Jeremiah 31
New American Standard Bible
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.”
2 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.”
3 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.
4 (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.
5 Again you will (J)plant vineyards
On the [d]hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will [e]enjoy the fruit.
6 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.’”
7 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!’
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 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.
9 (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,
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
- Jeremiah 31:3 Lit me
- Jeremiah 31:3 Or from far away
- Jeremiah 31:4 Lit adorn yourself with
- Jeremiah 31:5 Or mountains
- Jeremiah 31:5 Lit defile
- Jeremiah 31:7 Lit head
- Jeremiah 31:12 Lit goodness
- Jeremiah 31:14 Lit fatness
- Jeremiah 31:19 I.e., in regret
- Jeremiah 31:20 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 31:21 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 31:25 Lit fill
- Jeremiah 31:29 I.e., the children suffer for the fathers’ sins
- Jeremiah 31:35 Lit statutes
- Jeremiah 31:36 Lit these statutes
- Jeremiah 31:36 Lit all the days
Jeremiah 31
Holman Christian Standard Bible
God’s Relationship with His People
31 “At that time”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“I will be the God of all the families of Israel,(A) and they will be My people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
They found favor in the wilderness(B)—
the people who survived the sword.
When Israel went to find rest,
3 the Lord appeared to him[a] from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.(C)
4 Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt,
Virgin Israel.
You will take up your tambourines again(D)
and go out in joyful dancing.
5 You will plant vineyards again
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.(E)
6 For there will be a day when watchmen will call out
in the hill country of Ephraim,
“Get up, let’s go up to Zion,(F)
to Yahweh our God!”
God’s People Brought Home
7 For this is what the Lord says:
Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the chief of the nations!
Proclaim, praise, and say,
“Lord, save Your people,(G)
the remnant of Israel!”
8 Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land.
I will gather them from remote regions of the earth(H)—
the blind and the lame will be with them,
along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth.
They will return here as a great assembly!(I)
9 They will come weeping,
but I will bring them back with consolation.[b](J)
I will lead them to wadis filled with water
by a smooth way where they will not stumble,(K)
for I am Israel’s Father,
and Ephraim is My firstborn.
10 Nations, hear the word of the Lord,
and tell it among the far off coastlands!(L)
Say: The One who scattered Israel will gather him.
He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock,
11 for the Lord has ransomed Jacob
and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he.(M)
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
they will be radiant with joy(N)
because of(O) the Lord’s goodness,
because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil,(P)
and because of the young of the flocks and herds.
Their life will be like an irrigated garden,
and they will no longer grow weak from hunger.
13 Then the young woman will rejoice with dancing,
while young and old men rejoice together.
I will turn their mourning into joy,(Q)
give them consolation,
and bring happiness out of grief.
14 I will refresh the priests with an abundance,[c](R)
and My people will be satisfied with My goodness.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Lament Turned to Joy
15 This is what the Lord says:
A voice was heard in Ramah,
a lament with bitter weeping—
Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted for her children
because they are no more.(S)
16 This is what the Lord says:
Keep your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for the reward for your work will come—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
and your children will return from the enemy’s land.
17 There is hope for your future(T)—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
and your children will return to their own territory.
18 I have heard Ephraim moaning,
“You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined
like an untrained calf.
Restore me, and I will return,
for you, Lord, are my God.(U)
19 After I returned, I repented;
After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief.(V)
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.”
20 Isn’t Ephraim a precious son to Me,
a delightful child?
Whenever I speak against him,
I certainly still think about him.
Therefore, My inner being yearns for him;
I will truly have compassion on him.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Repentance and Restoration
21 Set up road markers(W) for yourself;
establish signposts!
Keep the highway in mind,
the way you have traveled.
Return, Virgin Israel!
Return to these cities of yours.
22 How long will you turn here and there,
faithless daughter?(X)
For the Lord creates something new in the land[d]—
a female[e] will shelter[f] a man.
23 This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore their fortunes,[g] they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, ‘May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement,(Y) holy mountain.’(Z) 24 Judah and all its cities will live in it together—also farmers and those who move[h] with the flocks— 25 for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak.”
26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.
27 “The days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will sow the house of Israel(AA) and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I be attentive to build and to plant them,”(AB) says the Lord. 29 “In those days, it will never again be said:
The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.(AC)
30 Rather, each will die for his own wrongdoing.(AD) Anyone who eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge.
The New Covenant
31 “Look, the days are coming”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“when I will make a new covenant(AE) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them”(AF)—the Lord’s declaration. 33 “Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days”—the Lord’s declaration. “I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. 34 No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’(AG) for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing(AH) and never again remember their sin.”(AI)
35 This is what the Lord says:
The One who gives the sun for light by day,
the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night,
who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar(AJ)—
Yahweh of Hosts is His name:
36 If this fixed order departs from My presence—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
then also Israel’s descendants will cease
to be a nation before Me forever.(AK)
37 This is what the Lord says:
If the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below explored,
I will reject all of Israel’s descendants
because of all they have done—
this is the Lord’s declaration.
38 “Look, the days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when the city[i] from the Tower of Hananel(AL) to the Corner Gate(AM) will be rebuilt for the Lord. 39 A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb(AN) and then turn toward Goah. 40 The whole valley—the corpses, the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley(AO) to the corner of the Horse Gate(AP) to the east—will be holy to the Lord. It will never be uprooted or demolished again.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 31:3 LXX; MT reads me
- Jeremiah 31:9 LXX; MT reads supplications
- Jeremiah 31:14 Lit fatness
- Jeremiah 31:22 Or new on earth
- Jeremiah 31:22 Or woman
- Jeremiah 31:22 Or female surrounds, or female courts; Hb obscure
- Jeremiah 31:23 Or I end their captivity
- Jeremiah 31:24 Tg, Vg, Aq, Sym; MT reads and they will move
- Jeremiah 31:38 = Jerusalem
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