'Return' in the Bible

God says, “If a husband divorces his wifeAnd she goes from himAnd belongs to another man,Will he still return to her?Will not that land be completely polluted?But you are a harlot with many lovers;Yet you turn to Me,” declares the Lord.

I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it.

Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the Lord.

Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;‘I will not look upon you in anger.For I am gracious,’ declares the Lord;‘I will not be angry forever.

‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;‘For I am a master to you,And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,And I will bring you to Zion.’

“Return, O faithless sons,I will heal your faithlessness.”“Behold, we come to You;For You are the Lord our God.

“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the Lord,“Then you should return to Me.And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,And will not waver,

“Why then has this people, Jerusalem,Turned away in continual apostasy?They hold fast to deceit,They refuse to return.

Therefore, thus says the Lord,“If you return, then I will restore you—Before Me you will stand;And if you extract the precious from the worthless,You will become My spokesman.They for their part may turn to you,But as for you, you must not turn to them.

Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,But weep continually for the one who goes away;For he will never returnOr see his native land.

For thus says the Lord in regard to Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there;

But as for the land to which they desire to return, they will not return to it.

I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;For behold, I will save you from afarAnd your offspring from the land of their captivity.And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,And no one will make him afraid.

“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,Among them the blind and the lame,The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;A great company, they will return here.

Thus says the Lord,“Restrain your voice from weepingAnd your eyes from tears;For your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,“And they will return from the land of the enemy.

“There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord,“And your children will return to their own territory.

“Set up for yourself roadmarks,Place for yourself guideposts;Direct your mind to the highway,The way by which you went.Return, O virgin of Israel,Return to these your cities.

“Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Thus you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come out for your assistance is going to return to its own land of Egypt.

The Chaldeans will also return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.”’

But now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my petition come before you and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there.”

then you are to say to them, ‘I was presenting my petition before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

So there will be no refugees or survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they are longing to return and live; for none will return except a few refugees.’”

Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

“But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,Nor be dismayed, O Israel!For, see, I am going to save you from afar,And your descendants from the land of their captivity;And Jacob will return and be undisturbedAnd secure, with no one making him tremble.

“For behold, I am going to arouse and bring up against BabylonA horde of great nations from the land of the north,And they will draw up their battle lines against her;From there she will be taken captive.Their arrows will be like an expert warriorWho does not return empty-handed.