Jeremiah 31
31
1 “At that time,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh,
“I will be the God of all the clans#Or “families” of Israel,
and they will be to me a people.”
2Thus says Yahweh:
“The people of the survivors of the sword found grace in the desert;#Or “wilderness”
Israel going to find their rest.”
3From afar Yahweh appeared to me, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love.
Therefore#Literally “Unto thus” I have drawn you with loyal love.
4I will again build you,
and you will be built, O virgin Israel.
You will again adorn yourself with your tambourines,
and you will go forth in the dancing in a ring of the merrymakers.
5You will again plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria.
The planters will plant, and they will enjoy it.#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
6For there will be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim,
‘Stand up, and let us go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God.’ ”
7For thus says Yahweh,
“Sing for joy for Jacob with gladness,
and shout out for the head of the nations.
Proclaim, praise, and say,
‘Save, O Yahweh, your people, the remnant of Israel.’
8Look, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
and I will gather them from the remotest part of the earth.
Among them the blind, and the lame,
those who are pregnant, and those who give birth,
together, a great assembly,
they will return here.
9With weeping they will come,
and with pleas for mercy I will bring them;
I will let them walk by streams of water in a straight path.
They will not stumble in it,
for I have become to Israel a father,
and Ephraim, he is my firstborn.”
10Hear the word of Yahweh, O nations,
and declare in the coastlands from afar, and say,
“The scatterer of Israel will gather him,
and he will keep him as a shepherd his flock.
11For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob,
and he has redeemed him from the hand of the person stronger#Literally “strong” than he.
12And they will come,
and they will sing for joy on the height of Zion,
and they will be radiant over the goodness of Yahweh,
over the grain, and over the wine, and over the olive oil,
and over the young ones of the flock, and over the cattle.
And their life will become like a well-watered garden,
and they will never languish again.”
13“Then the young woman will rejoice in the dancing in a ring,
and the young men and the old men together.
And I will turn their mourning to jubilation,
and I will comfort them,
and I will gladden them from their sorrow.
14And I will saturate the appetite of the priests with fatness,
and my people will be satisfied with my goodness,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
15Thus says Yahweh,
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamentation, the weeping of bitterness.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted because of her children,
for they are no more.”
16Thus says Yahweh:
“Restrain your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from tears,
for there is a reward for your work,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh,
“and they will return from the land of the enemy.
17And there is hope for your future,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh,
“and your children will return to their territory.
18Indeed I heard Ephraim pitying themselves,
‘You disciplined me, and I was disciplined,
like a calf that is not trained.
Bring me back and let me return,
for you are Yahweh my God.
19For after my turning back I repented,
and after coming to understand I struck my thigh.
I was ashamed and also humiliated,
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
20Is Ephraim my dear son,
or the child of my delight?
For as often as#Literally “from enough” I have earnestly spoken against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore#Literally “Unto thus” my bowels are turbulent for him,
surely I will have compassion on him,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
21“Set up for yourself road markers,
make for yourself signposts,
set your mind#Literally “heart” to the main road,
the road by which you went.
Return, O virgin of Israel,
return to these your cities.
22How long#Literally “Until when” will you waver, O unfaithful daughter?
For Yahweh has created a new thing on the earth,
a woman, she shelters a man.”
23Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “They will again say these words#Hebrew “word” in the land of Judah and in its towns at my restoring their fortunes,#Hebrew “fortune”
‘Yahweh bless you, O settlement of righteousness,
O hill of holiness.’
24And Judah and all of its towns together will live in it,
farmers and those who travel with the flocks.#Hebrew “flock”
25For I will saturate the thirst of the weary,
and every person who languishes I will replenish.”
26At this I awoke and looked,
and my sleep was pleasant to me.
The New Covenant
27“Look, the days are coming,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, “and I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humankind, and with the seed of animals.#Hebrew “animal” 28And then#Literally “And it will happen” as I have watched over them to pull up, and to tear down, and to annihilate, and to destroy, and to do evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh. 29“In those days they will say no longer, ‘Parents#Literally “Fathers” have eaten unripe fruit, and the teeth of the children are set on edge#Literally “have become blunt”.’ 30But#Literally “But if” each will die because of his iniquity, everyone#Literally “all of the humankind” who eats the unripe fruit, their teeth will be set on edge.#Literally “become blunt”
31Look, the days are coming,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, “and I will make#Literally “cut” a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32not like the covenant that I made#Literally “cut” with their ancestors#Or “fathers” on the day of my grasping them#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation by their hand, bringing them out from the land of Egypt, my covenant that they themselves broke, though I myself was a master over them,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh. 33“But this is the covenant that I will make#Literally “cut” with the house of Israel after those days,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh: “I will put my law in their inward parts and on their hearts#Hebrew “heart” I will write it, and I will be to them God, and they themselves will be to me people. 34And they will no longer teach each one his neighbor, or each one his brother, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Know Yahweh,’ for all of them will know me, from their smallest#Literally “small” and up to their greatest,”#Literally “great” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will no longer remember.”
