rd

Jeremiah 3

God calleth his people vnto repentance. 14 He promiſeth the reſtitucion of his Church. 20 He reproueth Iudáh & Iſraél, comparing them to a woman diſobedient to her houſband.
1.They ſay, If a mã put away his wife, and ſhe go from him, and become another mans, ſhal he returne againe vnto her? ſhal not this land be polluted? but yu haſt plaied the harlot with manie louers: yet turne againe to me, ſaith the Lord.
2.Lift vp thine eies vnto the high places, & beholde, where thou haſt not plaied the harlot: thou haſt ſit waiting for them in the waies, as the Arabian in the wildernes: & yu haſt polluted the land with thy whoredomes, and with thy malice.
3.Therefore the ſhowres haue bene reſtrained, and the latter raine came not, and thou haddeſt a whores forehead: thou woldeſt not be aſhamed.
4.Dideſt thou not ſtil crye vnto me, Thou art my father, & the guide of my youth?
5.Wil he kepe his angre for euer? wil he reſerue it to the end? thus haſt thou ſpoken, but thou doeſt euil, euen more and more.
6.The Lord ſaid alſo vnto me, in the daies of Ioſiáh the King, Haſt thou ſene what this rebel Iſraél hathe done? ſhe hathe gone vp vpon euery high mountaine, and vnder euery grene tre, & there plaied the harlot.
7.And I ſaid, when ſhe had done all this, Turne thou vnto me: but ſhe returned not, as her rebellious ſiſter Iudáh ſawe.
8.When I ſawe, how that by all occaſions rebellious Iſraél had plaied the harlot, I caſt her away, and gaue her a byl of diuorcement: yet her rebellious ſiſter Iudáh was not afrayed, but ſhe went alſo, & plaied the harlot.
9.So that for the lightnes of her whoredome ſhe hathe euen defiled the land: for ſhe hathe committed fornicaciõ with ſtones and ſtockes.
10.Neuertheles for all this, her rebellious ſiſter Iudáh hathe not returned vnto me with her whole heart, but fainedly, ſaith the Lord.
11.And the Lord ſaid vnto me, The rebellious Iſraél hathe iuſtified her ſelf more then the rebellious Iudáh.
12.Go and crye theſe wordes towarde the North and ſaie, Thou diſobedient Iſraél, returne, ſaith the Lord, & I wil not let my wrath fall vpon you: for I am merciful, ſaith the Lord, & I wil not alway kepe mine angre.
13.But knowe thine iniquitie: for thou haſt rebelled againſt the Lord thy God & haſt ſcattered thy waies to the ſtrange gods vnder euerie grene tre, but ye wolde not obeye my voyce, ſaith the Lord.
14.O ye diſobedient childrẽ, turne againe, ſaith the Lord, for I am your Lord, and I wil take you one of a citie, and two of a tribe and wil bring you to Zión,
15.And I wil giue you paſtours according to mine heart, which ſhal fede you with knowledge and vnderſtanding.
16.Moreouer, when ye be increaſed & multiplied in the land, in thoſe daies, ſaith the Lord, thei ſhal ſay no more, The Arke of the couenant of the Lord: for it ſhal come no more to minde, nether ſhal they reméber it, nether ſhal they viſit it, for that ſhalbe no more done.
17.At that time they ſhal call Ieruſalém, The throne of the Lord, & all the nacions ſhalbe gathered vnto it, euen to ye Name of the Lord in Ieruſalém: and thence forthe they ſhal followe no more the hardenes of their wicked heart.
18.In thoſe daies the houſe of Iudáh ſhal walke with the houſe of Iſraél, & thei ſhal come together out of ye land of ye North, into the land, that I haue giuen for an inheritance vnto your fathers.
19.But I ſaid, How did I take thee for children & giue thee a pleaſant land, euen the glorious heritage of the armies of the heathen, and ſaid, Thou ſhalt call me, ſaying, My father, and ſhalt not turne fró me?
20.But as a woman rebelleth againſt her houſbád: ſo haue ye rebelled againſt me, ô houſe of Iſraél, ſaith the Lord.
21.A voyce was heard vpon the hie places, weping and ſupplicacions of the childré of Iſraél: for thei haue peruerted their way, & forgotten the Lord their God.
22.O ye diſobedient children, returne and I wil heale your rebellions. Beholde, we come vnto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.
23.Truely the hope of the hilles is but vaine, nor the multitude of mountaines: but in the Lord our God is the health of Iſraél.
24.For confuſion hath deuoured our fathers labour, from our youth their ſhepe & their bullockes, their ſonnes and their daughters.
25.We lie downe in our confuſion, and our ſhame couereth vs : for we haue ſinned againſt the Lord our God, we and our fathers from our youth: euen vnto this day, & haue not obeied the voyce of the Lord our God.

Notes

1:*.
According as it is writẽ, Deut. 24, 4.
1:b.
If he take ſuche one to wife againe
1:c.
That is, with idoles, & with them, whome thou haſt put thy confidence in
1:d.
And I wil not caſt thee of, but receiue thee, according to my mercie.
2:e.
Which dwelleth in tents & waiteth for thẽ that paſſe by to ſpoyle them
3:f.
As God threatned by his Law, Deut 28, 24
3:g.
Thou woldeſt neuer be aſhamed of thine actes & repent: & this impudencie is cõmune to idolaters, yt wil not giue ouer, thogh they be neuer ſo manifeſtly cõuicted
4:h.
He ſheweth that ye wicked in their miſeries wil crye vnto God and vſe outward praier as the godlie do, but becauſe they turne not frõ their euil, they are not heard, Iſa 1, 15.
6:i.
Meaning, ye ten tribes
8:k.
And gaue her vnto the hands of the Aſſyrians.
9:l.
The Ebrew worde may ether ſignifie lightnes & wãtones, or noiſe and brute.
10:m.
Iudáh fayned for a time as that ſhe did returne, as vnder Ioſiáh and other good Kings, but ſhe was neuer truely touched, or wholy reformed, as appeared when occaſion was offred by any wicked prince
11:n.
Iſraél hathe not declared her ſelf ſo wicked, as Iudáh, which yet hathe had more admonicions and examples to call her to repentance
12:o.
Where as ye Iſraelites were now kept in captiuitie by the Aſſyrians, to whome he promiſeth mercie, if they wil repent.
13:p.
There was no way, which thou dideſt not hante to ſeke after the idoles, and to trot a pilgrimage.
16:q.
This is to be vnderſtand of the comming of Chriſt, for then they ſhal not ſeke the Lord by ceremonies, & all figures ſhal ceaſe.
17:r.
Meaning the Church, where the Lord wil be preſét to the worldes end, Mat. 28, 20.
18:s.
Where they are now in captiuitie.
20:t.
The Ebrewe worde ſignifieth a friéd or companió, & here may be taken for a houſbád, as it is vſed alſo Hoſea.3,1.
21:u.
Signifying, yt God, whome they had forſaken, was to bríg the armies of the heathé captiue and make them to crye and lament.
22:x.
This is ſpoken in the perſone of Iſraél to the ſhame of Iudáh, which ſtaied ſo long to turne vnto God.
23:y.
For their idolatrie Gods vengeance hath light vpon thé & theirs.
24:z.
They iuſtifie not thé ſelues, or ſay yt they wolde follow their fathers, but condemne their wicked doings and deſire forgiuenes of the ſame.
25:*.
Ezra 9. 7. & pſal. 106, 6. iſa. 64, 6.