who abandon their husbands and go to other men [MET].

9 Con su tumultuosa fornicación contaminó la tierra, cometiendo adulterio con la piedra y con el leño.

They thought that worshiping idols did not matter to me, so they have made the [entire] land unacceptable to me by worshiping idols of wood and stone.

10 A pesar de todo esto, su pérfida hermana, Judá, no se volvió a Mí de todo corazón, sino fingidamente” —oráculo de Yahvé.

The people of Judah have pretended to return to me, but they have not really done that. [This is true because I], Yahweh, have said it.”

11 Entonces me dijo Yahvé: “La apóstata Israel se ha mostrado más justa que la pérfida Judá.

Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Israel have turned away from me, but what the people of Judah have done is worse.

12 Anda, pues, y grita estas palabras hacia el norte, y di: Conviértete, apóstata Israel, —oráculo de Yahvé; no os miraré con rostro (airado), porque soy misericordioso, —oráculo de Yahvé—; no me airaré para siempre,

So go and tell this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh says this to you Israeli people who have turned away from him: I am merciful. I will not continue to be angry with you forever. So return to me.

13 con tal que reconozcas tu iniquidad. Pues contra Yahvé, tú Dios has pecado, te has prostituido a los extraños, bajo todo árbol frondoso, y no has escuchado mi voz —oráculo de Yahvé.

But you must admit/say that you are guilty, and that you have rebelled against me, Yahweh, your God, that you have worshiped idols under big trees everywhere, and you have not obeyed me. You have turned away from me.

14 Convertíos, hijos rebeldes, dice Yahvé, porque Yo soy vuestro Esposo y os tomaré, uno de cada ciudad, y dos de cada estirpe, y os traeré a Sión.

But you belong to me. So I will take you, one from [each] city and two from [each] clan, and bring you [back] to Jerusalem [from the countries to which you were exiled].

15 Y os daré pastores según mi corazón, que os apacentarán con ciencia y doctrina.

[If you do that], I will appoint for you leaders with whom I am pleased, leaders who will guide you [well] because they will know and understand [what pleases me].

16 Y cuando os multiplicareis y creciereis en la tierra, en aquellos días, dice Yahvé, no se dirá más: “¡El arca de la alianza de Yahvé!” ni les vendrá a las mientes, ni habrá de ella memoria, no la echarán de menos, ni se hará otra.

And when you become very numerous [DOU] in your land, you will not need to talk about the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments. You will not think about it, and you will not want to make a new one.

17 En aquel tiempo Jerusalén será llamada trono de Yahvé; y se congregarán en el nombre de Yahvé todas las naciones en Jerusalén; y no seguirán más su obstinado y depravado corazón.

At that time people will say, “Jerusalem is [the place where] Yahweh’s throne is.” [People from] all nations will come there to worship me. And they will no longer stubbornly do the evil things that they desire.

18 En aquellos días se juntará la casa de Judá con la casa de Israel, y juntas vendrán de la tierra del Norte a la tierra que di en herencia a vuestros padres.

At that time you people [MTY] of Israel and the people of Judah will return from [being (exiled/forced to live) in] lands to the northeast. You will return to the land that I gave to your ancestors to belong to them [forever].

19 Yo me preguntaba: “¿Cómo he de contarte entre mis hijos y darte en herencia una tierra de delicias, la posesión más hermosa entre las naciones?” Y respondí: “Tú me llamarás Padre mío, y ya no dejarás de seguir en pos de Mí.”

You people of Israel, I wanted to accept you to be my children. I wanted to give you [this] delightful land. It is a land more desirable/pleasant than the land of any other nation! I wanted you to call me ‘father’, and I wanted you to never turn away from me.

20 Pero como una mujer que es infiel a su marido, así vosotros habéis sido infieles a Mí, oh casa de Israel, dice Yahvé.

But you have abandoned me like wives who have abandoned their husbands.’” [That is what] Yahweh said, and [I told it] to the people of Israel.

21 Se oye sobre los montes voz de lloro, los llantos de los hijos de Israel; por haber pervertido su camino, olvidándose de Yahvé su Dios.

People will hear a noise on the barren hilltops. It will be the noise made by people weeping and pleading [for God to be merciful to them]. They will be admitting/saying that they have forgotten Yahweh their God, and that they turned away from behaving as God wanted them to.

22 Volveos, oh hijos rebeldes, y Yo sanaré vuestras apostasías. “He aquí que volvemos a Ti; porque Tú eres Yahvé, nuestro Dios.

Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! [If you do that], I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” [The people will reply], “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.

23 De veras, eran embustes los collados y el bullicio en los montes; solo en Yahvé, nuestro Dios, está la salvación de Israel.

We did not get any help from [the idols that we worshiped on] the hilltops; we did not get any help from making all that noise up there.

24 La ignominia consumió las fatigas de nuestros padres desde nuestra mocedad; sus rebaños y sus ganados, sus hijos y sus hijas.

From the time when we were young, the shameful [god Baal] has taken away [from us] everything that our ancestors worked hard to acquire. He has taken away their flocks [of sheep] and herds [of cattle], their sons and their daughters.

25 Acostémonos, pues, en nuestro oprobio, y cúbranos nuestra ignominia, pues hemos pecado contra Yahvé, nuestro Dios, nosotros y nuestros padres, desde nuestra mocedad hasta el día de hoy, y no hemos escuchado la voz de Yahvé, nuestro Dios.”

So, now we should lie down feeling very ashamed [DOU], because we and our ancestors have sinned against Yahweh our God, and we have never obeyed him.”