Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, September 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Jeremiah 3:14

The Lord says, "You people are unfaithful, but come back to me because I am your master. I will take one person from every city and two people from every family and bring you to Zion.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backsliders;   Church;   Condescension of God;   God Continued...;   Husband;   Israel, Prophecies Concerning;   Jesus, the Christ;   Marriage;   Repentance;   Thompson Chain Reference - Marriage;   The Topic Concordance - Covenant;   Israel/jews;   Jerusalem;   Shepherds/pastors;   Turning;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Backsliding;   Conversion;   Marriage;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Solomon's Song;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Idol;   Israel;   Marriage;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Backsliding;   Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Marriage;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Adultery ;   Turning;   Worldliness;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Backslider;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Ammi;   Husband;   Jeremiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Marriage;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Backslide;   Children of God;   Divorce in Old Testament;   Envy;   Ezekiel;   Husband;   Jeremiah (2);   Number;   Repentance;   Zion;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Conversion to Christianity;   Elisha ben Abuyah;   Forgiveness;   God, Children of;   Numbers and Numerals;   Reverts, Admission of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“‘Return, you faithless children—this is the Lord’s declaration—for I am your master, and I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
Hebrew Names Version
Return, backsliding children, says the LORD; for I am a husband to you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Tziyon:
King James Version
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord ; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
English Standard Version
Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord ; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
New American Standard Bible
'Return, you faithless sons,' declares the LORD; 'For I am a master to you, And I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, And bring you to Zion.'
New Century Version
"Come back to me, you unfaithful children," says the Lord , "because I am your master. I will take one person from every city and two from every family group, and I will bring you to Jerusalem.
Amplified Bible
'Return, O faithless children [of the twelve tribes],' says the LORD, 'For I am a master and husband to you, And I will take you [not as a nation, but individually]—one from a city and two from a [tribal] family— And I will bring you to Zion.'
World English Bible
Return, backsliding children, says Yahweh; for I am a husband to you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Geneva Bible (1587)
O yee disobedient children, turne againe, sayeth the Lorde, for I am your Lorde, and I will take you one of a citie, and two of a tribe and wil bring you to Zion,
Legacy Standard Bible
‘Return, O faithless sons,' declares Yahweh;‘For I am a master to you,And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,And I will bring you to Zion.'
Berean Standard Bible
"Return, O faithless children," declares the LORD, "for I am your master, and I will take you-one from a city and two from a family-and bring you to Zion.
Contemporary English Version
You are unfaithful children, but you belong to me. Come home! I'll take one or two of you from each town and clan and bring you to Zion.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Return, backsliding children," says Adonai ; "for I am your master. I will take you, one from a city, two from a family, and bring you to Tziyon.
Darby Translation
Return, backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you, and I will take you, one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
George Lamsa Translation
Repent, O backsliding children, says the LORD; for I was pleased with you; and took one person of you from every town and two from every family, and I brought you to Zion.
Good News Translation
"Unfaithful people, come back; you belong to me. I will take one of you from each town and two from each clan, and I will bring you back to Mount Zion.
Lexham English Bible
"Return, apostate children," declares Yahweh. "For I am your master, and I will take you one from a city and two from a clan, and I will bring you to Zion.
Literal Translation
Return, O apostate sons, declares Jehovah; for I am Lord over you. And I will take you, one from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O ye shrenkinge children, turne agayne, saieth the LORDE, and I wilbe maried with you. For I will take one out of the citie and two out of one generacion from amoge you, and bringe you out of Sion:
American Standard Version
Return, O backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
Bible in Basic English
Come back, O children who are turned away, says the Lord; for I am a husband to you, and I will take you, one from a town and two from a family, and will make you come to Zion;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Return, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am a lord unto you, and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion;
King James Version (1611)
Turne, O backesliding children, saith the Lord, for I am maried vnto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I wil bring you to Zion.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
O ye disobedient childre, turne againe saith the Lorde, and I wyll be maryed with you: for I wyll take one out of the citie, and two out of one generation from among you, and bryng you into Sion,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Turn, ye children that have revolted, saith the Lord; for I will rule over you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you in to Sion:
English Revised Version
Return, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am a husband unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Be ye conuertid, sones, turnynge ayen, seith the Lord, for Y am youre hosebonde; and Y schal take you oon of a citee, and tweyne of a kynrede, and Y schal lede you in to Sion;
Update Bible Version
Return, O backsliding sons, says Yahweh; for I am a husband to you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Webster's Bible Translation
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married to you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
New English Translation
"Come back to me, my wayward sons," says the Lord , "for I am your true master. If you do, 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.
New King James Version
"Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
New Living Translation
"Return home, you wayward children," says the Lord , "for I am your master. I will bring you back to the land of Israel— one from this town and two from that family— from wherever you are scattered.
New Life Bible
‘Return, O sons who are not faithful,' says the Lord. ‘For you belong to Me. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.'
New Revised Standard
Return, O faithless children, says the Lord , for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Return, ye apostate sons, Urgeth Yahweh, for, I, am become your husband, - therefore will I take you one of a city, and two of a family, and will bring you to Zion;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Return, O ye revolting children, saith the Lord: for I am your I husband: and I will take you, one of a city, and two of a kindred, and will bring you into Sion.
Revised Standard Version
Return, O faithless children, says the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.
Young's Literal Translation
Turn back, O backsliding sons, An affirmation of Jehovah. For I have ruled over you, And taken you one of a city, and two of a family, And have brought you to Zion,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Return, O faithless sons,' declares the LORD; 'For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.'

