Jeremiah 3:12

The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent

3:12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. ¹  Tell them,

‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. ² 

For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not be angry with you forever.

Jeremiah 4:31

4:31 In fact, ³  I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,

a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.

It is the cry of Daughter Zion ⁴  gasping for breath,

reaching out for help, ⁵  saying, “I am done in! ⁶ 

My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”

Jeremiah 31:32

31:32 It will not be like the old ⁷  covenant that I made with their ancestors ⁸  when I delivered them ⁹  from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,” ¹⁰  says the Lord. ¹¹ 

[3:12]  ¹ tn Heb “Go and proclaim these words to the north.” The translation assumes that the message is directed toward the exiles of northern Israel who have been scattered in the provinces of Assyria to the north.

[3:12]  ² tn Heb “I will not cause my face to fall on you.”

[4:31]  ³ tn The particle כִּי (ki) is more likely asseverative here than causal.

[4:31]  ⁴ sn Jerusalem is personified as a helpless maiden.

[4:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “spreading out her hands.” The idea of asking or pleading for help is implicit in the figure.

[4:31]  ⁶ tn Heb “Woe, now to me!” See the translator’s note on 4:13 for the usage of “Woe to…”

[31:32]  ⁵ tn The word “old” is not in the text but is implicit in the use of the word “new.” It is supplied in the translation for greater clarity.

[31:32]  ⁶ tn Heb “fathers.”

[31:32]  ⁷ tn Heb “when I took them by the hand and led them out.”

[31:32]  ⁸ tn Or “I was their master.” See the study note on 3:14.

[31:32]  ⁹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”