Jeremiah 31:15-22

15Thus says the Lord, “1A voice is heard in 2Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She 3refuses to be comforted for her children, Because 4they are no more.” 16Thus says the Lord, “5Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears; For your 6work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord, “And they will 7return from the land of the enemy.17There is 8hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “And your children will return to their own territory.18I have surely heard Ephraim 9grieving, ‘You have 10chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained 11calf; 12Bring me back that I may be restored, For You are the Lord my God.19For after I turned back, I 13repented; And after I was instructed, I 14smote on my thigh; I was 15ashamed and also humiliated Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’20Is 16Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My 1718heart yearns for him; I will surely 19have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.

21“Set up for yourself roadmarks, Place for yourself guideposts; 20Direct your 21mind to the highway, The way by which you went. 22Return, O virgin of Israel, Return to these your cities.22How long will you go here and there, O 23faithless daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth-- A woman will encompass a man.”