Contextual Overview

12 Jeremiah, look toward the north and speak this message: "‘Come back, you faithless people of Israel.' This message is from the Lord . ‘I will stop frowning at you. I am full of mercy.' The Lord says, ‘I will not be angry with you forever. 13 But you must recognize your sin. You turned against the Lord your God. That is your sin. You worshiped the idols of other nations. You worshiped them under every green tree. You did not obey me.'" This message is from the Lord . 14 The Lord says, "You people are unfaithful, but come back to me because I am your master. I will take one person from every city and two people from every family and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you new rulers who will be faithful to me. They will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days there will be many of you in the land." This message is from the Lord . "At that time people will never again say, ‘I remember the days when we had the Box of the Lord 's Agreement.' They will not even think about the Holy Box anymore. They will not even remember or miss it. They will never make another Holy Box. 17 At that time the city of Jerusalem will be called the ‘ Lord 's Throne.' All nations will come together in the city of Jerusalem to give honor to the name of the Lord . They will not follow their stubborn, evil hearts anymore. 18 In those days the family of Judah will join the family of Israel. They will come together from a land in the north to the land I gave to their ancestors." 19This message is from the Lord : "I want to treat you like my own children. I want to give you a pleasant land, a land more beautiful than any other nation. I thought you would call me ‘Father.' I thought you would always follow me. But you have been unfaithful to me, family of Israel! You have been like an unfaithful wife who leaves her husband. <

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

O backsliding: Jeremiah 2:19

for I am married: Jeremiah 3:1, Jeremiah 3:8, Jeremiah 2:2, Jeremiah 31:32, Isaiah 54:5, Hosea 2:19, Hosea 2:20

one of a city: Jeremiah 23:3, Jeremiah 31:8-10, Isaiah 1:9, Isaiah 6:13, Isaiah 10:22, Isaiah 11:11, Isaiah 11:12, Isaiah 17:6, Isaiah 24:13-15, Ezekiel 34:11-14, Zechariah 13:7-9, Romans 9:27, Romans 11:4-6

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 7:6 - We have sinned Nehemiah 1:9 - will bring Psalms 87:3 - Glorious Proverbs 1:23 - Turn Isaiah 27:12 - ye shall be Isaiah 31:6 - Turn Isaiah 43:6 - bring Isaiah 62:4 - Beulah Jeremiah 4:1 - return Jeremiah 11:15 - my Jeremiah 23:4 - I Jeremiah 31:21 - O Jeremiah 31:22 - backsliding Jeremiah 35:15 - Return Jeremiah 49:4 - O backsliding Hosea 2:16 - Ishi Hosea 12:6 - turn Zephaniah 2:3 - Seek ye

