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13 However, you must confess that you have done wrong[a]
and that you have rebelled against the Lord your God.
You must confess[b] that you have given yourself to[c] foreign gods under every green tree
and have not obeyed my commands,’ says the Lord.

14 “Come back to me, my wayward sons,” says the Lord, “for I am your true master.[d] If you do,[e] 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. 15 I will give you leaders[f] who will be faithful to me.[g] They will lead you with knowledge and insight.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 3:13 tn Heb “Only acknowledge your iniquity.”
  2. Jeremiah 3:13 tn The words “You must confess” are repeated to convey the connection. The Hebrew text has an introductory “that” in front of the second line and a coordinative “and” in front of the next two lines.
  3. Jeremiah 3:13 tc MT reads דְּרָכַיִךְ (derakhayikh, “your ways”), but the BHS editors suggest דּוֹדַיִךְ (dodayikh, “your breasts”) as an example of orthographic confusion. While the proposal makes sense, it remains a conjectural emendation since it is not supported by any actual manuscripts or ancient versions.tn Heb “scattered your ways with foreign [gods]” or “spread out your breasts to strangers.”
  4. Jeremiah 3:14 tn Or “I am your true husband.”sn 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.
  5. Jeremiah 3:14 tn The words “If you do” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection of the Hebrew verb with the preceding.
  6. Jeremiah 3:15 tn Heb “shepherds.”
  7. Jeremiah 3:15 tn Heb “after/according to my [own] heart.”