Jeremiah 31

1 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God for all the families of Israel, and they shall be unto me for a people.

“At that time—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people.”

2 Thus hath said the Lord, The people of those that are escaped of the sword found grace in the wilderness, —even Israel, when it went to find rest.

Yahweh says this, “The people who have survived the sword have found favor in the wilderness; I will go out to give rest to Israel.”

3 “From afar is the Lord appeared unto me,” [saying, ] Yea, with an everlasting love have I loved thee; therefore have I guided thee with loving-kindness.

Yahweh appeared to me in the past and said, “I have loved you, Israel, with everlasting love. So I have drawn you toward myself with covenant faithfulness.

4 Yet again will I build thee up, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: yet again shalt thou adorn thy timbrels, and go forth in the dances of those that make merry.

I will build you up again so you will be built, virgin Israel. You will again pick up your tambourines and go out with happy dances.

5 Yet again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall redeem the fruit.

You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the farmers will plant and put the fruit to good use.

6 For there cometh a day, that the watchers call out upon the mountain of Ephraim, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.

For a day will come when the watchmen in the mountains of Ephraim will proclaim, 'Arise, let us go up to Zion to Yahweh our God.'

7 For thus hath said the Lord, Sing for Jacob with joy, and shout at the head of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, The Lord hath helped thy people, the remnant of Israel.

For Yahweh says this, “Shout for joy over Jacob! Shout in gladness for the chief people of the nations! Let praise be heard. Say, 'Yahweh has rescued his people, the remnant of Israel.'

8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and I will gather them from the farthest ends of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and she that travaileth with child together: a great assembly shall they return hither.

See, I am about to bring them from the northern lands. I will gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. The blind and lame will be among them; pregnant women and those who are about to give birth will be with them. A great assembly will return here.

9 With weeping shall they come, and with supplications will I bring them in: I will lead them by brooks of water in a straight way, whereon they shall not stumble; for I am become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.

They will come weeping; I will lead them as they make their pleas. I will have them journey to streams of water on a straight road. They will not stumble on it, for I will be a father to Israel, and Ephraim will be my firstborn.”

10 Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and tell it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattereth Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd his flock.

“Hear the word of Yahweh, nations. Report along the coasts in the distance. You nations must say, 'The one who scattered Israel is gathering her up and keeping her as a shepherd keeps his sheep.'

11 For the Lord hath ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him out of the hand of one stronger than he.

For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob and has redeemed him from the hand that was too strong for him.

12 And they shall come and sing on the height of Zion, and shall come together as a stream to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flocks and of the herds, and their soul shall be as a well-watered garden; and they shall not farther experience grief any more.

Then they will come and rejoice on the heights of Zion. Their faces will shine because of Yahweh's goodness, over the corn and the new wine, over the oil and the offspring of the flocks and herds. For their lives will become like a watered garden, and they will never again feel any more sorrow.

13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and youth and old men together: and I will change their mourning into gladness, and I will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

Then virgins will rejoice with dancing, and young and old men will be together. For I will change their mourning into celebration. I will have compassion on them and cause them to rejoice instead of sorrowing.

14 And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.

Then I will saturate the lives of the priests in abundance. My people will fill themselves with my goodness—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

15 Thus hath said the Lord, A voice is heard in Ramah, groaning, weeping, and bitter lamentation; Rachel is weeping for her children: she refuseth to be comforted for her children because they are not [here].

Yahweh says this: “A voice is heard in Ramah, wailing and bitter weeping. It is Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted over them, for they live no longer.”

16 Thus hath said the Lord, Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thy eyes from tears; for there is a reward for thy work, saith the Lord, and they shall return from the land of the enemy.

Yahweh says this, “Hold your voice back from weeping and your eyes from tears; there is a reward for your work—this is Yahweh's declaration—your children will return from the land of the enemy.

17 And there is hope for [thee in] thy future, saith the Lord, and thy children shall return to their own borders.

There is hope for your future—this is Yahweh's declaration—your descendants will return inside their borders.”

18 I have indeed heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, “Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as an untamed calf; cause me to return, and I will return; for thou art the Lord my God.

“I have certainly heard Ephraim sorrowing, 'You punished me, and I have been punished like an untrained calf. Bring me back and I will be brought back, for you are Yahweh my God.

19 Surely after my returning, I repent; and after I am made conscious [by punishment], I smite upon my thigh: I am ashamed, yea, I am confounded, because I bear the disgrace of my youth.”

For after I turned back to you, I was sorry; after I was trained, I slapped my thigh. I was ashamed and humiliated, for I have borne the guilt of my youth.'

20 Is not Ephraim a dear son unto me? or a child that I dandle? for whenever I speak of him, I do earnestly remember him again: therefore are my inward parts moved for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.

