"At that time," declares
the LORD
, "I will be the aGod
of all
the bfamilies
of Israel
, and they shall be My people
."
Thus says
the LORD
, "The people
who
survived
the sword
aFound
grace
in the wilderness
-- Israel
, when it went
to bfind
its rest
."
The LORD appeared
to 1him from afar
, saying, "I have aloved
you with an everlasting
love
; Therefore
I have drawn
you with blovingkindness
.
" aAgain I will build
you and you will be rebuilt
, O virgin
of Israel
! Again
you will 1take
up your btambourines
, And go
forth
to the dances
of the cmerrymakers
.
"Again you will aplant
vineyards
On the 1hills
of Samaria
; The planters
will plant
And will 2enjoy
them.
"For there will be a day
when watchmen
On the hills
of Ephraim
call
out, `Arise
, and alet us go
up to Zion
, To the LORD
our God
.' "
For thus says
the LORD
, " aSing
aloud
with gladness
for Jacob
, And shout
among the 1 bchief
of the nations
; Proclaim
, give
praise
and say
, `O LORD
, csave
Your people
, The dremnant
of Israel
.'
"Behold, I am abringing
them from the north
country
, And I will bgather
them from the remote
parts
of the earth
, Among them the cblind
and the dlame
, The woman
with child
and she who is in labor
with child, together
; A great
1company
, they will return
here
.
" aWith weeping they will come
, And by supplication
I will lead
them; I will make them walk
by bstreams
of waters
, On a straight
path
in which they will cnot stumble
; For I am
a dfather
to Israel
, And Ephraim
is eMy firstborn
."
Hear the word
of the LORD
, O nations
, And declare
in the acoastlands
afar
off
, And say
, "He who scattered
Israel
will bgather
him And keep
him as a cshepherd
keeps his flock
."
For the LORD has aransomed
Jacob
And redeemed
him from the hand
of him who
was bstronger
than
he.
"They will acome and shout
for joy
on the bheight
of Zion
, And they will be cradiant
over
the 1bounty
of the LORD
-- Over
the dgrain
and the new
wine
and the oil
, And over
the young
of the eflock
and the herd
; And their life
will be like a fwatered
garden
, And they will gnever
languish
again
.
"Then the virgin
will rejoice
in the adance
, And the young
men
and the old
, together
, For I will bturn
their mourning
into joy
And will comfort
them and give
them cjoy
for their sorrow
.
"I will 1fill the soul
of the priests
with 2abundance
, And My people
will be asatisfied
with My goodness
," declares
the LORD
.
Thus says
the LORD
, " aA voice
is heard
in bRamah
, Lamentation
and bitter
weeping
. Rachel
is weeping
for her children
; She crefuses
to be comforted
for her children
, Because
dthey are no
more
."
Thus says
the LORD
, " aRestrain
your voice
from weeping
And your eyes
from tears
; For your bwork
will be rewarded
," declares
the LORD
, "And they will creturn
from the land
of the enemy
.
"There is ahope
for your future
," declares
the LORD
, "And your children
will return
to their own territory
.
"I have surely heard
Ephraim
agrieving
, `You have bchastised
me, and I was chastised
, Like an untrained
ccalf
; dBring
me back
that I may be restored
, For You are the LORD
my God
.
`For after I turned
back
, I arepented
; And after
I was instructed
, I bsmote
on my thigh
; I was cashamed
and also
humiliated
Because
I bore
the reproach
of my youth
.'
"Is aEphraim My dear
son
? Is he a delightful
child
? Indeed
, as often
as I have spoken
against him, I certainly
still remember
him; Therefore
My 1 bheart
yearns
for him; I will surely
chave
mercy
on him," declares
the LORD
.
"Set up for yourself roadmarks
, Place
for yourself guideposts
; aDirect
your 1mind
to the highway
, The way
by which you went
. bReturn
, O virgin
of Israel
, Return
to these
your cities
.
"How long
will you go
here
and there
, O afaithless
daughter
? For the LORD
has created
a new
thing
in the earth
-- A woman
will encompass
a man
."
Thus says
the LORD
of hosts
, the God
of Israel
, "Once again
they will speak
this
word
in the land
of Judah
and in its cities
when I arestore
their 1fortunes
, `The LORD
bless
you, O babode
of righteousness
, O choly
hill
!'
"Judah and all
its cities
will adwell
together
in it, the farmer
and they who go
about
with flocks
.
" aFor I satisfy the weary
ones
and 1refresh
everyone
who languishes
."
At this I aawoke
and looked
, and my bsleep
was pleasant
to me.
"Behold, days
are coming
," declares
the LORD
, "when I will asow
the house
of Israel
and the house
of Judah
with the seed
of man
and with the seed
of beast
.
"As I have awatched over
them to bpluck
up, to break
down
, to overthrow
, to destroy
and to bring
disaster
, so
I will watch
over
them to cbuild
and to plant
," declares
the LORD
.
"In those days
they will not say
again
, ` aThe fathers
have eaten
sour
grapes
, And the children's
teeth
are 1set
on edge
.'
"But aeveryone will die
for his own iniquity
; each
man
who eats
the sour
grapes
, his teeth
will be 1set
on edge
.
" aBehold, days
are coming
," declares
the LORD
, "when I will make
a bnew
covenant
with the house
of Israel
and with the house
of Judah
,
not like the acovenant which
I made
with their fathers
in the day
I btook
them by the hand
to bring
them out of the land
of Egypt
, My ccovenant
which
they broke
, although I was a husband
to them," declares
the LORD
.
"But athis is the covenant
which
I will make
with the house
of Israel
after
those
days
," declares
the LORD
, " bI will put
My law
within
them and on their heart
I will write
it; and cI will be their God
, and they shall be My people
.
"They will anot teach again
, each
man
his neighbor
and each
man
his brother
, saying
, `Know
the LORD
,' for they will all
bknow
Me, from the least
of them to the greatest
of them," declares
the LORD
, "for I will cforgive
their iniquity
, and their dsin
I will remember
no
more
."
Thus says
the LORD
, Who agives
the sun
for light
by day
And the 1fixed
order
of the moon
and the stars
for light
by night
, Who bstirs
up the sea
so that its waves
roar
; cThe LORD
of hosts
is His name
:
" aIf 1this
fixed
order
departs
From before
Me," declares
the LORD
, "Then the offspring
of Israel
also
will bcease
From being
a nation
before
Me 2forever
."
Thus says
the LORD
, " aIf
the heavens
above
can be measured
And the foundations
of the earth
searched
out below
, Then I will also
bcast
off
all
the offspring
of Israel
For all
that they have done
," declares
the LORD
.
"Behold, days
are coming
," declares
the LORD
, "when the acity
will be rebuilt
for the LORD
from the bTower
of Hananel
to the cCorner
Gate
.
"The ameasuring line
will go
out farther
straight
ahead
to the hill
Gareb
; then it will turn
to Goah
.
"And athe whole valley
of the dead
bodies
and of the ashes
, and all
the fields
as far
as the brook
bKidron
, to the corner
of the cHorse
Gate
toward the east
, shall be dholy
to the LORD
; it will not be plucked
up or overthrown
anymore
forever
."