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
The snake was the most clever of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. The snake spoke to the woman and said, "Woman, did God really tell you that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?"
Genesis 3:15
I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. You will bite her child's foot, but he will crush your head."
Genesis 3:20
Adam named his wife Eve. He gave her this name because Eve would be the mother of everyone who ever lived.
Genesis 9:6
"God made humans to be like himself. So whoever kills a person must be killed by another person.
Leviticus 20:25
So you must treat clean animals differently from unclean animals. You must also treat clean birds differently from unclean birds. Don't eat any of these unclean birds or animals or things that crawl on the ground. I have made these things unclean.
Psalms 72:9
May all the people living in the desert bow down to him. May all his enemies bow before him with their faces in the dirt.
Isaiah 29:4
You will be pulled to the ground. Your voice will rise from the ground like the voice of a ghost. Your words come like a whisper from the dirt."
Isaiah 65:25
Wolves and little lambs will eat together. Lions will eat hay like cattle, and snakes will eat only dust. They will not hurt or destroy each other on my holy mountain." This is what the Lord said.
Micah 7:17
They will crawl in the dust like a snake. They will shake with fear. They will be like insects crawling from their holes in the ground and coming to the Lord our God. God, they will fear and respect you!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord,.... All of them were children by national adoption, and some by special grace, and yet "backsliders", O monstrous ingratitude! "backsliders", and yet "children", still the relation continues, O marvellous grace! God's own children may backslide, and often do; either in heart, when love waxes cold, faith declines, zeal wanting; when they get into a carnal sleepy frame of spirit, and have not that quick sense of sin, and of duty, as heretofore: or in practice, when private prayer is restrained; public worship is neglected; get into bad company, and fall into gross sins; all which is owing to the prevalence of indwelling sin, the force of Satan's temptations, and the enticing snares of the world; but God will not leave them, he calls unto them again and again to turn unto him by repentance, and to doing their first works; which calls, at length, through powerful grace, become effectual; see Jeremiah 3:22 and the arguments used to engage to it follow,

for I am married unto you; in a civil sense as a nation, Jeremiah 31:32, and in a spiritual sense to a remnant of them; Christ is the bridegroom, the church is the bride, which he has secretly betrothed to himself in eternity; openly in time, at the conversion of everyone of them; and will more publicly at the last day, when all are gathered in and prepared for him. This relation, as it is a very near one, so it is very astonishing, considering the disparity between the two parties, and it always continues; love, the bond of it, never alters; the covenant, in which this transaction is carried on, is ever sure; and Christ always behaves agreeably to it; wherefore it is base ingratitude to backslide; and reason there is sufficient why his backsliding spouse should return to him. The Septuagint version is, "because I will rule over you." agreeable to which is Jarchi's note,

"because I am your Lord, and it is not for my glory, (or honour) to leave you in the hand of enemies.''

Kimchi's father interprets the word used by קצתי, "I loath you", or I am weary of you; the reverse of which is the Targum,

"for I am well pleased with you;''

and so the Syriac version, "I delight in you"; which carries in it a much more engaging argument to return, and agrees with what follows:

and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family: or tribe, or country; for sometimes a whole country is called a family, as in Jeremiah 1:15 and here it must design more than a city; for otherwise there are many families in a city; the meaning is, according to Kimchi, that though there may be but one Jew in a city of the Gentiles, or two only in a nation, the Lord would take them from thence; and, according to others, that though one or two, or a few, here and there one of the backsliders, should return to him by true repentance, he would receive them graciously; the smallness of their number would be no objection to him; which is a sense not to be despised: but the phrase seems to denote the distinguishing grace of God to his people; which appears in the choice of them in his Son; the redemption of them by him; and the sanctification of them by his Spirit; and very few are the objects of his grace, as it were one of a city, and two of a tribe; however, they shall none of them be lost, notwithstanding their backslidings, to which they are bent: for it is added,

and I will bring you to Zion; to the church of God here, a Gospel church state, whither to come is the great privilege of the saints,

Hebrews 12:22 and to the Zion above, the heavenly state, where all the chosen and ransomed, and sanctified ones, shall come, with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads, Isaiah 35:10 and all as the fruit of distinguishing and efficacious grace.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Children ... married - The twofold relationship gives a double certainty of acceptance. As children, they were sure of a father’s love, as a wife they might hope for a revival of past affection from the husband of their youth.

One of a city, and two of a family - The family (in Hebrew) is far larger than a city, as it embraces all the descendants of a common ancestor. Thus, the tribe of Judah was divided into only four or five families. However national the apostasy, it does not involve in its guilt the few who are faithful, and the promises are still their rightful possession.

To Zion - To the true Church. The fulfillment of the promise began with the return to Palestine after the Babylonian exile, but is complete only in Christianity.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 3:14. I will take you one of a city, and two of a family — If there should be but one of a city left, or one willing to return, and two only of a whole tribe, yet will I receive these, and bring them back from captivity into their own land. I have heard these words most sinfully applied to show the nature of a fancied eternal decree of election, that has appointed in several cases one only out of a whole city, and two out of a whole family, to be eternally saved, leaving the rest, according to the decree of reprobation, to perish everlastingly! And yet these persons, who spoke thus of the Fountain of eternal goodness and mercy, professed to believe in Him who by the grace of God tasted death for every man.


 
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