11 For I know the plans(A) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper(B) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(C)

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“For my thoughts(A) are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”(B)
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,(C)
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.(D)
10 As the rain(E) and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,(F)
    so that it yields seed(G) for the sower and bread for the eater,(H)
11 so is my word(I) that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,(J)
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose(K) for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy(L)
    and be led forth in peace;(M)
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song(N) before you,
and all the trees(O) of the field
    will clap their hands.(P)

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11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm(A) forever,
    the purposes(B) of his heart through all generations.

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Many, Lord my God,
    are the wonders(A) you have done,
    the things you planned for us.
None can compare(B) with you;
    were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
    they would be too many(C) to declare.

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12 But they do not know
    the thoughts of the Lord;
they do not understand his plan,(A)
    that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

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13 “But he stands alone, and who can oppose him?(A)
    He does whatever he pleases.(B)

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26 it is good to wait quietly(A)
    for the salvation of the Lord.(B)

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10 I make known the end from the beginning,(A)
    from ancient times,(B) what is still to come.(C)
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,(D)
    and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon(E) a bird of prey;(F)
    from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.
What I have said, that I will bring about;
    what I have planned,(G) that I will do.(H)

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11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep(A) and look after them. 12 As a shepherd(B) looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.(C) 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather(D) them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land.(E) I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.(F) 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel(G) will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture(H) on the mountains of Israel.(I) 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down,(J) declares the Sovereign Lord.(K) 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up(L) the injured and strengthen the weak,(M) but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.(N) I will shepherd the flock with justice.(O)

17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.(P) 18 Is it not enough(Q) for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet?(R) Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.(S) 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns(T) until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.(U) 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend(V) them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.(W) 24 I the Lord will be their God,(X) and my servant David(Y) will be prince among them.(Z) I the Lord have spoken.(AA)

25 “‘I will make a covenant(AB) of peace(AC) with them and rid the land of savage beasts(AD) so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.(AE) 26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing.[a](AF) I will send down showers in season;(AG) there will be showers of blessing.(AH) 27 The trees will yield their fruit(AI) and the ground will yield its crops;(AJ) the people will be secure(AK) in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke(AL) and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.(AM) 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety,(AN) and no one will make them afraid.(AO) 29 I will provide for them a land renowned(AP) for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine(AQ) in the land or bear the scorn(AR) of the nations.(AS) 30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AT) 31 You are my sheep,(AU) the sheep of my pasture,(AV) and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 34:26 Or I will cause them and the places surrounding my hill to be named in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or I will cause them and the places surrounding my hill to be seen as blessed

12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north:(A)

“‘Return,(B) faithless(C) Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
for I am faithful,’(D) declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry(E) forever.
13 Only acknowledge(F) your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
you have scattered your favors to foreign gods(G)
    under every spreading tree,(H)
    and have not obeyed(I) me,’”
declares the Lord.

14 “Return,(J) faithless people,” declares the Lord, “for I am your husband.(K) I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds(L) after my own heart,(M) who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord, “people will no longer say, ‘The ark(N) of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered;(O) it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne(P) of the Lord, and all nations(Q) will gather in Jerusalem to honor(R) the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.(S) 18 In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel,(T) and together(U) they will come from a northern(V) land to the land(W) I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

19 “I myself said,

“‘How gladly would I treat you like my children
    and give you a pleasant land,(X)
    the most beautiful inheritance(Y) of any nation.’
I thought you would call me ‘Father’(Z)
    and not turn away from following me.

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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)

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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

The Day of the Lord

28 “And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit(A) on all people.(B)
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,(C)
    your old men will dream dreams,(D)
    your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants,(E) both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.(F)
30 I will show wonders in the heavens(G)
    and on the earth,(H)
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness(I)
    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.(J)
32 And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord(K) will be saved;(L)
for on Mount Zion(M) and in Jerusalem
    there will be deliverance,(N)
    as the Lord has said,
even among the survivors(O)
    whom the Lord calls.[a](P)

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Footnotes

  1. Joel 2:32 In Hebrew texts 2:28-32 is numbered 3:1-5.

Take words with you
    and return to the Lord.
Say to him:
    “Forgive(A) all our sins
and receive us graciously,(B)
    that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[a](C)
Assyria cannot save us;(D)
    we will not mount warhorses.(E)
We will never again say ‘Our gods’(F)
    to what our own hands have made,(G)
    for in you the fatherless(H) find compassion.”

“I will heal(I) their waywardness(J)
    and love them freely,(K)
    for my anger has turned away(L) from them.
I will be like the dew(M) to Israel;
    he will blossom like a lily.(N)
Like a cedar of Lebanon(O)
    he will send down his roots;(P)
    his young shoots will grow.
His splendor will be like an olive tree,(Q)
    his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.(R)
People will dwell again in his shade;(S)
    they will flourish like the grain,
they will blossom(T) like the vine—
    Israel’s fame will be like the wine(U) of Lebanon.(V)
Ephraim, what more have I[b] to do with idols?(W)
    I will answer him and care for him.
I am like a flourishing juniper;(X)
    your fruitfulness comes from me.”

Who is wise?(Y) Let them realize these things.
    Who is discerning? Let them understand.(Z)
The ways of the Lord are right;(AA)
    the righteous walk(AB) in them,
    but the rebellious stumble in them.

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Footnotes

  1. Hosea 14:2 Or offer our lips as sacrifices of bulls
  2. Hosea 14:8 Or Hebrew; Septuagint What more has Ephraim

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