Jeremiah 31
New Revised Standard Version Catholic 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.
2 Thus says the Lord:
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
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.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take[c] your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
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.”
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.”
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.
9 With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations[d] I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
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 a flock.”
11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
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.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty,
says the Lord.
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.
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;
17 there is hope for your future,
says the Lord:
your children shall come back to their own country.
18 Indeed I heard Ephraim pleading:
“You disciplined me, and I took the discipline;
I was like a calf untrained.
Bring me back, let me come back,
for you are the Lord my God.
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.”
20 Is Ephraim my dear son?
Is he the child I delight in?
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.
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.
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!”
24 And Judah and all its towns shall live there together, and the farmers and those who wander[f] with their flocks.
25 I will satisfy the weary,
and all who are faint I will replenish.
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. 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. 29 In those days they shall no longer say:
“The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.
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. 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,[g] says the Lord. 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. 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.
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:
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.
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.
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. 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.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 31:3 Gk: Heb me
- Jeremiah 31:3 Or to him long ago
- Jeremiah 31:4 Or adorn yourself with
- Jeremiah 31:9 Gk Compare Vg Tg: Heb supplications
- Jeremiah 31:22 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 31:24 Cn Compare Syr Vg Tg: Heb and they shall wander
- Jeremiah 31:32 Or master
Jeremiah 31
Good News Translation
Israel's Return Home
31 The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel, and they will be my people. 2 In the desert I showed mercy to those people who had escaped death. When the people of Israel longed for rest, 3 I appeared to them[a] from far away. People of Israel, I have always loved you, so I continue to show you my constant love. 4 Once again I will rebuild you. Once again you will take up your tambourines and dance joyfully. 5 Once again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria, and those who plant them will eat what the vineyards produce. 6 Yes, the time is coming when sentries will call out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Let's go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’”
7 The Lord says,
“Sing with joy for Israel,
the greatest of the nations.
Sing your song of praise,
‘The Lord has saved his[b] people;
he has rescued all who are left.’
8 I will bring them from the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
The blind and the lame will come with them,
pregnant women and those about to give birth.
They will come back a great nation.
9 My people will return weeping,
praying as I lead them back.
I will guide them to streams of water,
on a smooth road where they will not stumble.
I am like a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my oldest son.”
10 The Lord says,
“Nations, listen to me
and proclaim my words on the far-off shores.
I scattered my people, but I will gather them
and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.
11 I have set Israel's people free
and have saved them from a mighty nation.
12 They will come and sing for joy on Mount Zion
and be delighted with my gifts—
gifts of grain and wine and olive oil,
gifts of sheep and cattle.
They will be like a well-watered garden;
they will have everything they need.
13 Then the young women will dance and be happy,
and men, young and old, will rejoice.
I will comfort them and turn their mourning into joy,
their sorrow into gladness.
14 I will fill the priests with the richest food
and satisfy all the needs of my people.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Lord's Mercy on Israel
15 (A)The Lord says,
“A sound is heard in Ramah,
the sound of bitter weeping.
Rachel is crying for her children;
they are gone,
and she refuses to be comforted.
16 Stop your crying
and wipe away your tears.
All that you have done for your children
will not go unrewarded;
they will return from the enemy's land.
17 There is hope for your future;
your children will come back home.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
18 “I hear the people of Israel say in grief,
‘Lord, we were like an untamed animal,
but you taught us to obey.
Bring us back;
we are ready to return to you,
the Lord our God.
19 We turned away from you,
but soon we wanted to return.
After you had punished us,
we hung our heads in grief.
We were ashamed and disgraced
because we sinned when we were young.’
20 “Israel, you are my dearest child,
the one I love best.
Whenever I mention your name,
I think[c] of you with love.
My heart goes out to you;
I will be merciful.
21 Set up signs and mark the road;
find again the way by which you left.
Come back, people of Israel,
come home to the towns you left.
