God invites the rebel Jews to return to him, with a promise to receive them: he foretells the conversion of the Gentiles.

 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.
Vulgo dicitur : Si dimiserit vir uxorem suam, et recedens ab eo duxerit virum alterum, numquid revertetur ad eam ultra? numquid non polluta et contaminata erit mulier illa? Tu autem fornicatus es cum amatoribus multis : tamen revertere ad me, dicit Dominus, et ego suscipiam te.

 2 Lift up thy eyes on high: and see where thou hast not prostituted 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.
Leva oculos tuos in directum, et vide ubi non prostrata sis. In viis sedebas, exspectans eos quasi latro in solitudine : et polluisti terram in fornicationibus tuis, et in malitiis tuis.

 3 Therefore the showers were withholden, and there was no lateward rain: thou hadst a harlot's forehead, thou wouldst not blush.
Quam ob rem prohibitae sunt stillae pluviarum, et serotinus imber non fuit. Frons mulieris meretricis facta est tibi, noluisti erubescere.

 4 Therefore at least at this time call to me: Thou art my father, the guide of my virginity:
Ergo saltem amodo voca me : Pater meus, dux virginitatis meae tu es :

 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.
numquid irasceris in perpetuum, aut perseverabis in finem? ecce locuta es, et fecisti mala, et potuisti.

 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.
Et dixit Dominus ad me in diebus Josiae regis : Numquid vidisti quae fecerit aversatrix Israel? Abiit sibimet super omnem montem excelsum, et sub omni ligno frondoso, et fornicata est ibi.

 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,
Et dixi, cum fecisset haec omnia : Ad me revertere : et non est reversa. Et vidit praevaricatrix soror ejus, Juda,

 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.
quia pro eo quod moechata esset aversatrix Israel, dimisissem eam, et dedissem ei libellum repudii : et non timuit praevaricatrix Juda, soror ejus, sed abiit, et fornicata est etiam ipsa :

 9 And by the facility of her fornication she defiled the land, and played the harlot with stones and with stocks.
et facilitate fornicationis suae contaminavit terram, et moechata est cum lapide et ligno :

 10 And after all this, her treacherous sister Juda hath not returned to me with her whole heart, but with falsehood, saith the Lord.
et in omnibus his non est reversa ad me praevaricatrix soror ejus Juda, in toto corde suo, sed in mendacio, ait Dominus.

 11 And the Lord said to me: The rebellious Israel hath justified her soul, in comparison of the treacherous Juda.
Et dixit Dominus ad me : Justificavit animam suam aversatrix Israel, comparatione praevaricatricis Judae.

 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.
Vade, et clama sermones istos contra aquilonem, et dices : Revertere, aversatrix Israel, ait Dominus, et non avertam faciem meam a vobis, quia Sanctus ego sum, dicit Dominus, et non irascar in perpetuum.

 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.
Verumtamen scito iniquitatem tuam, quia in Dominum Deum tuum praevaricata es, et dispersisti vias tuas alienis sub omni ligno frondoso, et vocem meam non audisti, ait Dominus.

 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.
Convertimini, filii revertentes, dicit Dominus, quia ego vir vester : et assumam vos unum de civitate, et duos de cognatione, et introducam vos in Sion.

 15 And I will give you pastors according to my own heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and doctrine.
Et dabo vobis pastores juxta cor meum, et pascent vos scientia et doctrina.

 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.
Cumque multiplicati fueritis, et creveritis in terra in diebus illis, ait Dominus, non dicent ultra : Arca testamenti Domini : neque ascendet super cor, neque recordabuntur illius, nec visitabitur, nec fiet ultra.

 17 At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne 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.
In tempore illo vocabunt Jerusalem solium Domini : et congregabuntur ad eam omnes gentes in nomine Domini in Jerusalem, et non ambulabunt post pravitatem cordis sui pessimi.

 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.
In diebus illis ibit domus Juda ad domum Israel, et venient simul de terra aquilonis ad terram quam dedi patribus vestris.

 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 not cease to walk after me.
Ego autem dixi : Quomodo ponam te in filios, et tribuam tibi terram desiderabilem, haereditatem praeclaram exercituum gentium? Et dixi : Patrem vocabis me, et post me ingredi non cessabis.

 20 But as a woman that despiseth her lover, so hath the house of Israel despised me, saith the Lord.
Sed quomodo si contemnat mulier amatorem suum, sic contempsit me domus Israel, dicit Dominus.

 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.
Vox in viis audita est, ploratus et ululatus filiorum Israel, quoniam iniquam fecerunt viam suam, obliti sunt Domini Dei sui.

 22 Return, you rebellious children, and I will heal your rebellions. Behold we come to thee: for thou art the Lord our God.
Convertimini, filii revertentes, et sanabo aversiones vestras. Ecce nos venimus ad te : tu enim es Dominus Deus noster.

 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.
Vere mendaces erant colles et multitudo montium : vere in Domino Deo nostro salus Israel.

 24 Confusion hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Confusio comedit laborem patrum nostrorum ab adolescentia nostra, greges eorum, et armenta eorum, filios eorum, et filias eorum.

 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 the Lord our God.
Dormiemus in confusione nostra, et operiet nos ignominia nostra, quoniam Domino Deo nostro peccavimus nos, et patres nostri, ab adolescentia nostra usque ad diem hanc, et non audivimus vocem Domini Dei nostri.