15 Thus says the Lord,
(A)A voice is heard in (B)Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
She (C)refuses to be comforted for her children,
Because (D)they are no more.”

16 Thus says the Lord,

(E)Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your (F)work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
“And they will (G)return from the land of the enemy.
17 “There is (H)hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your children will return to their own territory.
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim (I)grieving,
‘You have (J)chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained (K)calf;
(L)Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
19 ‘For after I turned back, I (M)repented;
And after I was instructed, I (N)smote on my thigh;
I was (O)ashamed and also humiliated
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’
20 “Is (P)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 [a](Q)heart yearns for him;
I will surely (R)have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 31:20 Lit inward parts