Yeremia 7:3

7:3 The Lord God of Israel who rules over all ¹  says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. ²  If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. ³ 

Yehezkiel 18:30

18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, ⁴  O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent ⁵  and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. ⁶ 

Yoel 2:12-14

An Appeal for Repentance

2:12 “Yet even now,” the Lord says,

“return to me with all your heart –

with fasting, weeping, and mourning.

Tear your hearts, ⁷ 

not just your garments!”

2:13 Return to the Lord your God,

for he is merciful and compassionate,

slow to anger and boundless in loyal love ⁸  – often relenting from calamitous punishment. ⁹ 

2:14 Who knows?

Perhaps he will be compassionate and grant a reprieve, ¹⁰ 

and leave blessing in his wake ¹¹  –

a meal offering and a drink offering for you to offer to the Lord your God! ¹² 

Maleakhi 3:7

3:7 From the days of your ancestors you have ignored ¹³  my commandments ¹⁴  and have not kept them! Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord who rules over all. “But you say, ‘How should we return?’

[7:3]  ¹ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies, the God Israel.”

[7:3]  sn Compare the use of similar titles in 2:19; 5:14; 6:6 and see the explanation in the study note at 2:19. In this instance the title appears to emphasize the Lord as the heavenly King who drags his disobedient vassals into court (and threatens them with judgment).

[7:3]  ² tn Or “Make good your ways and your actions.” J. Bright’s translation (“Reform the whole pattern of your conduct”; Jeremiah [AB], 52) is excellent.

[7:3]  ³ tn Heb “place” but this might be misunderstood to refer to the temple.

[18:30]  ⁴ tn Heb “ways.”

[18:30]  ⁵ tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.

[18:30]  ⁶ tn Or “leading to punishment.”

[2:12]  ⁷ sn The figurative language calls for genuine repentance, and not merely external ritual that goes through the motions.

[2:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “and great of loyal love.”

[2:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he relents from calamity.”

[2:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “turn” or “turn back.”

[2:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “leave a blessing behind him.”

[2:14]  ¹² tn The phrase “for you to offer” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[3:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “turned aside from.”

[3:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or “statutes” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NIV “decrees”; NLT “laws.”