Jeremiah 30:3–31:26

³because the time is coming when I will restore my people, Israel and Judah. I will bring them back to the land that I gave their ancestors, and they will take possession of it again. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

⁴The Lord says to the people of Israel and Judah:

⁵“I heard a cry of terror,

a cry of fear and not of peace.

⁶Now stop and think!

Can a man give birth to a child?

Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach

like a woman in labour?

Why is everyone so pale?

⁷A terrible day is coming;

no other day can compare with it—

a time of distress for my people,

but they will survive.”

⁸The Lord Almighty says: “When that day comes, I will break the yoke that is round their necks and remove their chains, and they will no longer be the slaves of foreigners. ⁹Instead, they will serve me, the Lord their God, and a descendant of David, whom I will enthrone as king.

^10*“My people, do not be afraid;

people of Israel, do not be terrified.

I will rescue you from that distant land,

from the land where you are prisoners.

You will come back home and live in peace;

you will be secure, and no one will make you afraid.

^11*I will come to you and save you.

I will destroy all the nations

where I have scattered you,

but I will not destroy you.

I will not let you go unpunished;

but when I punish you, I will be fair.

I, the Lord, have spoken.”

¹²The Lord says to his people,

“Your wounds are incurable,

your injuries cannot be healed.

¹³There is no one to take care of you,

no remedy for your sores,

no hope of healing for you.

¹⁴All your lovers have forgotten you;

they no longer care about you.

I have attacked you like an enemy;

your punishment has been harsh

because your sins are many

and your wickedness is great.

¹⁵Complain no more about your injuries; there is no cure for you.

I punished you like this because your sins are many and your wickedness is great.

¹⁶But now, all who devour you will be devoured,

and all your enemies will be taken away as prisoners.

All who oppress you will be oppressed,

and all who plunder you will be plundered.

¹⁷I will make you well again;

I will heal your wounds, though your enemies say,

‘Zion is an outcast;

no one cares about her.’

I, the Lord, have spoken.”

¹⁸The Lord says,

“I will restore my people to their land

and have mercy on every family;

Jerusalem will be rebuilt,

and its palace restored.

¹⁹The people who live there will sing praise;

they will shout for joy.

By my blessing they will increase in numbers;

my blessing will bring them honour.

²⁰I will restore the nation’s ancient power

and establish it firmly again;

I will punish all who oppress them.

^21–22Their ruler will come from their own nation,

their prince from their own people.

He will approach me when I invite him,

for who would dare come uninvited?

They will be my people,

and I will be their God.

I, the Lord, have spoken.”

^23–24The Lord’s anger is a storm, a furious wind that will rage over the heads of the wicked. It will not end until he has done all that he intends to do. In days to come his people will understand this clearly.

Israel’s Return Home

31The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel, and they will be my people. ²In the desert I showed mercy to those people who had escaped death. When the people of Israel longed for rest, ³I appeared to themⁿ from far away. People of Israel, I have always loved you, so I continue to show you my constant love. ⁴Once again I will rebuild you. Once again you will take up your tambourines and dance joyfully. ⁵Once again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria, and those who plant them will eat what the vineyards produce. ⁶Yes, the time is coming when watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Let’s go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’ ”

⁷The Lord says,

“Sing with joy for Israel,

the greatest of the nations.

Sing your song of praise,

‘The Lord has saved his^o people;

he has rescued all who are left.’

⁸I will bring them from the north

and gather them from the ends of the earth.

The blind and the lame will come with them,

pregnant women and those about to give birth.

They will come back a great nation.

⁹My people will return weeping,

praying as I lead them back.

I will guide them to streams of water,

on a smooth road where they will not stumble.

I am like a father to Israel,

and Ephraim is my eldest son.”

¹⁰The Lord says,

“Nations, listen to me,

and proclaim my words on the far-off shores.

I scattered my people, but I will gather them

and guard them as a shepherd guards his flock.

¹¹I have set Israel’s people free

and have saved them from a mighty nation.

¹²They will come and sing for joy on Mount Zion

and be delighted with my gifts—

gifts of corn and wine and olive oil,

gifts of sheep and cattle.

They will be like a well-watered garden;

they will have everything they need.

¹³Then the young women will dance and be happy,

and men, young and old, will rejoice.

I will comfort them and turn their mourning into joy,

their sorrow into gladness.

¹⁴I will fill the priests with the richest food

and satisfy all the needs of my people.

I, the Lord, have spoken.”

The ’s Mercy on Israel

^15*The Lord says,

“A sound is heard in Ramah,

the sound of bitter weeping.

Rachel is crying for her children;

they are gone,

and she refuses to be comforted.

¹⁶Stop your crying

and wipe away your tears.

All that you have done for your children

will not go unrewarded;

they will return from the enemy’s land.

¹⁷There is hope for your future;

your children will come back home.

I, the Lord, have spoken.

¹⁸“I hear the people of Israel say in grief,

‘Lord, we were like an untamed animal,

but you taught us to obey.

Bring us back;

we are ready to return to you,

the Lord our God.

¹⁹We turned away from you,

but soon we wanted to return.

After you had punished us,

we hung our heads in grief.

We were ashamed and disgraced,

because we sinned when we were young.’

²⁰“Israel, you are my dearest son,

the child I love best.

Whenever I mention your name,

I think^p of you with love.

My heart goes out to you;

I will be merciful.

²¹Set up signs and mark the road;

find again the way by which you left.

Come back, people of Israel,

come home to the towns you left.

²²How long will you hesitate, faithless people?

I have created something new and different,

as different as a woman protecting a man.”^q

The Future Prosperity of God’s People

²³The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says, “When I restore the people to their land, they will once again say in the land of Judah and in its towns, ‘May the Lord bless the sacred hill^r of Jerusalem, the holy place where he lives.’ ²⁴People will live in Judah and in all its towns, and there will be farmers, and shepherds with their flocks. ²⁵I will refresh those who are weary and will satisfy with food everyone who is weak from hunger. ²⁶So then, people will say, ‘I went to sleep and woke up refreshed.’