Jeremiah 31:2-20

2This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survived the sword

Found grace in the wilderness—

Israel, when it went to find its rest.”

3The Lord appeared to him long ago, saying,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore I have drawn you out with kindness.

4“I will build you again and you will be rebuilt,

Virgin of Israel!

You will take up your tambourines again,

And go out to the dances of the revelers.

5“Again you will plant vineyards

On the hills of Samaria;

The planters will plant

And will enjoy the fruit.

6“For there will be a day when watchmen

On the hills of Ephraim call out,

‘Arise, and let’s go up to Zion,

To the Lord our God.’ ”

7For this is what the Lord says:

“Sing aloud with joy for Jacob,

And be joyful with the chief of the nations;

Proclaim, give praise, and say,

‘Lord, save Your people,

The remnant of Israel!’

8“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,

And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,

Among them those who are blind and those who limp,

The pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;

They will return here as a great assembly.

9“They will come with weeping,

And by pleading I will bring them;

I will lead them by streams of waters,

On a straight path on which they will not stumble;

For I am a father to Israel,

And Ephraim is My firstborn.”

10Hear the word of the Lord, you nations,

And declare it in the coastlands far away,

And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him,

And He will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”

11For the Lord has ransomed Jacob

And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

12“They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion,

And they will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord—

Over the grain, the new wine, the oil,

And over the young of the flock and the herd.

And their life will be like a watered garden,

And they will never languish again.

13“Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance,

And the young men and the old together;

For I will turn their mourning into joy

And comfort them, and give them joy for their sorrow.

14“I will refresh the soul of the priests with abundance,

And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.

15This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

Lamenting and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children;

She refuses to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more.”

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping

And your eyes from tears;

For your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,

“And they will return from the land of the enemy.

17“There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord,

“And your children will return to their own territory.

18“I have certainly heard Ephraim grieving,

‘You have disciplined me, and I was corrected,

Like an untrained calf;

Bring me back that I may be restored,

For You are the Lord my God.

19‘For after I turned back, I repented;

And after I was instructed, I slapped my thigh;

I was ashamed and also humiliated

Because I bore the shame of my youth.’

20“Is Ephraim My dear son?

Is he a delightful child?

Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,

I certainly still remember him;

Therefore My heart yearns for him;

I will certainly have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.