Jer 3:14 | NETfull | STEP | “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.

Jeremiah 3:14

14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master. ^{▼▼ Or “I am your true husband.”} ^{▼▼ There is a wordplay between the term “true master” and the name of the pagan god Baal. The pronoun “I” is emphatic, creating a contrast between the Lord as Israel’s true master/husband versus Baal as Israel’s illegitimate lover/master. See 2:23–25.} If you do, ^{▼▼ The words, “If you do” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection of the Hebrew verb with the preceding.} 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.