1 “ At that time,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.”

At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

2 T he Lord says, “The people who were not killed by the sword found loving-favor in the desert, when Israel looked for rest.”

Thus saith Jehovah: The people left of the sword have found grace in the wilderness, Israel, when I go to give him rest.

3 T he Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness.

Jehovah hath appeared from afar unto me, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.

4 A gain I will build you, and you will be built, O pure Israel! Again you will take up your brass noise-makers and go to the dances of the happy people.

I will build thee again, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel! Thou shalt again be adorned with thy tambours, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

5 A gain you will plant grape-fields on the hills of Samaria. The planters will plant and find joy in the fruit.

Thou shalt again plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat the fruit.

6 F or there will be a day when watchmen on the hills of Ephraim will call out, ‘Get up, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’”

For there shall be a day, when the watchmen upon mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise, and let us go up to Zion, unto Jehovah our God.

7 F or the Lord says, “Sing loud with joy for Jacob, and call out among the heads of the nations. Make it known, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save Your people. Save those who are left of Israel.’

For thus saith Jehovah: Sing aloud gladness for Jacob, and shout at the head of the nations; publish ye, praise ye, and say, Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

8 S ee, I am bringing them from the north country. And I will gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. Among them will be the blind and those who cannot walk, the woman with child and she who is giving birth, together. Many people will return here.

Behold, I bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth; among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great assemblage shall they return hither.

9 T hey will come crying, and in answer to their prayers, I will lead them. I will make them walk by rivers of waters on a straight path where they will not fall. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born.”

They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by water-brooks, in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble; for I will be a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

10 H ear the Word of the Lord, O nations, and make it known in the lands far across the sea. Say, “He Who sent Israel everywhere will gather them, and will watch over His flock like a shepherd.”

Hear the word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare to the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd his flock.

11 F or the Lord has paid the price to make Jacob free. He has made him free from the one who was stronger than he.

For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of one stronger than he.

12 A nd they will come and call out for joy on the height of Zion. They will shine with joy over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the cattle. Their life will be like a well-watered garden. They will never have sorrow again.

And they shall come and sing aloud upon the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of Jehovah, for corn, and for new wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not languish any more at all.

13 T hen the young women who have never had a man will dance for joy, and the young men and old as well. For I will change their sorrow to joy, and will comfort them. I will give them joy for their sorrow.

Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and old together; for I will turn their mourning into gladness, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice after their sorrow.

14 I will fill the soul of the religious leaders with more than they need. My people will be filled with My goodness,” says the Lord. The Lord Shows His Loving-Kindness on Israel

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

15 T he Lord says, “The sound of crying and much sorrow is heard in Ramah. Rachel is crying for her children. She will not be comforted because they are dead.”

Thus saith Jehovah: A voice hath been heard in Ramah, the wail of very bitter weeping,—Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are not.

16 T he Lord says, “Keep your voice from crying and your eyes from tears. For you will receive pay for your work,” says the Lord. “They will return from the land of those who hate them.

Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for there is a reward for thy work, saith Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

17 T here is hope for your future,” says the Lord, “and your children will return to their own land.

And there is hope for thy latter end, saith Jehovah, and thy children shall come again to their own border.

18 I have heard Ephraim crying in sorrow, ‘You have punished me, and I was punished, like a calf that has not learned. Bring me back that I may return to my place, for You are the Lord my God.

I have indeed heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised as a bullock not trained: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.

19 F or after I turned back, I was sorry for my sins. And after I was taught, I hit my upper leg in sorrow. I was ashamed and troubled, because I suffered the shame from what I did when I was young.’

Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after I knew myself, I smote upon thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, for I bear the reproach of my youth.

20 I s Ephraim My loved son? Is he the child of My joy? Yes, as many times as I have spoken against him, I still remember him. So My heart has a desire for him. For sure I will have loving-pity on him,” says the Lord.

Is Ephraim a dear son unto me? is he a child of delights? For whilst I have been speaking against him, I do constantly remember him still. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him: I will certainly have mercy upon him, saith Jehovah.

21 “ Set up marks on the road for yourself. Set up marks to lead you the right way. Remember the way you went, and return, O pure Israel. Return to your cities.

Set up waymarks, make for thyself signposts; set thy heart toward the highway, the way by which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.

22 H ow long will you go here and there, O daughter without faith? For the Lord has made a new thing on the earth: A woman will keep a man safe.” Good Will Come to God’s People

How long wilt thou wander about, thou backsliding daughter? For Jehovah hath created a new thing on the earth, a woman shall encompass a man.

23 T he Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “When I bring them back to their own land, once again the people in the land of Judah and in its cities will speak these words: ‘May the Lord bring good to you, O place that is right with God, O holy hill!’

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: They shall again use this speech, in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall turn their captivity: Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness!

24 T he people of Judah and all its cities will live there together, the farmer and they who go about with flocks.

And therein shall dwell Judah, and all the cities thereof together, the husbandmen, and they that go about with flocks.

25 F or I will help the tired ones and give strength to everyone who is weak.”

For I have satiated the weary soul, and every languishing soul have I replenished.

26 A t this I woke up and looked, and my sleep was pleasing to me.

—Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

27 “ See, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will plant the people of Israel and the people of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of animal.

Behold, days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah the seed of man and the seed of beast.

28 A nd as I have watched over them to pull up, to break down, to take power away, to destroy, and to bring trouble, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” says the Lord.

And it shall come to pass, as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to overthrow, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them to build, and to plant, saith Jehovah.

29 “ In those days they will no longer say, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children got the sour taste.’

In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge:

30 B ut every one will die for his own sin. Each man who eats the sour grapes will get the sour taste.

for every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man that eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

31 T he days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a New Way of Worship for the Jews and those of the family group of Judah.

Behold, days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

32 T he New Way of Worship will not be like the Old Way of Worship I gave to their early fathers. That was when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. But they did not follow the Old Way of Worship, even when I was a husband to them,” says the Lord.

not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day of my taking them by the hand, to lead them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.

33 “ This is the New Way of Worship that I will give to the Jews. When that day comes,” says the Lord, “I will put My Law into their minds. And I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and will write it in their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 N o one will need to teach his neighbor or his brother to know the Lord. All of them will already know Me from the least to the greatest,” says the Lord. “I will forgive their sins. I will remember their sins no more.”

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will pardon their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

35 T he Lord, the Lord of All is His name, Who gives the sun for light during the day, and put the moon and the stars in place to give light during the night, Who causes the waves of the sea to make a loud noise, says,

Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for light by day, the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for light by night, who stirreth up the sea so that the waves thereof roar,—Jehovah of hosts is his name:

36 “ If these laws change before Me, then the children of Israel will stop being a nation before Me forever.”

If those ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

37 T he Lord says, “If one can find out how wide the heavens are, and look through the deepest places of the earth, then I will send all the children of Israel away from Me for all that they have done,” says the Lord.

Thus saith Jehovah: If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off the whole seed of Israel, for all that they have done, saith Jehovah.

38 “ See, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when the city will be built again for the Lord from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah, from the tower of Hananeel unto the corner-gate.

39 A nd its wall will go out farther, straight on to the hill of Gareb. Then it will turn to Goah.

And the measuring line shall yet go forth before it unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn toward Goath.

40 T he whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the river Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, will be holy to the Lord. It will never again be pulled up by the roots or destroyed.”

And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the torrent Kidron, unto the corner of the horse-gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah: it shall not be plucked up, nor overthrown any more for ever.