| Christian Standard Bible | NET Bible |
| 1"At that time"--this is the LORD's declaration--"I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people." | 1At that time I will be the God of all the clans of Israel and they will be my people. I, the LORD, affirm it!" |
| 2This is what the LORD says: The people who survived the sword found favor in the wilderness. When Israel went to find rest, | 2The LORD says, "The people of Israel who survived death at the hands of the enemy will find favor in the wilderness as they journey to find rest for themselves. |
| 3the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. | 3In a far-off land the LORD will manifest himself to them. He will say to them, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love. That is why I have continued to be faithful to you. |
| 4Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. You will take up your tambourines again and go out in joyful dancing. | 4I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel, so that you will once again be built up. Once again you will take up the tambourine and join in the happy throng of dancers. |
| 5You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit. | 5Once again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria. Those who plant them will once again enjoy their fruit. |
| 6For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim, "Come, let's go up to Zion, to the LORD our God!" | 6Yes, a time is coming when watchmen will call out on the mountains of Ephraim, "Come! Let us go to Zion to worship the LORD our God!"'" |
| 7For this is what the LORD says: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations! Proclaim, praise, and say, "LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!" | 7Moreover, the LORD says, "Sing for joy for the descendants of Jacob. Utter glad shouts for that foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard. Then say, 'LORD, rescue your people. Deliver those of Israel who remain alive.' |
| 8Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land. I will gather them from remote regions of the earth--the blind and the lame will be with them, along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth. They will return here as a great assembly! | 8Then I will reply, 'I will bring them back from the land of the north. I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth. Blind and lame people will come with them, so will pregnant women and women about to give birth. A vast throng of people will come back here. |
| 9They will come weeping, but I will bring them back with consolation. I will lead them to wadis filled with water, by a smooth way where they will not stumble, for I am Israel's Father, and Ephraim is my firstborn. | 9They will come back shedding tears of contrition. I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. I will lead them besides streams of water, along smooth paths where they will never stumble. I will do this because I am Israel's father; Ephraim is my firstborn son.'" |
| 10Nations, hear the word of the LORD, and tell it among the far off coasts and islands! Say, "The one who scattered Israel will gather him. He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock, | 10Hear what the LORD has to say, O nations. Proclaim it in the faraway lands along the sea. Say, "The one who scattered Israel will regather them. He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock." |
| 11for the LORD has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he." | 11For the LORD will rescue the descendants of Jacob. He will secure their release from those who had overpowered them. |
| 12They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant with joy because of the LORD's goodness, because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil, and because of the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like an irrigated garden, and they will no longer grow weak from hunger. | 12They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion. They will be radiant with joy over the good things the LORD provides, the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil, the young sheep and calves he has given to them. They will be like a well-watered garden and will not grow faint or weary any more. |
| 13Then the young women will rejoice with dancing, while young and old men rejoice together. I will turn their mourning into joy, give them consolation, and bring happiness out of grief. | 13The LORD says, "At that time young women will dance and be glad. Young men and old men will rejoice. I will turn their grief into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow. |
| 14I will refresh the priests with an abundance, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness. This is the LORD's declaration. | 14I will provide the priests with abundant provisions. My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide." |
| 15This is what the LORD says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping--Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more. | 15The LORD says, "A sound is heard in Ramah, a sound of crying in bitter grief. It is the sound of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are gone." |
| 16This is what the LORD says: Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come--this is the LORD's declaration--and your children will return from the enemy's land. | 16The LORD says to her, "Stop crying! Do not shed any more tears! For your heartfelt repentance will be rewarded. Your children will return from the land of the enemy. I, the LORD, affirm it! |
| 17There is hope for your future--this is the LORD's declaration--and your children will return to their own territory. | 17Indeed, there is hope for your posterity. Your children will return to their own territory. I, the LORD, affirm it! |
| 18I have surely heard Ephraim moaning, "You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined like an untrained calf. Take me back, so that I can return, for you, LORD, are my God. | 18I have indeed heard the people of Israel say mournfully, 'We were like a calf untrained to the yoke. You disciplined us and we learned from it. Let us come back to you and we will do so, for you are the LORD our God. |
| 19After my return, I felt regret; After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth." | 19For after we turned away from you we repented. After we came to our senses we beat our breasts in sorrow. We are ashamed and humiliated because of the disgraceful things we did previously.' |