22 How long will you hesitate, faithless people?
I have created something new and different,
as different as a woman protecting a man.”[d]
The Future Prosperity of God's People
23 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says, “When I restore the people to their land, they will once again say in the land of Judah and in its towns,
‘May the Lord bless the sacred hill[e] of Jerusalem,
the holy place where he lives.’
24 People will live in Judah and in all its towns, and there will be farmers, and shepherds with their flocks.
25 I will refresh those who are weary and will satisfy with food everyone who is weak from hunger.
26 So then, people will say, ‘I went to sleep and woke up refreshed.’
27 “I, the Lord, say that the time is coming when I will fill the land of Israel and Judah with people and animals. 28 And just as I took care to uproot, to pull down, to overthrow, to destroy, and to demolish them, so I will take care to plant them and to build them up. 29 (B)When that time comes, people will no longer say,
‘The parents ate the sour grapes,
But the children got the sour taste.’
30 Instead, those who eat sour grapes will have their own teeth set on edge; and everyone will die because of their own sin.”
31 (C)The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant. 33 (D)The new covenant that I will make with the people of Israel will be this: I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 (E)None of them will have to teach a neighbor to know the Lord, because all will know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
35 The Lord provides the sun for light by day,
the moon and the stars to shine at night.
He stirs up the sea and makes it roar;
his name is the Lord Almighty.
36 He promises that as long as the natural order lasts,
so long will Israel be a nation.
37 If one day the sky could be measured
and the foundations of the earth explored,
only then would he reject the people of Israel
because of all they have done.
The Lord has spoken.
38 “The time is coming,” says the Lord, “when all of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as my city, from Hananel Tower west to the Corner Gate. 39 And the boundary line will continue from there on the west to the hill of Gareb and then around to Goah. 40 The entire valley, where the dead are buried and garbage is dumped, and all the fields above Kidron Brook as far as the Horse Gate to the east, will be sacred to me. The city will never again be torn down or destroyed.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 31:3 One ancient translation them; Hebrew me.
- Jeremiah 31:7 Some ancient translations The Lord has saved his; Hebrew Lord save your.
- Jeremiah 31:20 I mention … I think; or I threaten to punish, I still think.
- Jeremiah 31:22 as different … man; Hebrew unclear.
- Jeremiah 31:23 Mount Zion, the hill in Jerusalem which formed part of the Temple and palace area.
Jeremiah 31
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 31
Restoration of Israel
1 At that time, says the Lord:
I will be the God of all the families of Israel,
and they will be my people.
2 Thus says the Lord:
The people who survived the sword
found favor in the wilderness.
When the people of Israel sought for rest,
3 the Lord appeared to them from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore, I have continued to be merciful to you.
4 I will build you up again,
and you will be rebuilt,
O virgin Israel.
You will once again carry your tambourines
and go forth to dance with the merry throng.
5 You will once again plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria,
and those who plant them will enjoy their fruit.
6 Yes, a day will come when the watchmen
will cry out on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord, our God.’ ”
The Glorious Return
7 For thus says the Lord:
Raise shouts of joy for Jacob;
sing your praises for the chief of the nations.
Proclaim your praises as you say,
“The Lord has delivered his people,
the remnant of Israel.”
8 Behold, I will bring them back
from the land of the north,
and I will gather them together
from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
expectant mothers and women in labor;
they will return as a vast throng.
9 They will return, weeping uncontrollably,
but I will console them as I lead them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
along a level path where they will not stumble.
For I am a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10 Pay heed, you nations, to the word of the Lord;
proclaim it even on the distant coastlands and say:
He who scattered Israel will now gather them together
and watch over his flock like a shepherd.
11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob
and redeemed him from the hands of a foe
far too strong for him.
12 The people will come forth
and shout for joy on the heights of Zion
as they behold the bounty of the Lord:
the grain, the new wine, and the oil,
the young of the flocks and herds.
They themselves will be like a well-watered garden,
and never again will sorrow afflict them.
