She will still chase after her lovers. But she won’t catch them. She’ll look for them. But she won’t find them. Then she’ll say,‘ I’ll go back to my husband. That’s where I was at first. I was better off then than I am now.’

她必追随所爱的，却追不上；她必寻找他们，却寻不见，便说：‘我要归回前夫，因我那时的光景比如今还好。’

以致她追随所爱的人，却追不上，寻找他们，却寻不着，就说：“我要回到前夫那里去，因我那时比现在还好。”

以致她追随所爱的人，却追不上，寻找他们，却寻不着，就说：“我要回到前夫那里去，因我那时比现在还好。”

她要追随情人，却追不上；寻找情人，却找不到。于是，她说，‘我倒不如回到丈夫身边，我从前的光景比现在还好。’

她要追赶她那些爱人，却追不上；要寻找他们，却找不着。她就说：‘我要回去，回到前夫那里，因为从前比现在好得多了。’

她必追隨所愛的，卻追不上；她必尋找他們，卻尋不見，便說：我要歸回前夫，因我那時的光景比如今還好。

以致她追隨所愛的人，卻追不上，尋找他們，卻尋不着，就說：「我要回到前夫那裏去，因我那時比現在還好。」

以致她追隨所愛的人，卻追不上，尋找他們，卻尋不着，就說：「我要回到前夫那裏去，因我那時比現在還好。」

她要追隨情人，卻追不上；尋找情人，卻找不到。於是，她說，『我倒不如回到丈夫身邊，我從前的光景比現在還好。』

她要追趕她那些愛人，卻追不上；要尋找他們，卻找不著。她就說：‘我要回去，回到前夫那裡，因為從前比現在好得多了。’

她必追逐她的愛人，卻追不上；她必尋找他們，卻尋不見；便說：「我要去，回歸我的前夫，因為我那時的光景比如今還好。」

彼追情人而不及、尋之而不遇、則曰、我將歸我故夫、彼日之況、較今日尤美也、

彼欲從所懽、而不能、遍索弗得、遂曰我憶昔所懽、其贈余者、多於今日、故必歸之、

彼追隨愛之者不得及、尋之不遇、遂曰、不如歸就前夫、我昔時景況、佳於今日、

She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say,‘ I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’

She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say,‘ I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’

When she runs after her lovers, she won’t be able to catch them. She will search for them but not find them. Then she will think,‘ I might as well return to my husband, for I was better off with him than I am now.’

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will think,“ I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now.”

And she will pursue her lovers, but she will not reach them; And she will seek them, but will not find them. Then she will say,‘ I will go back to my first husband, Because it was better for me then than now!’

She will chase her lovers, But not overtake them; Yes, she will seek them, but not find them. Then she will say,‘ I will go and return to my first husband, For then it was better for me than now.’

And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.

She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will think,“ I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now.”

And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find[ them]: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then[ was it] better with me than now.

Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch them; she will seek them, but she will not find them. Then she will say,“ I will go back to my husband, because I was better off then than I am now.”

She will follow after her lovers, but she won’t overtake them; and she will seek them, but won’t find them. Then she will say,‘ I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now.’

“ Go. Announce my message to the people in Jerusalem. I want everyone to hear it. Tell them,“ Here is what the Lord says.“‘ I remember how faithful you were to me when you were young. You loved me as if you were my bride. You followed me through the desert. Nothing had been planted there.

“ The people of Ephraim saw how sick they were. The people of Judah saw that they were wounded. Then Ephraim turned to Assyria for help. They sent gifts to the great King Tiglath- Pileser. But he is not able to make you well. He can’t heal your wounds.

I fed them until they were satisfied. Then they became proud. They forgot all about me.

Do any of the worthless gods of the nations bring rain? Do the skies send down showers all by themselves? No. Lord our God, you send the rain. So we put our hope in you. You are the one who does all these things.

The older sister was named Oholah. The younger one was Oholibah. They belonged to me. Sons and daughters were born to them. Oholah stands for Samaria. And Oholibah stands for Jerusalem.

Why do you keep on changing your ways so much? Assyria did not help you. And Egypt will not help you either.So you will also leave Egypt with your hands tied together above your heads. I have turned my back on those you trust. They will not help you.“ Suppose a man divorces his wife. What if she then marries another man? Should her first husband return to her again? If he does, won’t the land become completely‘ unclean’? People of Israel, you have lived like a prostitute. You have loved many other gods. So do you think you can return to me now?” announces the Lord.

They go down to Egypt without asking me for advice. They look to Pharaoh to help them. They ask Egypt to keep them safe.But looking to Pharaoh will only bring them shame. Asking Egypt for help will bring them dishonor.

Then where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come when you are in trouble! Let them save you if they can! Judah, you have as many gods as you have towns.

It will not be like the covenant I made with their people of long ago. That was when I took them by the hand. I led them out of Egypt. But they broke my covenant. They did it even though I was like a husband to them,” announces the Lord.

You said,‘ No. We’ll escape on horses.’ So you will have to escape! You said,‘ We’ll ride off on fast horses.’ So those who chase you will use faster horses!

You will be driven away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass just as an ox does. Seven periods of time will pass by for you. Then you will recognize that the Most High God rules over all kingdoms on earth. He gives them to anyone he wants.”

So the Lord and King says,“ Oholibah, I will stir up your lovers against you. You became sick of them. You turned away from them. But I will bring them against you from every side.

