Jeremías 3:15-25

15 Y les daré pastores conforme a mi propio corazón,
que los guiarán con conocimiento y entendimiento.

16 »”Cuando una vez más la tierra se llene de gente —dice el Señor
—, ya no desearán más ‘los viejos tiempos’ cuando poseían el arca del pacto del Señor
. No extrañarán aquellos días, ni siquiera los recordarán y no habrá necesidad de reconstruir el arca.

17 En aquel día, Jerusalén será conocida como ‘el Trono del Señor
’. Todas las naciones acudirán a Jerusalén para honrar al Señor
. Ya no seguirán tercamente sus propios malos deseos.

18 En aquellos días la gente de Judá y la gente de Israel volverán juntas del destierro del norte. Regresarán a la tierra que les di a sus antepasados como herencia perpetua.

19 »”Me dije a mí mismo:
‘¡Cómo quisiera tratarlos como a mis propios hijos!’.
Solo quería darles esta hermosa tierra,
la posesión más maravillosa del mundo.
Esperaba con anhelo que me llamaran ‘Padre’,
y quise que nunca se alejaran de mí.

20 Sin embargo, me fuiste infiel, ¡pueblo de Israel!
Has sido como una esposa infiel que deja a su marido.
Yo, el Señor
, he hablado”».

21 Se escuchan voces en las alturas de las montañas desoladas,
el llanto y las súplicas del pueblo de Israel.
Pues han escogido caminos torcidos
y se han olvidado del Señor
su Dios.

22 «Vuelvan a mí, hijos descarriados —dice el Señor
—,
y les sanaré el corazón extraviado».
«Sí, ya vamos —responde el pueblo—,
porque tú eres el Señor
nuestro Dios.

23 Nuestro culto a ídolos en las colinas
y nuestras orgías religiosas en las montañas
son una falsa ilusión.
Solo en el Señor
nuestro Dios
encontrará Israel salvación.

24 Desde la niñez hemos visto
cómo todo aquello por lo que trabajaron nuestros antepasados
—sus ganados y rebaños, sus hijos e hijas—
se despilfarraba en una falsa ilusión.

25 Echémonos al suelo llenos de vergüenza
y cubiertos de deshonra,
porque tanto nosotros como nuestros antepasados hemos pecado
contra el Señor
nuestro Dios.
Desde la niñez hasta el día de hoy
nunca lo hemos obedecido».

Jeremías 3:15-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 3

In this chapter the sins of the people of Israel and Judah are exposed; particularly their idolatry, signified by playing the harlot; which is aggravated by the number of lovers or idols they had worshipped; by the many places where they had committed it; by their impudence in doing it; and by the bad consequence of it, showers of rain being withheld from them on that account, Jer 3:1-3 and the grace of God towards them is abundantly declared by frequent calls unto them to repent and turn to him, and this after putting them away, which is not usual, Jer 3:1,8, the Lord expostulates with them, and puts words into their mouths, what they should say to him, even after they had spoken and done as evil things as they could, Jer 3:4,5 the sin of Judah is particularly aggravated, by having seen what Israel, or the ten tribes, had done; their impenitence, notwithstanding the divine call; their going into captivity for their sin; and yet all this had no effect on Judah, to restrain them from the like sins, and to engage them to repentance; so that, of the two, the men of Judah were most to blame, Jer 3:6-11, wherefore the prophet is bid to go towards the north, where Babylon lay, and Israel were carried captive, and call upon them to return to the Lord, and proclaim his grace and mercy to them, only insisting upon an acknowledgment of their sins, their idolatry and disobedience, Jer 3:12,13 and next the call to them to return is repeated; to which they are encouraged by observing the relations, they stood in to him, which continued, by promising to bring a remnant of them to Zion, and give them pastors approved of by him, and profitable to them, Jer 3:14,15 which respect Gospel times, and the latter day, when the ceremonial law would be abrogated, Jer 3:16, the Gentiles called, Jer 3:17 and an entire agreement between Judah and Israel, Jer 3:18 and yet the Lord expresses a concern how he should reckon them as his children, and treat them as such, who had behaved so ill towards him; but his grace gets over the difficulties; finds out a way, by putting it into their mouths to call him their Father, and not turn away from him, Jer 3:19 and this, notwithstanding their great treachery to him, perversion of their ways, and forgetfulness of the Lord, Jer 3:20,21, and they are again exhorted to repent and turn, with a promise of healing their backslidings, which has such an effect upon them, as to engage them to come to him, Jer 3:22 acknowledging their salvation is only in him, and not in their idols; and that sin was the cause of all their calamities; and that shame and confusion of face belonged unto them on that account, Jer 3:23-25.