Is not Ephraim my precious child? Is he not my dear, delightful son? For whenever I speak against him, I certainly still call him to my loving mind. In this way my heart longs for him. I will certainly have compassion on him—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

21 Set thyself up waymarks, place thyself pillars; direct thy heart toward the highway, the way which thou didst go: return, O virgin of Israel, return to these thy cities.

Place road signs for yourself. Set up guideposts for yourself. Set your mind on the right path, the way you should take. Come back, virgin Israel! Come back to these cities of yours.

22 How long wilt thou roam about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing on the earth, The woman will go about [seeking for] the husband.

How long will you waver, faithless daughter? For Yahweh has created something new on earth—a woman surrounds a strong man.

23 Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Yet again shall they say this word in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I will bring back again their captivity, —May the Lord bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O holy mountain.

Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says this, “When I bring back the people to their land, they will say this in the land of Judah and its cities, 'May Yahweh bless you, you righteous place where he lives, you holy mountain.'

24 And there shall dwell therein Judah, and in all his cities together, husbandmen, and they that move about with the flocks.

For Judah and all its cities will live together there, as will farmers and those who set out with flocks.

25 For I have satiated the weary soul, and every grieving soul have I gratified.

For I will cause those who are weary to drink, and I fill up those who are faint.”

26 For this did I awake, and looked about, and my sleep was sweet unto me.

After this I awoke, and I realized that my sleep had been refreshing.

27 Behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man; and with the seed of cattle.

“Look, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will sow the houses of Israel and Judah with the descendants of man and beast.

28 And it shall come to pass, that just as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to overthrow, and to destroy, and to do harm: so will I watch over them, to build up, and to plant, saith the Lord.

In the past, I kept them under surveillance in order to uproot them and to tear them down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring them harm. But in the coming days, I will watch over them, in order to build them up and to plant them—this is Yahweh's declaration.

29 In those days shall they not say any more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge;

In those days no one will say any longer, 'Fathers have eaten sour grapes, but the children's teeth are dulled.'

30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grapes—his teeth shall be set on edge.

For each man will die in his own iniquity; everyone who eats sour grapes, his teeth will be dulled.

31 Behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will make with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah, a new covenant;

Look, the days are coming —this is Yahweh's declaration— when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

32 Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day that I took hold of them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they have broken, although I was become their husband, saith the Lord;

It will not be like the covenant that I established with their fathers in the days when I took them by their hand to bring them out from the land of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, although I was a husband for them. —this is Yahweh's declaration.

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord, I place my law in their inward parts, and upon their heart will I write it; and I will be unto them for a God, and they shall be unto me for a people.

This is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after these days —this is Yahweh's declaration. I will place my law within them and will write it on their heart, for I will be their God, and they will be my people.

34 And they shall not teach any more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for they all shall know me, from the least of them even unto their greatest, saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I not remember any more.

Then each man will no longer teach his neighbor, or a man teach his brother and say, 'Know Yahweh!' For all of them will know me, from the smallest of them to the greatest —this is Yahweh's declaration— for I will forgive their iniquity and will no longer call their sins to mind.”

35 Thus hath said the Lord, who bestoweth the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea that its waves roar—The Lord of hosts is his name:

Yahweh says this, it is he who makes the sun to shine by day and fixes the moon and stars to shine by night. He is the one who sets the sea in motion so that its waves roar— Yahweh of hosts is his name.

36 If these ordinances ever depart from before me, saith the Lord, then also shall the seed of Israel cease from being a nation before me during all time.

“Only if these permanent things vanish from my sight—this is Yahweh's declaration— will Israel's descendants ever stop from forever being a nation before me.”

37 Thus hath said the Lord, If the heavens can be measured above, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath: then also will I reject all the seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith the Lord.

Yahweh says this, “Only if the highest heavens can be measured, and only if the earth's foundation below can be discovered, will I reject all of Israel's descendants because of all that they have done—this is Yahweh's declaration.”

38 Behold, days are coming, saith the Lord, when the city shall be built up to the Lord from the tower of Chananel unto the corner-gate.

“Look, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when the city will be rebuilt for me, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

39 And the measuring-line shall yet again go forth opposite it over the hill Gareb, and shall take a turn to Go'ath.

Then the measuring line will go out again farther, to the hill of Gareb and around Goah.

40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all fields as far as the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse-gate toward the east, shall be holy unto the Lord: it shall not be plucked up, nor overthrown any more to eternity.

The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the terraced fields going out to the Kidron Valley as far as the corner of the Horse Gate on the east, will be set apart for Yahweh. The city will not be pulled up or overthrown again, forever.”