Jeremiah 3:13-14

3:13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong, ¹ 

and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.

You must confess ²  that you have given yourself to ³  foreign gods under every green tree,

and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.

3:14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master. ⁴  If you do, ⁵  I will take one of you from each town and two of you from each family group, and I will bring you back to Zion.

[3:13]  ¹ tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”

[3:13]  ² tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.

[3:13]  ³ tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (dÿrakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Or “I am your true husband.”

[3:14]  ⁵ tn The words, “If you do” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection of the Hebrew verb with the preceding.