Jeremiah 31:8-34

8Behold, I am 1bringing them from the north country, And I will 2gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the 3blind and the 4lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great 5company, they will return here.96With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by 7streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will 8not stumble; For I am a 9father to Israel, And Ephraim is 10My firstborn.”

10Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, And declare in the 11coastlands afar off, And say, “He who scattered Israel will 12gather him And keep him as a 13shepherd keeps his flock.”11For the Lord has 14ransomed Jacob And redeemed him from the hand of him who was 15stronger than he.12“They will 16come and shout for joy on the 17height of Zion, And they will be 18radiant over the 19bounty of the Lord-- Over the 20grain and the new wine and the oil, And over the young of the 21flock and the herd; And their life will be like a 22watered garden, And they will 23never languish again.13Then the virgin will rejoice in the 24dance, And the young men and the old, together, For I will 25turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and give them 26joy for their sorrow.14I will 27fill the soul of the priests with 28abundance, And My people will be 29satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.

15Thus says the Lord, “30A voice is heard in 31Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She 32refuses to be comforted for her children, Because 33they are no more.” 16Thus says the Lord, “34Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears; For your 35work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord, “And they will 36return from the land of the enemy.17There is 37hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “And your children will return to their own territory.18I have surely heard Ephraim 38grieving, ‘You have 39chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained 40calf; 41Bring me back that I may be restored, For You are the Lord my God.19For after I turned back, I 42repented; And after I was instructed, I 43smote on my thigh; I was 44ashamed and also humiliated Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’20Is 45Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My 4647heart yearns for him; I will surely 48have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.

21“Set up for yourself roadmarks, Place for yourself guideposts; 49Direct your 50mind to the highway, The way by which you went. 51Return, O virgin of Israel, Return to these your cities.22How long will you go here and there, O 52faithless daughter? For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth-- A woman will encompass a man.”

23Thus 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 53restore their 54fortunes, ‘The Lord bless you, O 55abode of righteousness, O 56holy hill!’ 24Judah and all its cities will 57dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. 2558For I satisfy the weary ones and 59refresh everyone who languishes.” 26At this I 60awoke and looked, and my 61sleep was pleasant to me.

27“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will 62sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28As I have 63watched over them to 64pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to 65build and to plant,” declares the Lord.29“In those days they will not say again, ‘66The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are 67set on edge.’ 30But 68everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be 69set on edge.

31“70Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a 71new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the 72covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I 73took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My 74covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33“But 75this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “76I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and 77I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34They will 78not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all 79know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will 80forgive their iniquity, and their 81sin I will remember no more.”