Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy

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

This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survived the sword
(C)Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when it went to (D)find its rest.”
The Lord appeared to [a]him [b]long ago, saying,
“I have (E)loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you out with (F)kindness.
(G)I will build you again and you will be rebuilt,
Virgin of Israel!
You will [c]take up your (H)tambourines again,
And go out to the dances of the (I)revelers.
Again you will (J)plant vineyards
On the [d]hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will [e]enjoy the fruit.
For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
‘Arise, and (K)let’s go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’”

For this is what the Lord says:
(L)Sing aloud with joy for Jacob,
And be joyful with the [f](M)chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise, and say,
Lord, (N)save Your people,
The (O)remnant of Israel!’
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 those who are (R)blind and those who (S)limp,
The pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;
They will return here as a great assembly.
(T)They will come with weeping,
And by pleading I will bring them;
I will lead them by (U)streams of waters,
On a straight path on 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 the Lord, you nations,
And declare it in the (Y)coastlands far away,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will (Z)gather him,
And He will keep him as a (AA)shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For the Lord has (AB)ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was (AC)stronger than he.
12 “They will (AD)come and shout for joy on the (AE)height of Zion,
And they will be (AF)radiant over the [g]bounty of the Lord
Over the (AG)grain, the new wine, the oil,
And over the young of the (AH)flock and the herd.
And their life will be like a (AI)watered garden,
And they will (AJ)never languish again.
13 Then the virgin will rejoice in the (AK)dance,
And the young men and the old together;
For I will (AL)turn their mourning into joy
And comfort them, and give them (AM)joy for their sorrow.
14 I will refresh the soul of the priests with [h]abundance,
And My people will be (AN)satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.

15 This is what the Lord says:
(AO)A voice is heard in (AP)Ramah,
Lamenting 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 This is what the Lord says:

(AS)Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your (AT)work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
“And they will (AU)return from the land of the enemy.
17 There is (AV)hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your children will return to their own territory.
18 I have certainly heard Ephraim (AW)grieving,
‘You have (AX)disciplined me, and I was corrected,
Like an untrained (AY)calf;
(AZ)Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
19 For after I turned back, I (BA)repented;
And after I was instructed, I [i](BB)slapped my thigh;
I was (BC)ashamed and also humiliated
Because I bore the shame 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 [j](BE)heart yearns for him;
I will certainly (BF)have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.

21 “Set up roadmarks for yourself,
Place guideposts for yourself;
(BG)Direct your [k]mind 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 waver,
You (BI)rebellious daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth:
A woman will shelter a man.”

23 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I (BJ)restore their fortunes,

‘The Lord bless you, O (BK)place of righteousness,
O (BL)holy hill!’

24 Judah and all its cities will (BM)live together in it, the farmers and those who travel with flocks. 25 (BN)For I give plenty of water to the weary ones, and [l]refresh everyone who languishes.” 26 At this I (BO)awoke and looked, and my (BP)sleep had been pleasant to me.

A New Covenant

27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will (BQ)sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of mankind and the seed of animals. 28 And just as I have (BR)watched over them to (BS)uproot them, tear them down, ruin, destroy, and bring disaster on them, so I will watch over them to (BT)build and to plant them,” declares the Lord.

29 “In those days they will no longer say,
(BU)The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
[m]But it is the children’s teeth that have become blunt.’

30 But (BV)everyone will die for his own wrongdoing; each person who eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will become blunt.

31 (BW)Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a (BX)new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the (BY)covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I (BZ)took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My (CA)covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “For (CB)this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “(CC)I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and (CD)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will (CE)not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all (CF)know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will (CG)forgive their wrongdoing, and their (CH)sin I will no longer remember.”

35 This is what the Lord says,
He who (CI)gives the sun for light by day
And the [n]fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who (CJ)stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
(CK)The Lord of armies is His name:
36 (CL)If [o]this fixed order departs
From Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the descendants of Israel also will (CM)cease
To be a nation before Me [p]forever.”
37 This is what the Lord says:
(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 descendants of Israel
For everything that they have done,” declares the Lord.

38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the (CP)city will be rebuilt for the Lord 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 entire 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 the Lord; it will not be uprooted or overthrown ever again.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 31:3 Lit me
  2. Jeremiah 31:3 Or from far away
  3. Jeremiah 31:4 Lit adorn yourself with
  4. Jeremiah 31:5 Or mountains
  5. Jeremiah 31:5 Lit defile
  6. Jeremiah 31:7 Lit head
  7. Jeremiah 31:12 Lit goodness
  8. Jeremiah 31:14 Lit fatness
  9. Jeremiah 31:19 I.e., in regret
  10. Jeremiah 31:20 Lit inward parts
  11. Jeremiah 31:21 Lit heart
  12. Jeremiah 31:25 Lit fill
  13. Jeremiah 31:29 I.e., the children suffer for the fathers’ sins
  14. Jeremiah 31:35 Lit statutes
  15. Jeremiah 31:36 Lit these statutes
  16. Jeremiah 31:36 Lit all the days

31 At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword [a]found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, [b]when I went to cause him to rest. Jehovah appeared [c]of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore [d]with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: again shalt thou be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall [e]enjoy the fruit thereof. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God.

For thus saith Jehovah, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout [f]for the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall they return hither. They shall come with weeping; and with supplications will I lead them: I will [g]cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.

10 Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off; and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. 11 For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. 12 And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of Jehovah, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. 13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. 14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith Jehovah.

15 Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not. 16 Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 17 And there is hope for thy latter end, saith Jehovah; and thy children shall come again to their own border. 18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God. 19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. 20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart [h]yearneth for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith Jehovah.

21 Set thee up waymarks, make thee guide-posts; set thy heart toward the highway, even the way by which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities. 22 How long wilt thou go hither and thither, O thou backsliding daughter? for Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall encompass a man.

23 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall [i]bring again their captivity: Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness. 24 And Judah and all the cities thereof shall dwell therein together, the husbandmen, and they that go about with flocks. 25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and every sorrowful soul have I replenished. 26 Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

27 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith Jehovah. 29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge. 30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

31 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not 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; [j]which my covenant they brake, although I was [k]a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

35 Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who [l]stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name: 36 If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37 Thus saith Jehovah: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith Jehovah.

38 Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner. 39 And the measuring line shall go out further straight onward unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn about unto Goah. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 31:2 Or, have found . . . when I go
  2. Jeremiah 31:2 Or, when he went to find him rest
  3. Jeremiah 31:3 Or, from afar
  4. Jeremiah 31:3 Or, have I continued lovingkindness unto thee
  5. Jeremiah 31:5 Hebrew profane, or make common. See Lev. 19:23–25; Dt. 20:6; 28:30.
  6. Jeremiah 31:7 Or, at the head
  7. Jeremiah 31:9 Or, bring them unto
  8. Jeremiah 31:20 Hebrew soundeth.
  9. Jeremiah 31:23 Or, return to
  10. Jeremiah 31:32 Or, forasmuch as they brake my covenant
  11. Jeremiah 31:32 Or, lord over them
  12. Jeremiah 31:35 Or, stilleth the sea, when etc. See Isa. 51:15.