35Thus says Yahweh, who gives the sun for light by day, the regulations of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and its waves roar—Yahweh of hosts is his name. 36“If these rules would cease from before me,”#Literally “to the face of me” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, “also the offspring of Israel would cease from being a nation before me#Literally “to the face of me” forever.”#Literally “all the days” 37Thus says Yahweh, “If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, also I will reject all the offspring of Israel because of all that they have done,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh. 38“Look, days are coming,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, “and the city will be rebuilt for Yahweh, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39And the measuring line#Literally “the string of the measurement” will still go out immediately in front of it to the hill of Gareb, and it will turn to Goah. 40And the whole of the valley of the corpses, and the ashes, and all the cultivated fields up to the wadi of Kidron, up to the corner of the Gate of the Horses toward the east will be holy to Yahweh. It will not be uprooted, and it will not be overthrown again forever.”#Literally “to eternity”
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Jeremiah 31: LEB
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Jeremiah 31
31
Israel Will Return to God
1The Lord said:
Israel, I promise
that someday all your tribes
will again be my people,
and I will be your God.
2In 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.#31.2 In the desert … same for you: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Will Rebuild Israel
3Some time ago, the Lord appeared to me#31.3 Some time … me: Or “The Lord appeared to me from far away.” and told me to say:
Israel, I will always love you;
that's why I've been so patient
and kind.
4You are precious to me,
and so I will rebuild
your nation.
Once again you will dance for joy
and play your tambourines.
5You will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria
and enjoy the grapes.
6Someday 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
7The 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.”
8I, the Lord, will bring
my people back from Babylonia#31.8 Babylonia: The Hebrew text has “that country in the north,” referring to Babylonia.
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.
9They will weep and pray
as I bring them home.
I will lead them
to streams of water.
They will walk on a level#31.9 level: Or “straight.” road
and not stumble.
I am a father to Israel,#31.9 Israel: The Hebrew text also has “Ephraim,” the leading tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel, which sometimes stands for the whole northern kingdom.
my favorite children.
10Listen 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;
11I will rescue them from enemies
who could overpower them.
12My 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.
13Young women and young men,
together with the elderly,
will celebrate and dance,
because I will comfort them
and turn their sorrow
into happiness.
14I 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 #
Gn 35.16-19;
Mt 2.18. In Ramah#31.15 In Ramah: Or “In the hills.” a voice is heard,
crying and weeping loudly.
Rachel mourns for her children#31.15 Rachel … children: Rachel was one of the wives of Jacob, the ancestor of the nation of Israel. She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph's two sons Ephraim and Manasseh were the ancestors of the leading tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel.
and refuses to be comforted,
because they are dead.
* 16But 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.
17So don't lose hope.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
18The people of Israel#31.18 Israel: Hebrew “Ephraim” (see the note at 31.9). 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.
19When 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.”
20People 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.
21With rock piles and signposts,
mark the road well,
my dear people.
The road by which you left
by will now lead you home.
22Will you ever decide
to be faithful?
I will make sure that someday
things will be different,
as different as a woman
protecting a man.#31.22 I will make sure … a woman protecting a man: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
The Lord Will Bring Judah Home
23The 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.”
24The people will live in Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. Some will be farmers, and others will be shepherds. 25Those who feel tired and worn out will find new life and energy, 26and when they sleep, they will wake up refreshed.#31.26 and when they sleep … refreshed: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
27Someday, Israel and Judah will be my field where my people and their livestock will grow. 28In 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#Ez 18.2. No longer will anyone go around saying,
“Sour grapes eaten by parents
leave a sour taste in the mouths
of their children.”
30When 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 #
Mt 26.28; Mk 14.24; Lk 22.20; 1 Co 11.25; 2 Co 3.6. #He 8.8-12. The Lord said:
The time will surely come when I will make a new agreement with the people of Israel and Judah. 32It 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 #
He 10.16. 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 #
He 10.17. “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.”
35I 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.
36I will never forget
to give those commands,
and I will never let Israel
stop being a nation.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
37Can 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
38The Lord said:
Someday, Jerusalem will truly belong to me. It will be rebuilt with a boundary line running from Hananel Tower to Corner Gate. 39From there, the boundary will go in a straight line to Gareb Hill, then turn toward Goah. 40Even that disgusting Hinnom Valley#31.40 that disgusting Hinnom Valley: The Hebrew text has “the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the fatty ashes,” which probably refers to Hinnom Valley, just southwest of Jerusalem, where human sacrifices had been offered to foreign gods. 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.
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