Come and let us return They will say, “Come and let us return etc.”

He smites, and He will bind us up Heb. יַךְ. It is a present tense. He smites us, and He will bind us up.

He will revive us from the two days He will strengthen us from the two retributions which have passed over us from the two sanctuaries that were destroyed.

on the third day With the construction of the third Temple, He will set us up.

from the two days From the two times that have passed over us.

on the third day In the third time.

to know the Lord truly and wholeheartedly, as sure as the dawn, whose going forth is sure.

and He will come to us like rain Like rain which comes to be life for the world, for then He will come to teach life that will come to us.

which satisfies the earth Heb. יוֹרֶה אֶרֶץ.

What shall I do for you because of the Divine Standard of Justice; how can I bring out your verdicts to the light?

For your loving-kindness is like a morning cloud All your goodness and your righteousness is naught.

Because I have hewed by the prophets Heb. עַל-כֵּן. Because I hewed My words upon them through the prophets, but they did not take heed, therefore... I have put them to death because of the words of My mouth Because of the words of My mouth. So did Jonathan translate it.

Because Heb. עַל-כֵּן. Like עַל אֲשֶׁר, because of that which. Comp. (Gen. 33:10) “Because (כִּי עַל-כֵּן) I saw your face”; (ibid. 27:36) “because (כִּי עַל-כֵּן) I did not give her to Shelah my son.”

now will your verdicts come out to the light? This is a question. Now how will I be able to show you favoritism before the Divine Standard of Justice? This is a continuation of “What shall I do for you?”

and knowledge of God I desire more than burnt offerings.

like Adam Heb. כְּאַדָם, like the first man.

there they betrayed Me In a good land where I settled them, there they betrayed Me, like Adam, whom I brought into the Garden of Eden, and he transgressed My commandment. [from Gen. Rabbah 19:9]

who lurk to shed blood Heb. עֲקֻבָּה. Full of people who lurk to murder. Comp. (Jos. 8:13) “and their lyers in wait (עֲקֵבוֹ)”; (Gen. 27:36) “and he deceived me (וַיַּעְקְבֵנִי).”

And as a man gathers fish, so do bands Heb. וּכְחַכֵּי. And as a fisherman gathers fish, who gathers them with a fishhook together, so do bands gather. Companies of their priests, who gather to go on the road, will all murder there in one group.

for they devised a plot For this is a plot which they plotted prior to their gathering, to which place they would go to murder and to loot. וּכְחַכֵּי means ajjmedours in O.F, fishermen. And also in mishnaic Hebrew, חַכֵּי is an expression of joining. The Gemara states (Baba Kamma 119b): “And he shall not put into it more than three חַכִּין.” Those are the stitches with which the comber joins together both ends of the garment when he beats it with sticks. This [following] interpretation is mine, and it seems appropriate, and this is the explanation: And when there is a group of five men gathering together, it is a company of priests to murder. The first one is that of Rabbi Meir Sheliach Zibbur o.b.m.

in one group Heb. שֶׁכְמָה, an expression of one group.

a horrible thing Heb. שַׁעֲרוּרִיָה. Jonathan renders this as an expression of change, for they changed their way, and so: (Jer. 5:20) “an appalling and horrible thing (שֲעֲרוּרָה).”

Judah, too Since they sinned.

appointed Heb. שָׁת. The appointer appointed a time for retribution for her.

harvest The time of her leaving and her exile. Comp. “A little more time and the time of harvest shall come to her,” in reference to the retribution of Babylon, in the Book of Jeremiah (51:33).

when I will return the backsliding of My people When I admonish them to return from their backsliding.

the backsliding of My people Heb. שְׁבוּת, an expression of the straying of youth and childhood, anwejjsdoure in O.F. Comp. (Jer. 3:14) “backsliding children (שוֹבָבִים)”; (ibid. 31:21) “backsliding daughter (הַבַּת הַשׁוֹבֵבָה).”