“ 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.

“耶和华说：‘背道的儿女啊，回来吧！因为我作你们的丈夫，并且我必将你们从一城取一人，从一族取两人，带到锡安。

背道的儿女啊，回来吧！这是耶和华说的。因为我作你们的丈夫，要将你们从一城取一人，从一族取两人，带到锡安。

背道的儿女啊，回来吧！这是耶和华说的。因为我作你们的丈夫，要将你们从一城取一人，从一族取两人，带到锡安。

“‘不忠贞的子民啊，回转吧！因为我是你们的主人。我要从你们中间选些人带回锡安，每座城邑或每个宗族选一两个人。’这是耶和华说的。

‘背道的人哪，回转吧！’这是耶和华的宣告。‘因为我才是你们的主。我要每城取一人，每族取二人，把你们带到锡安。

耶和華說：背道的兒女啊，回來吧！因為我作你們的丈夫，並且我必將你們從一城取一人，從一族取兩人，帶到錫安。

背道的兒女啊，回來吧！這是耶和華說的。因為我作你們的丈夫，要將你們從一城取一人，從一族取兩人，帶到錫安。

背道的兒女啊，回來吧！這是耶和華說的。因為我作你們的丈夫，要將你們從一城取一人，從一族取兩人，帶到錫安。

「『不忠貞的子民啊，回轉吧！因為我是你們的主人。我要從你們中間選些人帶回錫安，每座城邑或每個宗族選一兩個人。』這是耶和華說的。

‘背道的人哪，回轉吧！’這是耶和華的宣告。‘因為我才是你們的主。我要每城取一人，每族取二人，把你們帶到錫安。

永恆主發神諭說：轉離正道的兒女啊，轉回來吧！因為我才是你們的夫君；我必將你們從一城取一人，從一族取兩人，將你們帶到錫安。

耶和華曰、悖逆之子、爾其歸哉、我為爾夫、必於爾中、每邑簡一人、每家簡二人、導爾至錫安、

耶和華又曰、爾曹違逆之流、為我所棄、今當歸誠、我必納爾、於城邑中則簡一人、於支派中則簡二人、導至郇山。

主曰、爾曹忤逆之子、歸誠歟、因我乃爾之王、我必收爾歸我、自邑中一人、自族中二人、導至郇城、

“ Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord,“ for I am your husband. I will choose you— one from a town and two from a clan— and bring you to Zion.

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.

“ 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.

“‘ 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.

‘ 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.’

“ 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.

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.

“ 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.

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:

“ 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.

“ Return, backsliding children,” says Yahweh;“ for I am a husband to you. I will take one of you from a city, and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

I will make Israel my own. She will belong to me forever. I will do to her what is right and fair. I will love her tenderly.I will be faithful to her. And she will recognize me as the Lord.

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.

I made you. I am now your husband. My name is the Lord Who Rules Over All. I am the Holy One of Israel. I have set you free. I am the God of the whole earth.

At that time the Lord will reach out his hand. He will gather his people a second time. He will bring back those who are left alive. He’ll bring them back from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt and Cush. He’ll bring them from Elam, Babylon and Hamath. He will also bring them from the islands of the Mediterranean Sea.He will lift up a banner. It will show the nations that he is gathering the people of Israel. He’ll bring back those who had been taken away as prisoners. He’ll gather together the scattered people of Judah. He’ll bring them back from all four directions.

I gave Israel their letter of divorce. I sent them away because they were unfaithful to me so many times. But I saw that their sister nation Judah did not have any respect for me. They were not faithful to me either. They also went out and committed adultery with other gods.

Suppose only a tenth of the people remain there. Even then the land will be completely destroyed again. But when oak trees and terebinth trees are cut down, stumps are left. And my holy people will be like stumps that begin to grow again.”

“ 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.

In the same way, only a few people will be left alive. It will be as when workers knock olives off the trees. Only two or three olives are left on the highest branches. Four or five at most are left on the limbs that produce fruit,” announces the Lord, the God of Israel.

“ My sword, wake up! Attack my shepherd! Attack the man who is close to me,” announces the Lord who rules over all.“ Strike down the shepherd. Then the sheep will be scattered. And I will turn my hand against their little ones.Here is what will happen in the whole land,” announces the Lord.“ Two- thirds of the people will be struck down and die. But one- third will be left.I will put this third in the fire. I will make them as pure as silver. I will test them like gold. They will call out to me. And I will answer them. I will say,‘ They are my people.’ And they will say,‘ The Lord is our God.’ ”

The Lord who rules over all has let some people live through that time of trouble. If he hadn’t, we would have become like Sodom. We would have been like Gomorrah.

“ I myself will gather together those who are left alive in my flock. I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them. And I will bring them back to their own land. There my sheep will have many lambs. There will be many more of them.

“ 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.

Israel, your people might be as many as the grains of sand by the sea. But only a few of them will return. The Lord has handed down a death sentence. He will destroy his people. What he does is right.

I will bring them from the land of the north. I will gather them from one end of the earth to the other. Even those who are blind and those who can’t walk will be among them. Pregnant women and women having their babies will be among them also. Many of them will return.Their eyes will be filled with tears as they come. They will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water. I will lead them on a level path where they will not trip or fall. I am Israel’s father. And Ephraim is my oldest son.“ Listen to my message, you nations. Announce it on shores far away. Say,‘ He who scattered Israel will gather them. He will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’

The Lord and King says,“ I myself will search for my sheep. I will look after them.A shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them. And I will look after my sheep. I will save them from all the places where they were scattered on a dark and cloudy day.I will bring them out from among the nations. I will gather them together from other countries. I will bring them into their own land. There they will eat grass on the mountains and in the valleys. And they will eat in all the fields of Israel.I will take care of them in the best grasslands. They will eat grass on the highest mountains of Israel. There they will lie down in the finest grasslands. They will eat grass in the best places on Israel’s mountains.

That’s how it will be on the earth. And that’s how it will be among the nations. It will be as when workers knock all but a few olives off the trees. It will be like a vine that has only a few grapes left after the harvest.Those who are left alive will shout for joy. People from the west will praise the Lord because he is the King.So give glory to him, you who live in the east. Honor the name of the Lord, you who are in the islands of the sea. He is the God of Israel.

You will be punished because you have sinned. You will be corrected for turning away from me. I am the Lord your God. If you desert me, bad things will happen to you. If you do not respect me, you will suffer bitterly. I want you to understand that,” announces the Lord who rules over all.

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel. He says,“ The number of people from Israel may be like the sand by the sea. But only a few of them will be saved.

How did God answer him? God said,“ I have kept 7,000 people for myself. They have not bowed down to Baal.”( 1 Kings 19:18)Some are also faithful today. They have been chosen by God’s grace.And if they are chosen by grace, then they can’t work for it. If that were true, grace wouldn’t be grace anymore.