Jeremiah - Chapter 31

¹ When that time comes, Yahweh declares, I shall be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.

² Yahweh says this: They have found pardon in the desert, those who have survived the sword. Israel is marching to his rest.

³ Yahweh has appeared to me from afar; I have loved you with an everlasting love and so I still maintain my faithful love for you.

⁴ I shall build you once more, yes, you will be rebuilt, Virgin of Israel! Once more in your best attire, and with your tambourines, you will go out dancing gaily.

⁵ Once more you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria (those who plant will themselves enjoy the fruit).

⁶ Yes, a day will come when the watchmen shout on the mountains of Ephraim, 'Up! Let us go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God!'

⁷ For Yahweh says this: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Shout, 'Yahweh has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!'

⁸ Watch, I shall bring them back from the land of the north and gather them in from the far ends of the earth. With them, the blind and the lame, women with child, women in labour, all together: a mighty throng will return here!

⁹ In tears they will return, in prayer I shall lead them. I shall guide them to streams of water, by a smooth path where they will not stumble. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born son.

¹⁰ Listen, nations, to the word of Yahweh. On the farthest coasts and islands proclaim it, say, 'He who scattered Israel is gathering him, will guard him as a shepherd guarding his flock.'

¹¹ For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, rescued him from a hand stronger than his own.

¹² They will come, shouting for joy on the heights of Zion, thronging towards Yahweh's lavish gifts, for wheat, new wine and oil, sheep and cattle; they will be like a well-watered garden, they will sorrow no more.

¹³ The young girl will then take pleasure in the dance, and young men and old alike; I shall change their mourning into gladness, comfort them, give them joy after their troubles;

¹⁴ I shall refresh my priests with rich food, and my people will gorge themselves on my lavish gifts, Yahweh declares.

¹⁵ Yahweh says this: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.

¹⁶ Yahweh says this: Stop your lamenting dry your eyes, for your labour will have a reward, Yahweh declares, and they will return from the enemy's country.

¹⁷ There is hope for your future after all, Yahweh declares, your children will return to their homeland.

¹⁸ I have indeed heard Ephraim's grieving, 'You flogged me, I took a flogging, like a young, untrained bull. Bring me back, let me come back, for you are Yahweh my God!

¹⁹ For, since I turned away, I have repented; having understood, I beat my breast. I was deeply ashamed, I blushed, aware of the disgrace incurred when I was young.'

²⁰ Is Ephraim, then, so dear a son to me, a child so favoured, that whenever I mention him I remember him lovingly still? That is why I yearn for him, why I must take pity on him, Yahweh declares.

²¹ Set up your signposts, raise yourself landmarks, fix your mind on the road, the way by which you went. Come home, Virgin of Israel, come home to these towns of yours.

²² How long will you hesitate, rebellious daughter? For Yahweh is creating something new on earth: the Woman sets out to find her Husband again.

²³ Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, 'In the country of Judah and in its towns, they will use these words once more, when I bring their captives home: "Yahweh bless you, home of saving justice, holy mountain!"

²⁴ 'And in this country, Judah and all its towns, the ploughmen and those who wander with their flocks, will live together,

²⁵ for I shall give the weary all they need and satisfy all those whose strength has gone.'

²⁶ At this, I awoke and saw that my sleep had been sweet to me.

²⁷ 'Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah with the seed both of people and of cattle.

²⁸ And as I once watched over them to uproot, to knock down, to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so now I shall watch over them to build and to plant, Yahweh declares.

²⁹ 'In those days people will no longer say: "The fathers have eaten unripe grapes; the children's teeth are set on edge."

³⁰ But each will die for his own guilt. Everyone who eats unripe grapes will have his own teeth set on edge.

³¹ 'Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall make a new covenant with the House of Israel (and the House of Judah),

³² but not like the covenant I made with their ancestors the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt, a covenant which they broke, even though I was their Master, Yahweh declares.

³³ No, this is the covenant I shall make with the House of Israel when those days have come, Yahweh declares. Within them I shall plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I shall be their God and they will be my people.

³⁴ There will be no further need for everyone to teach neighbour or brother, saying, "Learn to know Yahweh!" No, they will all know me, from the least to the greatest, Yahweh declares, since I shall forgive their guilt and never more call their sin to mind.'

³⁵ Yahweh who provides the sun to shine by day, who regulates moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs the sea, making its waves roar, he whose name is Yahweh Sabaoth, says this,

³⁶ 'Were this established order ever to pass away before me, Yahweh declares, then the race of Israel would also cease being a nation for ever before me!'

³⁷ Yahweh says this, 'Were the heavens above ever to be measured, the foundations of the earth below ever to be fathomed, then I too would reject the whole race of Israel for all that they have done, Yahweh declares.'

³⁸ 'Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when the City will be rebuilt for Yahweh, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

³⁹ Then once again the measuring line will stretch straight to the Hill of Gareb, turning then to Goah.

⁴⁰ And the whole valley, with its corpses and ashes, and all the ground beside the ravine of the Kidron as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, eastwards, will be consecrated to Yahweh. It will never be destroyed or demolished again.

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