| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1"At that time," declares the LORD, "I'll 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 desert while Israel was seeking 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 Israel from far away and said, "I've loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I've drawn you with gracious love. | 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. |
| 4I'll again build you, and you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel! You will again take up your tambourines and go out to dance with those who are filled with joy. | 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 again plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria where planters had planted and defiled 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 the watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, 'Arise, 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: "Cry out with joy for Jacob and shout for the chief among the nations. Announce, give 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.' |
| 8Look, I'm bringing them from the northern region, and I'll gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. among them will be the blind and the lame, together with the pregnant woman and the woman in labor. A large group will return here. | 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'll come crying, and I'll lead them as they pray for mercy. I'll make them walk by streams of water, along a straight path on which they won't 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, listen to this message from the LORD, and declare it in the distant coastlands. Say, "The one who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps 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 will deliver Jacob and redeem him from the hand 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'll come and cry out with joy on the heights of Zion. They'll be radiant over the LORD's goodness, over the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil, and over the young of the flocks and herds. Their lives will be like a well-watered garden. They'll never again grow faint. | 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. |
| 13The virgins will rejoice with dancing, together with young men and old men. For I'll turn their mourning into joy, and I'll comfort them and give them gladness instead of sorrow. | 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'll give the priests abundant provisions, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness," declares the LORD. | 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 is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter crying. Rachel is crying, and she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no longer alive." | 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: "Restrain your voice from crying, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work," declares the LORD. "They'll 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," declares the LORD. "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! |
| 18"I've certainly heard Ephraim shuddering with grief as they said, 'You have disciplined me, and I'm disciplined like an untrained calf. Restore me, and let me return, for you are the LORD 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. |
| 19Indeed, after I turned away, then I repented. And after I came to understand, I slapped my forehead. I was both ashamed and humiliated because I bear 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.' |
| 20"Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? Indeed, as often as I've spoken about him, I surely still remember him. Therefore I deeply yearn for him. I'll surely have great compassion on him," declares the LORD. | 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 markers for yourselves. Erect signposts for yourselves. Pay attention to the highway, to the road you 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 go this way and that, rebellious daughter? Indeed, the LORD will create a new thing on the earth; a woman will protect 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 the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: "They'll again speak this message in the land of Judah and its towns when I restore their fortunes: 'The LORD bless you, righteous dwelling, 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 towns will live together in the land, along with farmers and those who follow the flock. | 24The land of Judah will be inhabited by people who live in its towns as well as by farmers and shepherds with their flocks. |
| 25I'll provide abundance for those who are weary, and fill all who are faint." | 25I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint. |
| 26Then I awoke and looked around, and I had had a pleasant sleep. | 26Then they will say, 'Under these conditions I can enjoy sweet sleep when I wake up and look around.'" |
| 27"Look, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I'll sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah using people and animals as seed. | 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've watched over them to pull up, tear down, overthrow, destroy, and bring disaster, so I'll watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD. | 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 people will no longer say, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, but the children's teeth have been 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.' |
| 30Instead, each person will die for his own iniquity. Everyone who eats sour grapes will have his own teeth 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, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I'll make a new covenant with the house of Israel and 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. |
| 32It won't be like the covenant I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke my covenant, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. | 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"Rather, this is the covenant that I'll make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD. "I'll put my Law within them and will write it on their hearts. I'll 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 a person teach his neighbor or his relative: 'Know the LORD.' Instead, they'll all know me, from the least to the greatest of them," declares the LORD. "Indeed, I'll forgive their iniquity, and I'll remember their sin no more." | 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." |
| 35This is what the LORD says, who gives the sun for light by day, the laws that govern the moon and stars for light by night, and who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar. The LORD of the Heavenly 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. |
| 36"If these laws cease to function in my presence," declares the LORD, "then the descendants of Israel will cease to be a nation in my presence for all time!" | 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." |
| 37This is what the LORD says: "If the heavens could be measured above, or the foundations of the earth be searched out below, then I also would reject all the descendants of Israel because of everything they have done," declares the LORD. | 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, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the city of the LORD will be rebuilt from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. | 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 go straight out from there to the hill of Gareb, and then it will turn to 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 of dead bodies and ashes and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east will be holy to the LORD. It won't be uprooted or overthrown again, forever." | 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." |
|