13 Then the young girls will dance in their happiness,
and the old and the young men will rejoice.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will comfort them
and replace their sorrow with joy.
14 I will strengthen my priests with choice food,
and my people will be overwhelmed with my lavish gifts,
says the Lord.
No More Mourning
15 Thus says the Lord:
A voice is heard in Ramah
marked by lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is mourning for her children,
and she refuses to be consoled
because they are no more.[a]
16 Thus says the Lord to her:
Cease your cries of lamentation
and wipe the tears from your eyes.
For your labors will be rewarded, says the Lord,
and your children will return from the land of mercy.
17 Thus there is hope for your future, says the Lord;
your children will return to their homeland.
18 I have indeed heard Ephraim pleading,
“You chastised me, and I accepted your discipline,
I was like an untamed calf.
Bring me back! Allow me to return,
for you are the Lord, my God.
19 After I turned away, I repented;
once I began to understand, I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated,
and I reproach myself for the sins of my youth.”
20 Thus says the Lord:
Is not Ephraim still my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
No matter how often I speak against him,
I still remember him lovingly.
Therefore, my heart yearns for him,
and I have great compassion for him.
Blessing and Restoration
21 Set up road markers for yourself;
make yourself guideposts.
Concentrate your thoughts on the road,
the route along which you traveled.
Return, O virgin Israel;
come back to these towns of yours.
22 How long will you wander aimlessly,
O rebellious daughter?
For the Lord has created something new on the earth:
a woman must strengthen a man.[b]
23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: In the land of Judah and in its towns, they will once again use these words when I restore their fortunes,
“May the Lord bless you,
O holy mountain,
abode of righteousness.”
24 And in the land of Judah and all its towns, the farmers and those who care for the flocks will dwell together. 25 For I will provide the weary with all they need, and I will restore the strength of all those who have grown faint with hunger.
26 At this moment I awakened and looked around, and I realized that my sleep had been pleasant.[c]
27 The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of men and the seed of animals. 28 And as I once watched over them to uproot and pull down, to demolish, destroy, and inflict disaster, so now I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the Lord. 29 In those days they will no longer say,
“The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
30 For each one will die for his own sins. The teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes will be set on edge.
31 The New Covenant. The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.[d] 32 However, it will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt, a covenant that they broke even though I was their master.
33 However, this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will establish my law in their minds and inscribe it in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will there be any need for them to teach one another, or to say to one another, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, says the Lord, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin.
Assurance of God’s Promise
35 Thus says the Lord:
who provides us with the sun to light our day
and the moon and the stars to shine at night,
who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar,
and whose name is the Lord of hosts:
36 If this established order were ever to cease
in my presence, says the Lord,
then the race of Israel would cease forever
to be a nation before me.
37 Thus says the Lord:
Only if the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below can be fathomed
will I reject the entire race of Israel
because of all they have done, says the Lord.
38 Jerusalem Rebuilt. The days are coming, says the Lord, when this city will be rebuilt for the Lord, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 [e]The measuring line will then be stretched from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The entire valley, with its corpses and ashes, and all the fields sloping toward the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be sacred to the Lord. Never again will that city be uprooted or destroyed.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 31:15 In Ramah, which lay between Benjamin and Ephraim, that is, in the land of the descendants of Rachel, Jacob’s wife (Gen 35:24; 41:51), a caravan of deportees to Babylon will be formed (Jer 40:1), a moving image of the common mother who mourns for the children snatched from her. Matthew the evangelist would later use it in reference to the children slain at Bethlehem (Mt 2:17-18).
- Jeremiah 31:22 The verse is obscure. The same Hebrew verb is used in Deut 32:10 and Ps 32:10 of God’s solicitous care for humanity. The usual interpretation of the present verse is that Israel, formerly so faithless, will show the greatest love and attachment to her husband.
- Jeremiah 31:26 “During this vision, I seemed to be dreaming.”
