Jeremiah 3:15-25

“ ‘I will give you true shepherds who follow my heart, and they will feed you with revelation-knowledge and deep understanding.’ ” YAHWEH says, “When my children have increased and prospered in the land, then no one will mention the ark of the covenant of YAHWEH. It will never even come to mind. No one will remember it, miss it, or make another one. When that day comes, they will call Jerusalem the throne of YAHWEH. All nations will be drawn there to be in the presence of YAHWEH. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil hearts. In those days, the nation of Judah will unite with the nation of Israel. And together, they will return from the northern lands to the land that I gave your ancestors as your own inheritance.” “I, YAHWEH, said: “ ‘What bliss would fill my heart to treat you like an honored son! What joy would fill my heart to give you a land of delights, the most glorious and beautiful inheritance among the nations.’ I longed for the day when you would call me ‘Father’ and not turn away from me. Instead, as a treacherous wife betrays her husband, so, you, nation of Israel, have betrayed me. I, YAHWEH, have spoken.” I hear the sound of voices echoing from the barren hills, the bitter weeping of the sons of Israel pleading for mercy because they lost their moral way and have forgotten YAHWEH their God. “Come back to me, you unfaithful ones! Let me heal your waywardness and restore your faithfulness.” “We’re here! We’re coming back to you, YAHWEH, because you are our God. We see it now. Our idolatrous worship on the high places and our noisy commotion on the mountains were nothing but delusions. Only you, YAHWEH our God, can save us. Ever since we were young, Baal, the god of shame, has robbed us of the abundance our ancestors labored for— their flocks and herds, their precious sons and daughters. We deserve to lie down in our shame and be covered by our disgrace. Ever since we were young, we and our ancestors have sinned against our God, YAHWEH. We failed to really listen to your voice, YAHWEH our God.”