Jeremiah 31
Legacy Standard Bible
Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy
31 “At that time,” declares Yahweh, “I will be the (A)God of all the (B)families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
2 Thus says Yahweh,
“The people who survived the sword
(C)Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when it went to (D)find its relief.”
3 Yahweh appeared to [a]him from afar, saying,
“I have (E)loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with (F)lovingkindness.
4 (G)Again I will build you, and you will be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
Again you will [b]take up your (H)tambourines
And go forth to the dances of those (I)celebrating.
5 Again you will (J)plant vineyards
On the [c]hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will [d]enjoy them.
6 For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
‘Arise, and (K)let us go up to Zion,
To Yahweh our God.’”
7 For thus says Yahweh,
“(L)Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the (M)head of the nations;
Make it heard, give praise, and say,
‘O Yahweh, (N)save Your people,
The (O)remnant of Israel.’
8 Behold, I am (P)bringing them from the north country,
And I will (Q)gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the (R)blind and the (S)lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great assembly, they will return here.
9 (T)With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by (U)streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will (V)not stumble;
For I am a (W)father to Israel,
And Ephraim is (X)My firstborn.”
10 Hear the word of Yahweh, O nations,
And declare in the (Y)coastlands far away,
And say, “He who dispersed Israel will (Z)gather him
And keep him as a (AA)shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For Yahweh has (AB)ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was (AC)stronger than he.
12 “They will (AD)come and sing for joy on the (AE)height of Zion,
And they will be (AF)radiant over the goodness of Yahweh—
Over the (AG)grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the (AH)flock and the herd;
And their soul will be like a (AI)watered garden,
And they will (AJ)never waste away again.
13 Then the virgin will be glad in the (AK)dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will (AL)turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them (AM)gladness for their sorrow.
14 I will [e]fill the soul of the priests with [f]richness,
And My people will be (AN)satisfied with My goodness,” declares Yahweh.
15 Thus says Yahweh,
“(AO)A voice is heard in (AP)Ramah,
Wailing and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
She (AQ)refuses to be comforted for her children
Because (AR)they are no more.”
16 Thus says Yahweh,
“(AS)Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears,
For your (AT)work will be rewarded,” declares Yahweh,
“And they will (AU)return from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is (AV)hope for your future,” declares Yahweh,
“And your children will return to their own territory.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim (AW)grieving,
‘You have (AX)chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained (AY)calf;
(AZ)Cause me to return that I may return,
For You are Yahweh my God.
19 For after I turned away, I (BA)repented;
And after I was instructed, I (BB)slapped my thigh;
I was (BC)ashamed and also dishonored
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’
20 Is (BD)Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him;
Therefore My [g](BE)inmost being yearns for him;
I will surely (BF)have compassion on him,” declares Yahweh.
21 “Set up roadmarks for yourself,
Place for yourself guideposts;
(BG)Set your heart to the highway,
The way by which you went.
(BH)Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
22 How long will you go here and there,
O (BI)faithless daughter?
For Yahweh has created a new thing in the earth—
A [h]woman will encompass a man.”
23 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I [i](BJ)return their [j]fortunes,
24 And Judah and all its cities will (BM)inhabit it together, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. 25 (BN)For I satisfy the weary soul and fill up every soul who wastes away.” 26 At this I (BO)awoke and looked, and my (BP)sleep was pleasant to me.
The New Covenant
27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will (BQ)sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 And it will be that as I have (BR)watched over them to (BS)uproot, to tear down, to pull down, to destroy, and to bring calamity, so I will watch over them to (BT)build and to plant,” declares Yahweh.
29 “In those days they will not say again,
‘(BU)The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are [k]set on edge.’
30 But (BV)everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be [l]set on edge.
31 “(BW)Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will cut a (BX)new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the (BY)covenant which I cut with their fathers in the day I (BZ)took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My (CA)covenant which they broke, but I was a husband to them,” declares Yahweh. 33 “But (CB)this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “(CC)I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and (CD)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 And they will (CE)not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they will all (CF)know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares Yahweh, “for I will (CG)forgive their iniquity, and their (CH)sin I will remember no more.”