- Jeremiah 31:31 Like a sudden gush of water comes this beautiful insight of Jeremiah, one of the high points of Old Testament thought; it is a verse that should be committed to memory and constantly meditated on. The former law with its exterior demands will become God’s gift and an interior impulse, because God will awaken in souls a love for him and the strength to be faithful. Jesus will bring the gift of it in the Gospel when he announces “the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you” (Lk 22:20; see Heb 8:7-13).
- Jeremiah 31:39 Gareb and Goah are places unknown to us. The boundaries of the new city will include even places formerly unholy: the valley of dead bodies and ashes, that is, the Valley of Gehenna and of the Kidron, which were formerly places of idolatrous practices (see Jer 2:23; 7:31). For the Tower of Hananel and the Horse Gate, see Neh 3:1, 28.
Jeremiah 31
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
31 At that time, saith the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus saith the Lord: The people that were left and escaped from the sword, found grace in the desert: Israel shall go to his rest.
3 The Lord hath appeared from afar to me. Yea I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore have I drawn thee, taking pity on thee.
4 And I will build thee again, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy timbrels, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
5 Thou shalt yet plant vineyards in the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and they shall not gather the vintage before the time.
6 For there shall be a day, in which the watchmen on mount Ephraim, shall cry: Arise, and let us go up to Sion to the Lord our God.
7 For thus saith the Lord: Rejoice ye in the joy of Jacob, and neigh before the head of the Gentiles: shout ye, and sing, and say: Save, O Lord, thy people, the remnant of Israel.
8 Behold I will bring them from the north country, and will gather them from the ends of the earth: and among them shall be the blind, and the lame, the woman with child, and she that is bringing forth, together, a great company of them returning hither.
9 They shall come with weeping: and I will bring them back in mercy: and I will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the islands that are afar off, and say: He that scattered Israel will gather him: and he will keep him as the shepherd doth his flock.
11 For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and delivered him out of the hand of one that was mightier than he.
12 And they shall come, and shall give praise in mount Sion: and they shall flow together to the good things of the Lord, for the corn, and wine, and oil, and the increase of cattle and herds, and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall be hungry no more.
13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, the young men and old men together: and I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them joyful after their sorrow.
14 And I will fill the soul of the priests with fatness: and my people shall be filled with my good things, saith the Lord.
15 Thus saith the Lord: A voice was heard on high of lamentation, of mourning, and weeping, of Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted for them, because they are not.
16 Thus saith the Lord: Let thy voice cease from weeping, and thy eyes from tears: for there is a reward for thy work, saith the Lord: and they shall return out of the land of the enemy.
17 And here is hope for thy last end, saith the Lord: and the children shall return to their own borders.
18 Hearing I heard Ephraim when he went into captivity: thou hast chastised me, and I was instructed, as a young bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Convert me, and I shall be converted, for thou art the Lord my God.
19 For after thou didst convert me, I did penance: and after thou didst shew unto me, I struck my thigh: I am confounded and ashamed, because I have borne the reproach of my youth.
20 Surely Ephraim is an honourable son to me, surely he is a tender child: for since I spoke of him, I will still remember him. Therefore are my bowels troubled for him: pitying I will pity him, saith the Lord.
21 Set thee up a watchtower, make to thee bitterness: direct thy heart into the right way, wherein thou hast walked: return, O virgin of Israel, return to these thy cities.
22 How long wilt thou be dissolute in deliciousness, O wandering daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth: A WOMAN SHALL COMPASS A MAN.
23 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: As yet shall they say this word in the land of Juda, and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring back their captivity: The Lord bless thee, the beauty of justice, the holy mountain.
24 And Juda and all his cities shall dwell therein together: the husbandmen and they that drive the flocks.
25 For I have inebriated the weary soul: and I have filled every hungry soul.
26 Upon this I was as it were awaked out of a sleep, and I saw, and my sleep was sweet to me.
27 Behold the days come, saith the Lord: and I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Juda with the seed of men, and with the seed of beasts.
28 And as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to throw down, and to scatter, and destroy, and afflict: so will I watch over them, to build up, and to plant them, saith the Lord.