| 20Isn't Ephraim a precious son to me, a delightful child? Whenever I speak against him, I certainly still think about him. Therefore, my inner being yearns for him; I will truly have compassion on him. This is the LORD's declaration. | 20Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children. They are the children I take delight in. For even though I must often rebuke them, I still remember them with fondness. So I am deeply moved with pity for them and will surely have compassion on them. I, the LORD, affirm it! |
| 21Set up road markers for yourself; establish signposts! Keep the highway in mind, the way you have traveled. Return, Virgin Israel! Return to these cities of yours. | 21I will say, 'My dear children of Israel, keep in mind the road you took when you were carried off. Mark off in your minds the landmarks. Make a mental note of telltale signs marking the way back. Return, my dear children of Israel. Return to these cities of yours. |
| 22How long will you turn here and there, faithless daughter? For the LORD creates something new in the land--a female will shelter a man. | 22How long will you vacillate, you who were once like an unfaithful daughter? For I, the LORD, promise to bring about something new on the earth, something as unique as a woman protecting a man!'" |
| 23This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: "When I restore their fortunes, they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities: 'May the LORD bless you, righteous settlement, holy mountain.' | 23The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, "I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns. When I do, they will again say of Jerusalem, 'May the LORD bless you, you holy mountain, the place where righteousness dwells.' |
| 24Judah and all its cities will live in it together--also farmers and those who move with the flocks-- | 24The land of Judah will be inhabited by people who live in its towns as well as by farmers and shepherds with their flocks. |
| 25for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak." | 25I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint. |
| 26At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me. | 26Then they will say, 'Under these conditions I can enjoy sweet sleep when I wake up and look around.'" |
| 27"Look, the days are coming"--this is the LORD's declaration--"when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of people and the seed of animals. | 27"Indeed, a time is coming," says the LORD, "when I will cause people and animals to sprout up in the lands of Israel and Judah. |
| 28Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I watch over them to build and to plant them"--this is the LORD's declaration. | 28In the past I saw to it that they were uprooted and torn down, that they were destroyed and demolished. But now I will see to it that they are built up and firmly planted. I, the LORD, affirm it!" |
| 29"In those days, it will never again be said, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' | 29"When that time comes, people will no longer say, 'The parents have eaten sour grapes, but the children's teeth have grown numb.' |
| 30Rather, each will die for his own iniquity. Anyone who eats sour grapes--his own teeth will be set on edge. | 30Rather, each person will die for his own sins. The teeth of the person who eats the sour grapes will themselves grow numb. |
| 31"Look, the days are coming"--this is the LORD's declaration--"when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. | 31"Indeed, a time is coming," says the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. |
| 32This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt--my covenant that they broke even though I am their master"--the LORD's declaration. | 32It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I delivered them from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them," says the LORD. |
| 33"Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days"--the LORD's declaration. "I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. | 33"But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel after I plant them back in the land," says the LORD. "I will put my law within them and write it on their hearts and minds. I will be their God and they will be my people. |
| 34No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them"--this is the LORD's declaration. "For I will forgive their iniquity and never again remember their sin. | 34"People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me. For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me," says the LORD. "For I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done." |
| 35"This is what the LORD says: The one who gives the sun for light by day, the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar--the LORD of Armies is his name: | 35The LORD has made a promise to Israel. He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by day and the moon and stars to give light by night. He promises it as the one who stirs up the sea so that its waves roll. He promises it as the one who is known as the LORD who rules over all. |
| 36If this fixed order departs from before me--this is the LORD's declaration--only then will Israel's descendants cease to be a nation before me forever. | 36The LORD affirms, "The descendants of Israel will not cease forever to be a nation in my sight. That could only happen if the fixed ordering of the heavenly lights were to cease to operate before me." |
| 37"This is what the LORD says: Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, will I reject all of Israel's descendants because of all they have done--this is the LORD's declaration. | 37The LORD says, "I will not reject all the descendants of Israel because of all that they have done. That could only happen if the heavens above could be measured or the foundations of the earth below could all be explored," says the LORD. |
| 38"Look, the days are coming"--the LORD's declaration--"when the city from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate will be rebuilt for the LORD. | 38"Indeed a time is coming," says the LORD, "when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as my special city. It will be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate. |
| 39A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. | 39The boundary line will extend beyond that, straight west from there to the Hill of Gareb and then turn southward to Goah. |
| 40The whole valley--the corpses, the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east--will be holy to the LORD. It will never be uprooted or demolished again." | 40The whole valley where dead bodies and sacrificial ashes are thrown and all the terraced fields out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far north as the Horse Gate will be included within this city that is sacred to the LORD. The city will never again be torn down or destroyed." |
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