Jeremiah 31:15-22

15The Lord says, ‘You can hear a sad noise in Ramah. Someone is weeping with a loud voice. It is Rachel, and she is weeping for her children. Nobody can help her to stop weeping, because her children are dead.’

16The Lord says, ‘Stop crying! Do not weep any more! I will help you because of what you have done. Your children will return from the land of their enemies.’ That is what the Lord says.

17‘Yes, you will have descendants in the future. Your children will return to their own land.’ That is what the Lord says.

18‘I have heard Israel's people when they are sad. They say to me, “You punished us, and we accepted it. You taught us to obey you, like a farmer teaches an ox to work for him. So let us come back to serve you. We are ready to return to you, because you are the Lord, our God.

19After we turned away from you, we were sorry that we had done that. We understood what we had done, and we showed that we were sad. We were ashamed and upset, because of the disgusting things that we did when we were young.”

20But Israel's people are my own dear children. I still love them, even when I have to speak against them. I can never forget them. I only want to help them. I will certainly be kind to them.’ That is what the Lord says.

21‘People of Israel, put up signs along the roads, so that you know the way to go. Remember the road that you travelled on when you went away from your land. Now return, my special people, Israel. Return to your cities that you had to leave.

22You went away from me, like a daughter who refuses to obey her father. Do not continue to turn away from me. I, the Lord, promise to do a new thing. Women will take care of men!’