Jeremiah 31:15–20

¹⁵Thus says the Lord:

^j“A voice is heard in ^kRamah,

lamentation and bitter weeping.

^lRachel is weeping for her children;

she refuses to be comforted for her children,

^mbecause they are no more.”

¹⁶Thus says the Lord:

“Keep your voice from weeping,

and your eyes from tears,

for there is a reward for your work,

declares the Lord,

and ⁿthey shall come back from the land of the enemy.

^17oThere is hope for your future,

declares the Lord,

and your children shall come back to their own country.

¹⁸I have heard ^pEphraim grieving,

‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined,

like an untrained calf;

^qbring me back that I may be restored,

for you are the Lord my God.

¹⁹For after ^rI had turned away, I relented,

and after I was instructed, ^sI struck my thigh;

^tI was ashamed, and I was confounded,

because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

^20pIs Ephraim my dear son?

^uIs he my darling child?

For as often as I speak against him,

I do remember him still.

^vTherefore my heart² yearns for him;

I will surely have mercy on him,

declares the Lord.