People of Israel, return to the Lord. He’s the God you have so strongly opposed.

以色列人哪，你们深深地悖逆耶和华，现今要归向他。

以色列人哪，要归向你们严重悖逆的那一位！

以色列人哪，要归向你们严重悖逆的那一位！

以色列人啊，你们曾经严重地悖逆耶和华，现在归向祂吧！

以色列人哪！你们要回转，归向那曾被你们（“你们”直译是“他们”）彻底背弃的耶和华。（本节或译“你们要回转，归向那曾被以色列人彻底背弃的耶和华。”）

以色列子孙哪，你们要回转归向你们曾严重反叛的那一位！

以色列人哪，你們深深地悖逆耶和華，現今要歸向他。

以色列人哪，要歸向你們嚴重悖逆的那一位！

以色列人哪，要歸向你們嚴重悖逆的那一位！

以色列人啊，你們曾經嚴重地悖逆耶和華，現在歸向祂吧！

以色列人哪！你們要回轉，歸向那曾被你們（“你們”直譯是“他們”）徹底背棄的耶和華。（本節或譯“你們要回轉，歸向那曾被以色列人徹底背棄的耶和華。”）

以色列人必回轉歸向他們所深深叛逆的永恆主。

以色列子孫哪，你們要回轉歸向你們曾嚴重反叛的那一位！

以色列人歟、昔爾逆之已甚、今其歸之、

爾曹以色列族昔日違我、今當歸誠、

以色列人歟、爾曹悖逆主特甚、務當歸之、

Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against.

Turn to him from whom people have deeply revolted, O children of Israel.

Though you are such wicked rebels, my people, come and return to the Lord.

Return to the one the Israelites have greatly rebelled against.

Return to Him against whom you have been profoundly obstinate, you sons of Israel.

Return to Him against whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

Turn ye unto him from whom ye have deeply revolted, O children of Israel.

Return to the One the Israelites have greatly rebelled against.

Turn ye unto[ him from] whom the children of Israel have deeply revolted.

You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled!

Return to him from whom you have deeply revolted, children of Israel.

“ You people have not been faithful,” announces the Lord.“ Return to me. I am your husband. I will choose one of you from each town. I will choose two from each territory. And I will bring you to the city of Zion.

In spite of all this, their sister nation Judah did not come back to me. They were not faithful to me either. They did not return with all their heart. They only pretended to,” announces the Lord.

Let those who are evil stop doing evil things. And let them quit thinking evil thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord. The Lord will show them his tender love. Let them turn to our God. He is always ready to forgive.

“ You have not been faithful,” says the Lord.“ Return to me. I will heal you. Then you will not turn away from me anymore.”“ Yes,” the people say.“ We will come to you. You are the Lord our God.

So turn away from your sins. Turn to God. Then your sins will be wiped away. The time will come when the Lord will make everything new.

How terrible it will be for people who try hard to hide their plans from the Lord! They do their work in darkness. They think,“ Who sees us? Who will know?”

First I preached to people in Damascus. Then I preached in Jerusalem and in all Judea. And then I preached to the Gentiles. I told them to turn away from their sins to God. The way they live must show that they have turned away from their sins.

And that’s not all. The people and all the leaders of the priests became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the practices of the nations. The Lord hated those practices. The people and leaders made the Lord’ s temple“ unclean.” The Lord had set the temple in Jerusalem apart in a special way for himself.

But you people have stubborn hearts. You refuse to obey me. You have turned away from me. You have gone astray.

“ I have heard the groans of Ephraim’s people. They say,‘ You corrected us like a calf you were training. And we have been trained. Bring us back to you, and we will come back. You are the Lord our God.After we wandered away from you, we turned away from our sins. After we learned our lesson, we beat our chests in sorrow. We were full of shame. What we did when we were young brought dishonor on us.’Aren’t the people of Ephraim my dear children? Aren’t they the children I take delight in? I often speak against them. But I still remember them. So my heart longs for them. I love them with a tender love,” announces the Lord.

You have sunk very deep into sin, just as your people did at Gibeah long ago. God will remember the evil things they have done. He will punish them for their sins.

But Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray. They did more evil things than the nations the Lord had destroyed to make room for the Israelites.The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people. But they didn’t pay any attention to him.So the Lord brought the army commanders of the king of Assyria against them. They took Manasseh as a prisoner. They put a hook in his nose. They put him in bronze chains. And they took him to Babylon.When Manasseh was in trouble, he asked the Lord his God to help him. He made himself very humble in the sight of the God of his people.Manasseh prayed to him. When he did, the Lord felt sorry for him. He answered his prayer. The Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.After that, Manasseh rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David. It was west of the Gihon spring in the valley. It reached all the way to the entrance of the Fish Gate. It went around the entire hill of Ophel. Manasseh also made the wall much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the cities in Judah that had high walls around them.Manasseh got rid of the false gods. He removed the statue of one of those gods from the Lord’ s temple. He also removed all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem. He threw them out of the city.Then he made the Lord’ s altar look like new again. He sacrificed friendship offerings and thank offerings on it. He told the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel.

Israel, return to the Lord your God. Your sins have destroyed you!Tell the Lord you are turning away from your sins. Return to him. Say to him,“ Forgive us for all our sins. Please be kind to us. Welcome us back to you. Then our lips will offer you our praise.Assyria can’t save us. We won’t trust in our war horses. Our own hands have made statues of gods. But we will never call them our gods again. We are like children whose fathers have died. But you show us your tender love.”

The Lord announces to his people,“ Return to me with all your heart. There is still time. Do not eat any food. Weep and mourn.”Don’t just tear your clothes to show how sad you are. Let your hearts be broken. Return to the Lord your God. He is gracious. He is tender and kind. He is slow to get angry. He is full of love. He won’t bring his judgment. He won’t destroy you.

You have not heard or understood what I said. Your ears have been plugged up for a long time. I knew very well that you would turn against me. From the day you were born, you have refused to obey me.

How terrible it will be for this sinful nation! They are loaded down with guilt. They are people who do nothing but evil. They are children who are always sinning. They have deserted the Lord. They have turned against the Holy One of Israel. They have turned their backs on him.Israel, why do you want to be beaten all the time? Why do you always refuse to obey the Lord? Your head is covered with wounds. Your whole heart is weak.