Jeremiah 31

Chapter 31

Hope for Restoration

1 “In that day,” says the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.

2 This is what the LORD says:
“Those who survive the coming destruction
will find blessings even in the barren land,
for I will give rest to the people of Israel.”3 Long ago the LORD said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.4 I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.
You will again be happy
and dance merrily with your tambourines.5 Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria
and eat from your own gardens there.6 The day will come when watchmen will shout
from the hill country of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Jerusalemt
to worship the LORD our God.’”7 Now this is what the LORD says:
“Sing with joy for Israel.t
Shout for the greatest of nations!
Shout out with praise and joy:
‘Save your people, O LORD,
the remnant of Israel!’8 For I will bring them from the north
and from the distant corners of the earth.
I will not forget the blind and lame,
the expectant mothers and women in labor.
A great company will return!9 Tears of joy will stream down their faces,
and I will lead them home with great care.
They will walk beside quiet streams
and on smooth paths where they will not stumble.
For I am Israel’s father,
and Ephraim is my oldest child.10 “Listen to this message from the LORD,
you nations of the world;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:
The LORD, who scattered his people,
will gather them and watch over them
as a shepherd does his flock.11 For the LORD has redeemed Israel
from those too strong for them.12 They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem.
They will be radiant because of the LORD’s good gifts—
the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil,
and the healthy flocks and herds.
Their life will be like a watered garden,
and all their sorrows will be gone.13 The young women will dance for joy,
and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.14 The priests will enjoy abundance,
and my people will feast on my good gifts.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Rachel’s Sadness Turns to Joy

15 This is what the LORD says:
“A cry is heard in Ramah—
deep anguish and bitter weeping.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted—
for her children are gone.”16 But now this is what the LORD says:
“Do not weep any longer,
for I will reward you,” says the LORD.
“Your children will come back to you
from the distant land of the enemy.17 There is hope for your future,” says the LORD.
“Your children will come again to their own land.18 I have heard Israelt saying,
‘You disciplined me severely,
like a calf that needs training for the yoke.
Turn me again to you and restore me,
for you alone are the LORD my God.19 I turned away from God,
but then I was sorry.
I kicked myself for my stupidity!
I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.’20 “Is not Israel still my son,
my darling child?” says the LORD.
“I often have to punish him,
but I still love him.
That’s why I long for him
and surely will have mercy on him.21 Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.
Mark well the path
by which you came.
Come back again, my virgin Israel;
return to your towns here.22 How long will you wander,
my wayward daughter?
For the LORD will cause something new to happen—
Israel will embrace her God.t”23 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people of Judah and its towns will again say, ‘The LORD bless you, O righteous home, O holy mountain!’24 Townspeople and farmers and shepherds alike will live together in peace and happiness.

25 For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”

26 At this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been very sweet.
27 “The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will greatly increase the human population and the number of animals here in Israel and Judah.

28 In the past I deliberately uprooted and tore down this nation. I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought disaster upon it. But in the future I will just as deliberately plant it and build it up. I, the LORD, have spoken!

29 “The people will no longer quote this proverb:
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
but their children’s mouths pucker at the taste.’

30 All people will die for their own sins—those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker.
31 “The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.

32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the LORD.
33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.”
35 It is the LORD who provides the sun to light the day
and the moon and stars to light the night,
and who stirs the sea into roaring waves.
His name is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,
and this is what he says:36 “I am as likely to reject my people Israel
as I am to abolish the laws of nature!”37 This is what the LORD says:
“Just as the heavens cannot be measured
and the foundations of the earth cannot be explored,
so I will not consider casting them away
for the evil they have done.
I, the LORD, have spoken!38 “The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when all Jerusalem will be rebuilt for me, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.39 A measuring line will be stretched out over the hill of Gareb and across to Goah.

40 And the entire area—including the graveyard and ash dump in the valley, and all the fields out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the Horse Gate—will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be captured or destroyed.”

JEREMIAH 31

Israel Will Return to God

1 The [Lord] said:
Israel, I promise
that someday all your tribes
will again be my people,
and I will be your God.

2 In the desert I was kind
to those who escaped death.
I gave them peace,
and when the time is right,
I'll do the same for you.t
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

The [Lord] Will Rebuild Israel

3 Some time ago, the [Lord] appeared to met and told me to say:
Israel, I will always love you;
that's why I've been so patient
and kind.

4 You are precious to me,
and so I will rebuild
your nation.
Once again you will dance for joy
and play your tambourines.

