Jer 3:1-4, 12-14, 31:20, Mic 7:18-20, Zec 1:16, Luk 1:54-55 | ESV | STEP | If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted ? You have played the whore with many lovers ; and would you return to me? declares the Lord .

1 ^a“If ^{▼▼Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew Saying, “If} a man divorces his wife
and she goes from him
and becomes another man’s wife,
will he return to her?
^cWould not that land be greatly polluted?
^dYou have played the whore with many lovers;
and would you return to me?

declares the Lord.
2 Lift up your eyes to ^ethe bare heights, and see!
Where have you not been ravished?
^fBy the waysides you have sat awaiting lovers
like an Arab in the wilderness.
^gYou have polluted the land
with your vile whoredom.
3 ^hTherefore the showers have been withheld,
and the spring rain has not come;
yet you have ⁱthe forehead of a whore;
you refuse to be ashamed.
4 Have you not just now ^jcalled to me,
‘My father, you are the friend of my youth—

Jeremiah 3:12-14

12 Go, and proclaim these words toward ^kthe north, and say,

^l“‘Return, faithless Israel,

declares the Lord.
I will not look on you in anger,
for ^mI am merciful,

declares the Lord;
ⁿI will not be angry forever.
13 ^oOnly acknowledge your guilt,
that you rebelled against the Lord your God
and scattered your favors among foreigners under ^pevery green tree,
and that you have not obeyed my voice,

declares the Lord.
14 ^qReturn, O faithless children,

declares the Lord;
^rfor I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.

Jeremiah 31:20

20 ^sIs Ephraim my dear son?
^tIs he my darling child?
For as often as I speak against him,
I do remember him still.
^uTherefore my heart ^{▼▼Hebrew bowels} yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him,

declares the Lord.

Micah 7:18-20

God’s Steadfast Love and Compassion

18 ^wWho is a God like you, ^xpardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
^yfor the remnant of his inheritance?
^zHe does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
19 He will ^aaagain have compassion on us;
^abhe will tread our iniquities underfoot.
^acYou will cast all our ^{▼▼Hebrew their} sins
into the depths of the sea.
20 ^aeYou will show faithfulness to Jacob
and steadfast love to Abraham,
^afas you have sworn to our fathers
from the days of old.

Zechariah 1:16

16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, ^agI have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; ^ahmy house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and ^aithe measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.

Luke 1:54-55

54 He has ^ajhelped ^akhis servant Israel,
^alin remembrance of his mercy,
55 ^amas he spoke to our fathers,
^anto Abraham and to his offspring forever.”