The brow of a harlot was thine,
Shame thou hadst done with.
But now—thou callest me “Father, 4
Friend of my youth!”
“Bears He a grudge for ever, 5
Stands on His guard for aye?”[174]
Lo, so thou hast spoken, yet done
Ills to thine utmost.
6. And the Lord said unto me in the days of Josiah, the king,[175] Hast thou seen what recreant Israel did to Me[176] going up every high hill and under each rustling tree, and there playing the harlot. 7. And I said, After she has done all these things can she return to Me?—and she did not return. 8. And her treacherous sister Judah saw, yes she saw,[177] that, all because recreant Israel committed adultery, I had dismissed her and given her the bill of her divorce; yet her sister treacherous Judah [pg 100] was not afraid, but also went and played the harlot. 9. And it came to pass that, through the wantonness of her harlotry, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stones and with stocks. 10. And yet, for all this, treacherous Judah[178] has not returned to Me with all her heart, but only in feigning.[179] 11. And the Lord said to me, Recreant Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. 12. Go and call out these words toward the North and say,
Turn thee to Me,[180] recreant Israel,