35 Thus says Yahweh,
Who (CI)gives the sun for light by day
And the statutes for the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who (CJ)stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
(CK)Yahweh of hosts is His name:
36 “(CL)If these statutes are removed
From before Me,” declares Yahweh,
“Then the seed of Israel also will (CM)cease
From being a nation before Me [m]forever.”
37 Thus says Yahweh,
“(CN)If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also (CO)reject all the seed of Israel
For all that they have done,” declares Yahweh.
38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when the (CP)city will be rebuilt for Yahweh from the (CQ)Tower of Hananel to the (CR)Corner Gate. 39 The (CS)measuring line will go out farther, straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 And (CT)the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook (CU)Kidron, to the corner of the (CV)Horse Gate toward the east, shall be (CW)holy to Yahweh; it will not be uprooted or pulled down anymore forever.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 31:3 Lit me
- Jeremiah 31:4 Or be adorned with
- Jeremiah 31:5 Or mountains
- Jeremiah 31:5 Lit defile
- Jeremiah 31:14 Lit saturate
- Jeremiah 31:14 Lit fatness
- Jeremiah 31:20 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 31:22 Lit female
- Jeremiah 31:23 Or restore
- Jeremiah 31:23 Or captivity
- Jeremiah 31:29 Or dull
- Jeremiah 31:30 Or dull
- Jeremiah 31:36 Lit all the days
Jeremiah 31
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Joyful Return of the Exiles
31 At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.(A)
2 Thus says the Lord:
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,(B)
3 the Lord appeared to him[a] from far away.[b]
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.(C)
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall adorn yourself with your tambourines
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.(D)
5 Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant
and shall enjoy the fruit.(E)
6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.”(F)
7 For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
“Save, O Lord, your people,
the remnant of Israel.”(G)
8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
those with child and those in labor together;
a great company, they shall return here.(H)
9 With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations[c] I will lead them back;
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path where they shall not stumble,
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.(I)
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him
and will keep him as a shepherd does a flock.”(J)
11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.(K)
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
and they shall never languish again.(L)
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.[d]
I will turn their mourning into joy;
I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow.(M)
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
says the Lord.(N)
15 Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children,
because they are no more.(O)
16 Thus says the Lord:
Keep your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work,
says the Lord:
they shall come back from the land of the enemy;(P)
17 there is hope for your future,
says the Lord:
your children shall come back to their own country.(Q)
18 Indeed, I heard Ephraim pleading:
“You disciplined me, and I took the discipline;
I was like an untrained calf.
Bring me back; let me come back,
for you are the Lord my God.(R)
19 For after I had turned away I repented,
and after I was discovered, I struck my thigh;
I was ashamed, and I was dismayed
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.”(S)
20 Is Ephraim my dear son?
Is he the child in whom I delight?
As often as I speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore I am deeply moved for him;
I will surely have mercy on him,
says the Lord.(T)
21 Set up road markers for yourself;
make yourself signposts;
consider well the highway,
the road by which you went.
Return, O virgin Israel,
return to these your cities.(U)
22 How long will you waver,
O faithless daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth:
a woman encompasses[e] a man.
23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its towns when I restore their fortunes:
“The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness,
O holy hill!”(V)
24 And Judah and all its towns shall live there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks.(W)
25 I will satisfy the weary,
and all who are faint I will replenish.(X)
26 Thereupon I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.
Individual Retribution
27 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals.(Y) 28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord.(Z) 29 In those days they shall no longer say:
“The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”(AA)
30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of the one who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.(AB)
A New Covenant
31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.(AC) 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.(AD) 33 But this is 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 I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.(AE) 34 No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.(AF)
35 Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name:(AG)
36 If this fixed order were ever to cease
from my presence, says the Lord,
then also the offspring of Israel would cease
to be a nation before me forever.(AH)
37 Thus says the Lord:
If the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will reject all the offspring of Israel
because of all they have done,
says the Lord.(AI)
Jerusalem to Be Enlarged
38 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.(AJ) 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes and all the fields as far as the Wadi Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall never again be uprooted or overthrown.(AK)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.