Jeremiah 31

Everlasting Love and Restoration

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 survived the sword found favor in the wilderness. When Israel went looking for rest?”

3 “the LORD appeared to him from far away and said: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; That is why I keep showing you faithful love.’”

4 “I will rebuild you again, virgin Israel, And you will be rebuilt. You will take up your tambourines again And go out dancing with joy.”

5 “You will plant vineyards again on the hills of Samaria. The planters will plant and actually enjoy the harvest.”

6 “The day is coming when watchmen will cry out on the hills of Ephraim: ‘Get up! Let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!’”

God Brings His People Home

7 This is what the LORD says: “Shout with joy for Jacob; Celebrate the leader of the nations. Proclaim, praise, and say, ‘LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel!’”

8 “I am bringing them back from the land of the north And gathering them from the far ends of the earth, The blind and the lame, pregnant women and those in labor, A huge crowd returning here.”

9 “They will come weeping, But I will lead them back with comfort. I will guide them beside streams of water On a smooth path where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s Father, And Ephraim is My firstborn.”

God’s Deep Compassion

10 Hear the word of the LORD, you nations; Announce it to the distant coastlands: “The One who scattered Israel will gather him And guard him like a shepherd guards his flock.”

11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob And redeemed him from one stronger than him.

12 “They will come and shout for joy on Zion’s heights. They will be radiant over the LORD’s goodness, Over grain, new wine, oil, Young sheep and cattle. Their lives will be like a well-watered garden, And they will never waste away again.”

13 “Then young women will dance and rejoice, Young men and old together. I will turn their mourning into joy, Comfort them, and give them gladness instead of sorrow.”

14 “I will satisfy the priests with abundance, And My people will be filled with My goodness,” Declares the LORD.

Rachel’s Weeping Turned to Hope

15 This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, Mourning and great weeping. Rachel is crying for her children; She refuses to be comforted, Because they are no more.”

16 This is what the LORD says: “Stop your crying; wipe your tears. Your work will be rewarded,” declares the LORD. “They will come back from the enemy’s land.”

17 “So there is hope for your future,” declares the LORD. “Your children will return to their own territory.”

God’s Heart for Ephraim

18 “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving: ‘You disciplined me, and I was disciplined Like a calf that had not been trained. Restore me, and I will return, For You are the LORD my God.’”

19 “After I turned back, I repented. After I understood, I struck my thigh in shame. I was ashamed and humiliated Because I carried the disgrace of my youth.”

20 “Is not Ephraim My dear son, Is he not My precious child, Even when I speak against him, I still remember him. My heart longs for him. I will surely have mercy on him?” Declares the LORD.

A New Future for Israel

21 “Set up road markers; Put up guideposts. Pay attention to the highway, The road you traveled. Return, virgin Israel. Come back to your cities.”

22 “How long will you wander, unfaithful daughter, The LORD has created something new on the earth: A woman will protect a man.”

Restored Blessing

23 This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel, says: “When I restore their fortunes, they will again say in the land of Judah and its cities: ‘May the LORD bless you, righteous dwelling, holy mountain.’”

24 “Judah and all its cities will live there together, Farmers and those who move with the flocks.”

25 “For I will satisfy the weary And refresh everyone who is faint.”

26 At this I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant.

From Judgment to Renewal

27 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah With the seed of people and animals.”

28 “Just as I watched over them to uproot, tear down, destroy, and bring disaster, So I will watch over them to build and plant,” Declares the LORD.

29 “In those days people will no longer say, ‘The fathers ate sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’”

30 “Instead, everyone will die for their own sin. Anyone who eats sour grapes, their own teeth will be set on edge.”

The New Covenant

31 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant With the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

32 “It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers When I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt, A covenant they broke, Though I was their husband,” declares the LORD.

33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD: “I will put My law within them And write it on their hearts. I will be their God, And they will be My people.”

34 “No longer will each one teach his neighbor or brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ Because they will all know Me, From the least to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their iniquity And remember their sin no more.”

Israel’s Future Secured

35 This is what the LORD says, He who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of moon and stars by night, Who stirs up the sea so its waves roar, The LORD of armies is His name:

36 “Only if this fixed order disappears from My sight,” declares the LORD, “will Israel ever stop 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 searched out Will I reject all the descendants of Israel Because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

Jerusalem Rebuilt Forever

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 fields as far as the Kidron Valley, To the corner of the Horse Gate on the east, Will be holy to the LORD. It will never again be uprooted or destroyed.”