Jeremiah 31

1At that time, saith Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

1The LORD says, 'At that time I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.'

2Thus saith Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.

2The LORD says: 'The people who survived the war found favor in the desert when I came to give Israel rest.'

3Jehovah appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

3The LORD appeared to us from far away, saying, 'I have loved you with a love that lasts forever; therefore, I have drawn you to me with kindness.'

4Again will I build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: again shalt thou be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.

4I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt, O People of Israel. You will take up your tambourines again and go out to dance with joy.

5Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit thereof.

5You will plant vineyards again on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy the fruit.

6For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God.

6There will be a day when watchmen call out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Get up, let us go to Zion, to the LORD our God.'

7For thus saith Jehovah, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Jehovah, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.

7The LORD says: 'Sing with joy for the people of Jacob! Shout for the greatest of nations! Shout your praise and say, "LORD, save your people, those who are left of Israel!"'

8Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall they return hither.

8Watch, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. The blind and the lame will be with them, along with pregnant women and those in labor. A huge crowd will return here.

9They shall come with weeping; and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born.

9They will come back weeping and praying as I lead them. I will lead them beside streams of water on a smooth path where they won't stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

10Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off; and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.

10Listen to the word of the LORD, you nations, and announce it in the distant islands: 'The one who scattered Israel will gather them and watch over them like a shepherd watches his flock.'

11For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

11For the LORD has paid the price to free Jacob and rescued him from those who were stronger than he was.

12And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of Jehovah, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

12They will come and sing for joy on the heights of Zion. They will be radiant because of the LORD's goodness—the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will never be sad again.

13Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

13Then young women will dance for joy, along with young men and old men together. I will turn their mourning into happiness; I will comfort them and give them joy instead of sorrow.

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

14I will give the priests more than enough good things, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness, says the LORD.

15Thus saith Jehovah: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not.

15The LORD says: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, the sound of bitter crying and sobbing. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted because her children are gone.'

16Thus saith Jehovah: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

16The LORD says: 'Stop your crying and wipe the tears from your eyes. You will be rewarded for your work,' says the LORD. 'Your children will come back from the enemy’s land.'

17And there is hope for thy latter end, saith Jehovah; and thy children shall come again to their own border.

17'There is hope for your future,' says the LORD. 'Your children will return to their own land.'

18I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a calf unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art Jehovah my God.

18'I have surely heard Ephraim moaning, "You disciplined me, and I was corrected like an untrained calf. Bring me back and let me return to you, for you are the LORD my God."'

19Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

19'After I turned away, I repented; after I understood, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed and humiliated because I carried the disgrace of my youth.'

20Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child? for as often as I speak against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my heart yearneth for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith Jehovah.

20'Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child I delight in? Even though I often speak against him, I still think of him constantly. My heart aches for him, and I will surely have mercy on him,' says the LORD.

21Set thee up waymarks, make thee guide-posts; set thy heart toward the highway, even the way by which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.

21'Set up road signs and put up guideposts. Mark the path well, the highway you traveled. Come back, O People of Israel; return to these cities of yours.'

22How long wilt thou go hither and thither, O thou backsliding daughter? for Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall encompass a man.

22'How long will you wander here and there, you unfaithful daughter? The LORD has created something new on earth: a woman will protect a man.'

23Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity: Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness.

23The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and its towns will say this once more: "May the LORD bless you, O home of righteousness, O holy mountain!"'

24And Judah and all the cities thereof shall dwell therein together, the husbandmen, and they that go about with flocks.

24Farmers and those who move with their flocks will live together in Judah and all its towns.

25For I have satiated the weary soul, and every sorrowful soul have I replenished.

25'I will give rest to those who are weary and satisfy every soul that is passing away from sorrow.'

26Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me.

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

27Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast.

27'The days are coming,' says the LORD, 'when I will greatly increase the number of people and animals in Israel and Judah.'

28And it shall come to pass that, like 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.

28'Just as I watched over them to pull up, tear down, overthrow, destroy, and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,' says the LORD.

29In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.

29'In those days, people will no longer say, "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."'

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

30'Instead, everyone will die for their own sin. Whoever eats sour grapes will have their own teeth set on edge.'

31Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

31'The days are coming,' says the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and the people of Judah.'

32not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah.

32'It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt. They broke that covenant, even though I was like a husband to them,' says the LORD.

33But 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 in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

33'This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,' says the LORD. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'

34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, 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 forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

34'They will no longer need to teach their neighbors or their relatives, saying, "Know the LORD," because everyone will know me, from the least important to the most important,' says the LORD. 'I will forgive their wickedness and will never again remember their sins.'

35Thus saith Jehovah, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar; Jehovah of hosts is his name:

35The LORD provides the sun to shine by day and tells the moon and stars to shine by night. He stirs up the sea so that its waves roar. His name is the LORD of Armies. This is what he says:

36If these ordinances depart from before me, saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.

36'Only if these laws of nature vanished from my sight,' says the LORD, 'would the descendants of Israel ever stop being a nation before me.'

37Thus saith Jehovah: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith Jehovah.

37The LORD says: 'Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below could be explored would I reject the descendants of Israel because of everything they have done.'

38Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that the city shall be built to Jehovah from the tower of Hananel unto the gate of the corner.

38'The days are coming,' says the LORD, 'when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt for the LORD, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.'

39And the measuring line shall go out further straight onward unto the hill Gareb, and shall turn about unto Goah.

39'The measuring line will stretch out further, straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah.'

40And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook Kidron, unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy unto Jehovah; it shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.

40'The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the fields out to the Kidron Valley as far as the corner of the Horse Gate on the east, will be holy to the LORD. The city will never again be uprooted or destroyed.'