Jeremiah 31:3–20

³the Lord appeared to him^A from far away.

I have loved you with an everlasting love;^j

therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.^k

⁴Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt,

Virgin Israel.^l

You will take up your tambourines again^m

and go out in joyful dancing.

⁵You will plant vineyards againⁿ

on the mountains of Samaria;

the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.^o

⁶For there will be a day when watchmen will call out

in the hill country of Ephraim,

“Come, let’s go up to Zion,^p

to the Lord our God!”

GOD’S PEOPLE BROUGHT HOME

⁷For this is what the Lord says:

Sing with joy for Jacob;

shout for the foremost of the nations!

Proclaim, praise, and say,

“Lord, save your people,^q

the remnant of Israel!”^r

⁸Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land.

I will gather them from remote regions of the earth^s—

the blind and the lame will be with them,^t

along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth.

They will return here as a great assembly!^u

⁹They will come weeping,

but I will bring them back with consolation.^Bv

I will lead them to wadis filled with water,

by a smooth way where they will not stumble,^w

for I am Israel’s Father,

and Ephraim is my firstborn.^x

¹⁰Nations, hear the word of the Lord,

and tell it among the far off coasts and islands!^y

Say, “The one who scattered Israel will gather him.^z

He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock,

¹¹for the Lord has ransomed Jacob

and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he.”^aa

¹²They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;^ab

they will be radiant with joy^ac

because of the Lord’s goodness,

because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil,^ad

and because of the young of the flocks and herds.

Their life will be like an irrigated garden,

and they will no longer grow weak from hunger.

¹³Then the young women will rejoice with dancing,

while young and old men rejoice together.

I will turn their mourning into joy,^a

give them consolation,

and bring happiness out of grief.

¹⁴I will refresh the priests with an abundance,^Ab

and my people will be satisfied with my goodness.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

LAMENT TURNED TO JOY

¹⁵This is what the Lord says:

A voice was heard in Ramah,^c

a lament with bitter weeping—

Rachel weeping for her children,

refusing to be comforted for her children

because they are no more.^d

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

Keep your voice from weeping

and your eyes from tears,

for the reward for your work will come—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

and your children will return from the enemy’s land.

¹⁷There is hope for your future^e—

this is the Lord’s declaration—

and your children will return to their own territory.

¹⁸I have surely heard Ephraim moaning,

“You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined

like an untrained calf.^f

Take me back, so that I can return,

for you, Lord, are my God.^g

¹⁹After my return, I felt regret;

After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief.^h

I was ashamed and humiliatedⁱ

because I bore the disgrace of my youth.”

²⁰Isn’t Ephraim a precious son to me,

a delightful child?^j

Whenever I speak against him,

I certainly still think about him.

Therefore, my inner being yearns for him;

I will truly have compassion on him.^k

This is the Lord’s declaration.