29 In those days they shall say no more: The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.
30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that shall eat the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
31 Behold the days shall come, saith the Lord, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Juda:
32 Not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt: the covenant which they made void, and I had dominion over them, saith the Lord.
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will give my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their heart: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying: Know the Lord: for all shall know me from the least of them even to the greatest, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
35 Thus saith the Lord, who giveth the sun for the light of the day, the order of the moon and of the stars, for the light of the night: who stirreth up the sea, and the waves thereof roar, the Lord of hosts is his name.
36 If these ordinances shall fail before me, saith the Lord: then also the seed of Israel shall fail, so as not to be a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the Lord: If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I also will cast away all the seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith the Lord.
38 Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hanameel even to the gate of the corner.
39 And the measuring line shall go out farther in his sight upon the hill Gareb: and it shall compass Goatha,
40 And the whole valley of dead bodies and of ashes, and all the country of death, even to the torrent Cedron, and to the corner of the horse gate towards the east, the Holy of the Lord: it shall not be plucked up, and it shall not be destroyed any more for ever.
Jeremiah 31
New American Standard Bible 1995
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 Thus says the Lord,
“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 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 the (I)merrymakers.
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 the Lord our God.’”
7 For thus says the Lord,
“(L)Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the [e](M)chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O 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 the (R)blind and the (S)lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great [f]company, 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 the Lord, O nations,
And declare in the (Y)coastlands afar off,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will (Z)gather him
And 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 and the new wine and 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 will comfort them and give them (AM)joy for their sorrow.
14 “I will [h]fill the soul of the priests with [i]abundance,
And My people will be (AN)satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.
15 Thus says the Lord,
“(AO)A voice is heard in (AP)Ramah,
Lamentation 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 the Lord,
“(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 surely heard Ephraim (AW)grieving,
‘You have (AX)chastised me, and I was chastised,
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 (BB)smote on my thigh;
I was (BC)ashamed and also humiliated
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 [j](BE)heart yearns for him;
I will surely (BF)have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.
21 “Set up for yourself roadmarks,
Place for yourself guideposts;
(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 go here and there,
O (BI)faithless daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—
A woman will encompass a man.”
23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I (BJ)restore their [l]fortunes,
24 Judah and all its cities will (BM)dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. 25 (BN)For I satisfy the weary ones and [m]refresh everyone who languishes.” 26 At this I (BO)awoke and looked, and my (BP)sleep was 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 man and with the seed of beast. 28 As I have (BR)watched over them to (BS)pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to (BT)build and to plant,” declares the Lord.
29 “In those days they will not say again,
‘(BU)The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are [n]set on edge.’
30 But (BV)everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be [o]set on edge.
31 “(BW)Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a (BX)new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the (BY)covenant which I made 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, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But (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 on their heart I will write it; and (CD)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will (CE)not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man 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 iniquity, and their (CH)sin I will remember no more.”
35 Thus says the Lord,
Who (CI)gives the sun for light by day
And the [p]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 hosts is His name:
36 “(CL)If [q]this fixed order departs
From before Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the offspring of Israel also will (CM)cease
From being a nation before Me [r]forever.”
37 Thus says the Lord,
“(CN)If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also (CO)cast off all the offspring of Israel
For all 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 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 the Lord; it will not be plucked up or overthrown 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 31:7 Lit head
- Jeremiah 31:8 Or assembly
- Jeremiah 31:12 Lit goodness
- Jeremiah 31:14 Lit saturate
- Jeremiah 31:14 Lit fatness
- Jeremiah 31:20 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 31:21 Lit heart
- Jeremiah 31:23 Or captivity
- Jeremiah 31:25 Lit fill
- Jeremiah 31:29 Or dull
- Jeremiah 31:30 Or dull
- Jeremiah 31:35 Lit statutes
- Jeremiah 31:36 Lit these statutes
- Jeremiah 31:36 Lit all the days
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
