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The Exiles Return

31 At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.

Thus says the Lord:

The people who survived the sword
    found grace in the wilderness,
    when I went to give Israel rest.

The Lord has appeared to him from afar, saying:

Indeed, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.
Again I will build you
    and you will be built, O virgin of Israel.
You will again be adorned with your tambourines
    and shall go forth in the dances of those who make merry.
You will yet plant vines
    on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters will plant
    and will enjoy them.
For there will be a day when the watchmen
    on the hills of Ephraim will proclaim,
“Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.”

For thus says the Lord:

Sing with gladness for Jacob,
    and shout among the chief of the nations;
publish, praise, and say,
    “O Lord, save Your people,
    the remnant of Israel.”
See, I will bring them from the north country,
    and gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
and with them the blind and the lame,
    the woman with child and her who is in labor with child, together;
    a great company will return here.
They will come with weeping,
    and with supplications I will lead them.
I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters,
    in a straight way in which they shall not stumble.
For I am a Father to Israel,
    and Ephraim is My firstborn.

10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
    and declare it in the coastlands far off, and say,
“He who scattered Israel will gather him
    and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.”
11 For the Lord has redeemed Jacob
    and ransomed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.
12 Therefore they will come and sing in the height of Zion,
    and will be joyful over the goodness of the Lord,
for wheat and for wine and for oil
    and for the young of the flock and of the herd;
and their souls will be as a watered garden.
    And they will not sorrow any more at all.
13 Then the virgin shall rejoice in the dance,
    both young men and old together;
for I will turn their mourning into joy,
    and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
14 I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance,
    and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness,
    says the Lord.

15 Thus says the Lord:

A voice is heard in Ramah,
    lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
    refusing to be comforted for her children,
    because they are no more.

16 Thus says the Lord:

Keep your voice from weeping
    and your eyes from tears;
for your work shall be rewarded,
    says the Lord,
    and they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your future,
    says the Lord,
    that your children will come back to their own border.

18 I have surely heard Ephraim pleading:
    “You have chastised me,
    and I was chastised, as an untrained calf;
turn me back and I will be turned,
    for you are the Lord my God.
19 Surely after I turned back,
    I repented;
and after I was instructed,
    I struck myself on my thigh;
I was ashamed and even humiliated
    because I bore the reproach of my youth.”
20 Is Ephraim My dear son?
    Is he a pleasant child?
For since I spoke against him,
    I surely do remember him still;
therefore My heart longs for him.
    I will surely have mercy on him,
    says the Lord.

21 Set up road marks,
    place guideposts.
Set your heart toward the highway,
    even the way by which you went.
Turn back, O virgin of Israel,
    turn back to these your cities.
22 How long will you go about,
    O faithless daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth:
    A woman shall obtain a man.

23 Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Once again they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities when I restore their fortunes: “May the Lord bless you, O habitation of righteousness and mountain of holiness!” 24 And Judah and all its cities will dwell there, the farmer and those who go out with the flocks. 25 For I satiate the weary souls and I replenish every languishing soul.

26 Upon this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was sweet to me.

27 Surely, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 It shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them, to build, and to plant, says the Lord. 29 In those days they will say no more:

“The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

30 But everyone will die for his own iniquity. Every man that eats the sour grape, his teeth will be set on edge.

A New Covenant

31 Surely, the days are coming, says the Lord,
    when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
    and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be according to the covenant
    that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand
    to bring them out of the land of Egypt,
because they broke My covenant,
    although I was a husband to them,
    says the Lord.
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
    after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My law within them
    and write it in their hearts;
and I will be their God,
    and they shall be My people.
34 They shall teach no more every man his neighbor
    and every man his brother, saying, “Know the Lord,”
for they all shall know Me,
    from the least of them to the greatest of them,
    says the Lord,
for I will forgive their iniquity,
    and I will remember their sin no more.

35 Thus says the Lord,

who gives the sun
    for a light by day
and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars
    for a light by night,
who stirs up the sea
    so that the waves roar,
    the Lord of Hosts is His name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before Me,
    says the Lord,
then the seed of Israel also will cease
    from being a nation before Me forever.

37 Thus says the Lord:

If heaven above can be measured,
    and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,
I will also cast off all the seed of Israel
    for all that they have done,
    says the Lord.

38 Surely, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the city will be built to the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line shall stretch out straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, will be holy to the Lord. It will not be plucked up nor thrown down any more forever.