How terrible it will be for those who go down to Egypt for help! How terrible for those who depend on horses! They trust in how many chariots they have. They trust in how strong their horsemen are. But they don’t look to the Holy One of Israel. They don’t ask the Lord for his help.He too is wise. He can bring horrible trouble. He does what he says he’ll do. He’ll rise up against that evil nation. He’ll fight against those who help them.The men of Egypt are only human beings. They aren’t God. Their horses are only flesh and blood. They aren’t spirits. The Lord will reach out his powerful hand to punish everyone. The Egyptians provide help. But they will be tripped up. The people of Judah receive the help. But they will fall down. All of them will be destroyed.

Your people captured cities that had high walls around them. They also took over the rich land in Canaan. They took houses filled with all kinds of good things. They took over wells that had already been dug. They took many vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees. They ate until they were very full and satisfied. They were filled with joy because you were so good to them.“ But they didn’t obey you. Instead, they turned against you. They turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets. The prophets had warned them to return to you. But they did very evil things that dishonored you.

The Lord made them ride on the highest places in the land. He fed them what grew in the fields. He gave them the sweetest honey. He fed them olive oil from a rocky hillside.He gave them butter and milk from the herds and flocks. He fed them the fattest lambs and goats. He gave them the best of Bashan’s rams. He fed them the finest wheat. They drank the bubbling red juice of grapes.When Israel grew fat, they became stubborn. When they were filled with food, they became fat and heavy. They left the God who made them. They turned away from the Rock who saved them.

“ 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.

Tiglath- Pileser came to Ahaz. But he gave Ahaz trouble instead of help. Tiglath- Pileser was king of Assyria.Ahaz took some things from the Lord’ s temple. He also took some from the royal palace and from the officials. He gave all of them to the king of Assyria. But that didn’t help Ahaz.When King Ahaz was in trouble, he became even more unfaithful to the Lord.

The Lord says,“ Your wound can’t be cured. Your pain can’t be healed.No one will stand up for you. There isn’t any medicine for your sore. There isn’t any healing for you.All those who were going to help you have forgotten you. They do not care about you. I have struck you as if I were your enemy. I have punished you as if I were very mean. That is because your guilt is so great. You have sinned so much.Why do you cry out about your wound? Your pain can’t be healed. Your guilt is very great. And you have committed many sins. That is why I have done all these things to you.

“ The days are coming,” announces the Lord.“ At that time the people of Israel and Judah will gather together. They will come in tears to me. I am the Lord their God.They will ask how to get to Zion. Then they will turn their faces toward it. They will come and join themselves to me. They will enter into the covenant I make with them. It will last forever. It will never be forgotten.

I said to myself,“ Be calm. The Lord has been good to me.”

Israel, return to the Lord your God. Your sins have destroyed you!

“‘ “Later, I was passing by again. I looked at you. I saw that you were old enough for love. So I married you and took good care of you. I covered your naked body. I made a firm promise to you. I entered into a covenant with you. And you became mine,” announces the Lord and King.

I will go back to my lion’s den. I will stay there until they pay the price for their sin. Then they will turn to me. They will suffer so much that they will really want me to help them.”The people say,“ Come. Let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces. But he will heal us. He has wounded us. But he’ll bandage our wounds.

You might say to yourself,“ My power and my strong hands have made me rich.”But remember the Lord your God. He gives you the ability to produce wealth. That shows he stands by the terms of the covenant he made with you. He promised it to your people of long ago. And he’s still faithful to his covenant today.

You put your beautiful clothes on them. You offered my oil and incense to them.

“‘ “You say,‘ We want to be like the other nations. We want to be like all the other people in the world. They serve gods made out of wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen.

“ 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.The gods we worship on the hills and mountains are useless. You are the Lord our God. You are the only one who can save us.From our earliest years shameful gods have harmed us. They have eaten up everything our people of long ago worked for. They have eaten up our flocks and herds. They’ve destroyed our sons and daughters.Let us lie down in our shame. Let our dishonor cover us. You are the Lord our God. But we have sinned against you. We and our people of long ago have sinned. We haven’t obeyed you from our earliest years until now.”

Let’s take a good look at the way we’re living. Let’s return to the Lord.Let’s lift up our hands to God in heaven. Let’s pray to him with all our hearts.Let’s say,“ We have sinned. We’ve refused to obey you. And you haven’t forgiven us.

“‘ The decision is announced by holy messengers. So all who are alive will know that the Most High God is King. He rules over all kingdoms on earth. He gives them to anyone he wants. Sometimes he puts the least important people in charge of them.’

The Lord your God will bring you into the land of Canaan. He gave his word. He promised he would give the land to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The land has large, wealthy cities you didn’t build.It has houses filled with all kinds of good things you didn’t provide. The land has wells you didn’t dig. And it has vineyards and groves of olive trees you didn’t plant. You will have plenty to eat.But be careful that you don’t forget the Lord. Remember that he brought you out of Egypt. That’s the land where you were slaves.

You will be driven away from people. You will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass just as an ox does. You will become wet with the dew of heaven. Seven periods of time will pass by for you. Then you will recognize that the Most High God rules over all kingdoms on earth. He gives them to anyone he wants.

“ Then he began to think clearly again. He said,‘ How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough food! But here I am dying from hunger!I will get up and go back to my father. I will say to him,“ Father, I have sinned against heaven. And I have sinned against you.I am no longer fit to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’So he got up and went to his father.“ While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him. He was filled with tender love for his son. He ran to him. He threw his arms around him and kissed him.

He was driven away from people. He was given the mind of an animal. He lived with the wild donkeys. He ate grass just as an ox does. His body became wet with the dew of heaven. He stayed that way until he recognized that the Most High God rules over all kingdoms on earth. He puts anyone he wants to in charge of them.