5 You will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria
and enjoy the grapes.

6 Someday those who guard
the hill country of Ephraim
will shout, “Let's go to Zion
and worship the [Lord] our God.”

Israel Will Return //to Its Own Land

7 The [Lord] says:
Celebrate and sing for Israel,
the greatest of nations.
Offer praises and shout,
“Come and rescue
your people, [Lord]!
Save what's left of Israel.”

8 I, the [Lord], will bring
my people back from Babyloniat
and everywhere else on earth.
The blind and the lame
will be there.
Expectant mothers
and women about to give birth
will come and be part
of that great crowd.

9 They will weep and pray
as I bring them home.
I will lead them
to streams of water.
They will walk on a levelt road
and not stumble.
I am a father to Israel, t
my favorite children.

10 Listen to me, you nations
nearby or across the sea.
I scattered the people of Israel,
but I will gather them again.
I will protect them like a shepherd
guarding a flock;

11 I will rescue them from enemies
who could overpower them.

12 My people will come
to Mount Zion
and celebrate;
their faces will glow
because of my blessings.
I'll give them grain, grapes,
and olive oil,
as well as sheep and cattle.
Israel will be prosperous
and grow like a garden
with plenty of water.

13 Young women and young men,
together with the elderly,
will celebrate and dance,
because I will comfort them
and turn their sorrow
into happiness.

14 I will bless my people
with more food
than they need,
and the priests will enjoy
the choice cuts of meat.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

The [Lord] Offers Hope

15  t In Ramaht a voice is heard,
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel mourns for her childrent
and refuses to be comforted,
because they are dead.
*

16 But I, the [Lord], say
to dry your tears.
Someday your children
will come home
from the enemy's land.
Then all you have done for them
will be greatly rewarded.

17 So don't lose hope.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

18 The people of Israelt moan
and say to me,
“We were like wild bulls,
but you, [Lord], broke us,
and we learned to obey.
You are our God—
please let us come home.

19 When we were young,
we strayed and sinned,
but then we realized
what we had done.
We are ashamed and disgraced
and want to return to you.”

20 People of Israel,
you are my own dear children.
Don't I love you best of all?
Though I often make threats,
I want you to be near me,
so I will have mercy on you.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

21 With rock piles and signposts,
mark the road well,
my dear people.
The road by which you left
by will now lead you home.

22 Will you ever decide
to be faithful?
I will make sure that someday
things will be different,
as different as a woman
protecting a man.t

The [Lord] Will Bring //Judah Home

23 The [Lord] All-Powerful, the God of Israel, said:
I promise to set the people of Judah free and to lead them back to their hometowns. And when I do, they will once again say,
“We pray that the [Lord]
will bless his home,
the sacred hill in Jerusalem
where his temple stands.”
24 The people will live in Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. Some will be farmers, and others will be shepherds. 25 Those who feel tired and worn out will find new life and energy,

26 and when they sleep, they will wake up refreshed.t
27 Someday, Israel and Judah will be my field where my people and their livestock will grow. 28 In the past, I took care to uproot them, to tear them down, and to destroy them. But when that day comes, I will take care to plant them and help them grow.

29 t No longer will anyone go around saying,
“Sour grapes eaten by parents
leave a sour taste in the mouths
of their children.”

30 When that day comes, only those who eat sour grapes will get the sour taste, and only those who sin will be put to death.

The New Agreement //with Israel and Judah

31  t t The [Lord] said:
The time will surely come when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and Judah.

32 It will be different from the agreement I made with their ancestors when I led them out of Egypt. Although I was their God, they broke that agreement.

33  t Here is the new agreement that I, the [Lord], will make with the people of Israel:
“I will write my laws
on their hearts and minds.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

34  t “No longer will they have to teach one another to obey me. I, the [Lord], promise that all of them will obey me, ordinary people and rulers alike. I will forgive their sins and forget the evil things they have done.”

35 I am the [Lord] All-Powerful.
I command the sun
to give light each day,
the moon and stars
to shine at night,
and ocean waves to roar.

36 I will never forget
to give those commands,
and I will never let Israel
stop being a nation.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

37 Can you measure the heavens?
Can you explore
the depths of the earth?
That's how hard it would be
for me to reject Israel forever,
even though they have sinned.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

Jerusalem Will Be Rebuilt

38 The [Lord] said:
Someday, Jerusalem will truly belong to me. It will be rebuilt with a boundary line running from Hananel Tower to Corner Gate. 39 From there, the boundary will go in a straight line to Gareb Hill, then turn toward Goah. 40 Even that disgusting Hinnom Valleyt will be sacred to me, and so will the eastern slopes that go down from Horse Gate into Kidron Valley. Jerusalem will never again be destroyed.