31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God(A) of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survive the sword
    will find favor(B) in the wilderness;
    I will come to give rest(C) to Israel.”

The Lord appeared to us in the past,[a] saying:

“I have loved(D) you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn(E) you with unfailing kindness.
I will build you up again,
    and you, Virgin(F) Israel, will be rebuilt.(G)
Again you will take up your timbrels(H)
    and go out to dance(I) with the joyful.(J)
Again you will plant(K) vineyards
    on the hills of Samaria;(L)
the farmers will plant them
    and enjoy their fruit.(M)
There will be a day when watchmen(N) cry out
    on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.’”(O)

This is what the Lord says:

“Sing(P) with joy for Jacob;
    shout for the foremost(Q) of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
    Lord, save(R) your people,
    the remnant(S) of Israel.’
See, I will bring them from the land of the north(T)
    and gather(U) them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind(V) and the lame,(W)
    expectant mothers and women in labor;
    a great throng will return.
They will come with weeping;(X)
    they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead(Y) them beside streams of water(Z)
    on a level(AA) path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,(AB)
    and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

10 “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
    proclaim it in distant coastlands:(AC)
‘He who scattered(AD) Israel will gather(AE) them
    and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’(AF)
11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob
    and redeem(AG) them from the hand of those stronger(AH) than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy(AI) on the heights(AJ) of Zion;
    they will rejoice in the bounty(AK) of the Lord
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,(AL)
    the young of the flocks(AM) and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,(AN)
    and they will sorrow(AO) no more.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad,
    young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning(AP) into gladness;
    I will give them comfort(AQ) and joy(AR) instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy(AS) the priests(AT) with abundance,
    and my people will be filled with my bounty,(AU)
declares the Lord.

15 This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,(AV)
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,(AW)
    because they are no more.”(AX)

16 This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping
    and your eyes from tears,(AY)
for your work will be rewarded,(AZ)
declares the Lord.
    “They will return(BA) from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope(BB) for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
    “Your children(BC) will return to their own land.

18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined(BD) me like an unruly calf,(BE)
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore(BF) me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I strayed,(BG)
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat(BH) my breast.
I was ashamed(BI) and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’(BJ)
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child(BK) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember(BL) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion(BM) for him,”
declares the Lord.

21 “Set up road signs;
    put up guideposts.(BN)
Take note of the highway,(BO)
    the road that you take.
Return,(BP) Virgin(BQ) Israel,
    return to your towns.
22 How long will you wander,(BR)
    unfaithful(BS) Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing(BT) on earth—
    the woman will return to[b](BU) the man.”

23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,[c](BV) the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless(BW) you, you prosperous city,(BX) you sacred mountain.’(BY) 24 People will live(BZ) together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.(CA) 25 I will refresh the weary(CB) and satisfy the faint.”(CC)

26 At this I awoke(CD) and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

27 “The days are coming,”(CE) declares the Lord, “when I will plant(CF) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched(CG) over them to uproot(CH) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,(CI) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”(CJ) declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents(CK) have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’(CL)

30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;(CM) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant(CN)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant(CO)
    I made with their ancestors(CP)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,(CQ)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband(CR) to[d] them,[e]
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds(CS)
    and write it on their hearts.(CT)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.(CU)
34 No longer will they teach(CV) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know(CW) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive(CX) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins(CY) no more.”

35 This is what the Lord says,

he who appoints(CZ) the sun
    to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
    to shine by night,(DA)
who stirs up the sea(DB)
    so that its waves roar(DC)
    the Lord Almighty is his name:(DD)
36 “Only if these decrees(DE) vanish from my sight,”
    declares the Lord,
“will Israel(DF) ever cease
    being a nation before me.”

37 This is what the Lord says:

“Only if the heavens above can be measured(DG)
    and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject(DH) all the descendants of Israel
    because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.

38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt(DI) for me from the Tower of Hananel(DJ) to the Corner Gate.(DK) 39 The measuring line(DL) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley(DM) where dead bodies(DN) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley(DO) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,(DP) will be holy(DQ) to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 31:3 Or Lord has appeared to us from afar
  2. Jeremiah 31:22 Or will protect
  3. Jeremiah 31:23 Or I restore their fortunes
  4. Jeremiah 31:32 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac / and I turned away from
  5. Jeremiah 31:32 Or was their master