Jeremiah 31:1-40
The New Israel
1 “At that time,” declares 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:
“The people who survive the sword
will find favor in the wilderness;
I will come to give rest to Israel.”
3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
4 I will build you up again,
and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels
and go out to dance with the joyful.
5 Again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.
6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.’”
7 This is what the Lord says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
‘Lord, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
8 See, I will bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
expectant mothers and women in labor;
a great throng will return.
9 They will come with weeping;
they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
on a level path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10 “Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:
‘He who scattered Israel will gather them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob
and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,
the young of the flocks and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,
and they will sorrow no more.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,”
declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
16 This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,”
declares the Lord.
“They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
“Your children will return to their own land.
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf,
and I have been disciplined.
Restore me, and I will return,
because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I strayed,
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him,”
declares the Lord.
21 “Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.
Take note of the highway,
the road that you take.
Return, Virgin Israel,
return to your towns.
22 How long will you wander,
unfaithful Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing on earth—
the woman will return to the man.”
23 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ 24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
26 At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
27 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28 Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.
31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
35 This is what the Lord says,
he who appoints the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,
who stirs up the sea
so that its waves roar—
the Lord Almighty is his name:
36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,”
declares the Lord,
“will Israel ever cease
being a nation before me.”
37 This is what the Lord says:
“Only if the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject all the descendants of Israel
because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.
38 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
This is what the LORD said, “At that time I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel...And they will be my people.”...This is what the LORD says: “The people who escaped the enemy’s sword will find comfort in the desert...Israel will go there looking for rest.”...From far away, the LORD will appear to his people...The LORD says, “I LOVE you people with a love that continues forever... That is why I have continued showing you kindness...Israel, My bride, I will rebuild you...You will be a country again...You will pick up your tambourines again...You will dance with all the other people who are having fun...You farmers of Israel will plant vineyards again...You will plant the vineyards on the hills around the city of Samaria...The farmers will enjoy the fruit from the vineyards...There will be a time when watchmen shout this message: ‘Come, let’s go up to Zion to worship the LORD our God!’...Even the watchmen in the hill country of Ephraim will shout that message.”...This is what the LORD says: “Be happy and sing for Jacob!...Shout for Israel, the greatest of the nations!...Sing your praises and shout: ‘LORD, save your people!...Save those who are left alive from the nation of Israel.’...Remember, I will bring Israel from that country in the north...I will gather the people of Israel from the faraway places on earth...Some of the people will be blind and crippled...Some of the women will be pregnant and ready to give birth...But many people will come back...They will come back crying, but I will lead them and comfort them...I will lead them by streams of water...I will lead them on an easy road, where they will not stumble...I will lead them in that way because I AM Israel’s Father...And Ephraim is My firstborn son."...
“People will not use this saying anymore: ‘The parents ate the sour grapes, but the children got the sour taste.’...No, people will die for their own sins...Those who eat sour grapes will get the sour taste.”...
This is what the LORD said, “The time is coming when I will make a new agreement with the family of Israel and with the family of Judah...It will not be like the agreement I made with their ancestors...I made that agreement when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt...I was Their Master, but they broke that agreement.”...This message is from the LORD...“In the future I will make this agreement with the people of Israel.”...This message is from the LORD...“I will put my teachings in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts...I will be their God, and they will be My people...People will not have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the LORD, because all people, from the least important to the most important, will know Me.”...This message is from the LORD...“I will forgive them for the evil things they did...I will not remember their sins.”...
He makes the sun shine in the day, and He makes the moon and the stars shine at night...He stirs up the sea so that its waves crash on the shore...The LORD All-Powerful is His name...This is what the LORD says: “The descendants of Israel will never stop being a nation...That would happen only if I lost control of the sun, moon, stars, and sea.”...The LORD says, “I will never reject the descendants of Israel...That would happen only if people could measure the sky above, and learn all the secrets of the earth below...Only then would I reject them for the bad things they have done.”...This message is from the LORD...This message is from the LORD, “The days are coming when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt for the LORD...The whole city will be rebuilt—from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate...The measuring line will stretch from the Corner Gate straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to the place named Goah...The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown and all the terraces down to the bottom of Kidron Valley all the way to the corner of Horse Gate will be holy to the LORD...The city of Jerusalem will never again be torn down or destroyed.”...