Jeremiah Chapter 31

1 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of Jehovah’s house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon; for they prophesy a lie unto you.

2 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a desolation?

3 But if they be prophets, and if the word of Jehovah be with them, let them now make intercession to Jehovah of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of Jehovah, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.

4 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that are left in this city,

5 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

6 yea, thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of Jehovah, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem:

7 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be, until the day that I visit them, saith Jehovah; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.

8 And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of Jehovah, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

9 Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

10 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of Jehovah’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried to Babylon:

11 and I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went to Babylon, saith Jehovah; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

12 Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of Jehovah,

13 even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: Jehovah do so; Jehovah perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of Jehovah’s house, and all them of the captivity, from Babylon unto this place.

14 Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people:

15 The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

16 The prophet that prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that Jehovah hath truly sent him.

17 Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it.

18 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon within two full years from off the neck of all the nations. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

19 Then the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,

20 Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah: Thou hast broken the bars of wood; but thou hast made in their stead bars of iron.

21 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.

22 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah: Jehovah hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.

23 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will send thee away from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken rebellion against Jehovah.

24 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

25 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,

26 (after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs,

27 and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem),

28 by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), saying,

29 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto Babylon:

30 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

31 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters: and multiply ye there, and be not diminished.

32 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto Jehovah for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

33 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you; neither hearken ye to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

34 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith Jehovah.

35 For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

36 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.

37 And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

38 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

39 And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith Jehovah; and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

40 Because ye have said, Jehovah hath raised us up prophets in Babylon;

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

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

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

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

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

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

7 For thus saith Jehovah: Sing aloud [with] 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 Behold, I bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth; [and] 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 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 Hear the word of Jehovah, ye nations, and declare [it] to the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd his flock.

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

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

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

18 I have indeed heard Ephraim bemoaning himself [thus]: 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 myGod.

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

20 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 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 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 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, theGod 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 And therein shall dwell Judah, and all the cities thereof together, the husbandmen, and they that go about with flocks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

32 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 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 theirGod, and they shall be my people.

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

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

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

40 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.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 Thus has the Lord said concerning Moab, Woe to Nabau! for it has perished: Cariathaim is taken: Amath and Agath are put to shame.

2 There is no longer any healing for Moab, [nor] glorying in Esebon: he has devised evils against her: we have cut her off from [being] a nation, and she shall be completely still: after thee shall go a sword;

3 for [there is] a voice of [men] crying out of Oronaim, destruction and great ruin.

4 Moab is ruined, proclaim [it] to Zogora:

5 for Aloth is filled with weeping: one shall go up weeping by the way of Oronaim; ye have heard a cry of destruction.

6 Flee ye, and save your lives, and ye shall be as a wild ass in the desert.

7 Since thou hast trusted in thy strong-hold, therefore thou shalt be taken: and Chamos shall go forth into captivity, and his priests, and his princes together.

8 And destruction shall come upon every city, it shall by no means escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain country shall be completely destroyed, as the Lord has said.

9 Set marks upon Moab, for she shall be touched with a plague-spot, and all her cities shall become desolate; whence [shall there be] an inhabitant for her?

10 Cursed is the man that does the works of the Lord carelessly, keeping back his sword from blood.

11 Moab has been at ease from a child, and trusted in his glory; he has not poured out [his liquor] from vessel to vessel, and has not gone into banishment, therefore his taste remained in him, and his smell departed not.

12 Therefore, behold, his days come, saith the Lord, when I shall send upon him bad leaders, and they shall lead him astray, and they shall utterly break in pieces his possessions, and shall cut his horns asunder.

13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chamos, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bæthel their hope, having trusted in them.

14 How will ye say, We are strong, and men strong for war?

15 Moab is ruined, [even] his city, and his choice young men have gone down to slaughter.

16 The day of Moab is near at hand, and his iniquity moves swiftly [to vengeance].

17 Shake [the head] at him, all ye that are round about him; all [of you] utter his name; say ye, How is the glorious staff broken to pieces, the rod of magnificence!

18 Come down from [thy] glory, and sit down in a damp place: Dæbon shall be broken, because Moab is destroyed: there has gone up against thee one to ravage thy strong-hold.

19 Stand by the way, and look, thou that dwellest in Arer; and ask him that is fleeing, and him that escapes, and say, What has happened?

20 Moab is put to shame, because he is broken: howl and cry; proclaim in Arnon, that Moab has perished.

21 And judgment is coming against the land of Misor, upon Chelon, and Rephas, and Mophas,

22 and upon Dæbon, and upon Nabau, and upon the house of Dæthlathaim,

23 and upon Cariathaim, and upon the house of Gæmol, and upon the house of Maon,

24 and upon Carioth, and upon Bosor, and upon all the cities of Moab, far and near.

25 The horn of Moab is broken, and his arm is crushed.

26 Make ye him drunk; for he has magnified himself against the Lord: and Moab shall clap with his hand, and shall be also himself a laughing-stock.

27 For surely Israel was to thee a laughing-stock, and was found among thy thefts, because thou didst fight against him.

28 The inhabitants of Moab have left the cities, and dwelt in rocks; they have become as doves nestling in rocks, at the mouth of a cave.

29 And I have heard of the pride of Moab, he has greatly heightened his pride and his haughtiness, and his heart has been lifted up.

30 But I know his works: is it not enough for him? has he not done thus?

31 Therefore howl ye for Moab on all sides; cry out against the shorn men [in] a gloomy place. I will weep for thee,

32 O vine of Aserema, as with the weeping of Jazer: thy branches are gone over the sea, they reached the cities of Jazer: destruction has come upon thy fruits, [and] upon thy grape-gatherers.

33 Joy and gladness have been utterly swept off the land of Moab: and [though] there was wine in thy presses, in the morning they trod it not, neither in the evening did they raise the cry of joy.

34 From the cry of Esebon even to Ætam their cities uttered their voice, from Zogor to Oronaim, and their tidings [as] a heifer of three years old, for the water also of Nebrin shall be dried up.

35 And I will destroy Moab, saith the Lord, as he comes up to the altar, and burns incense to his gods.

36 Therefore the heart of Moab shall sound as pipes, my heart shall sound as a pipe for the shorn men; forasmuch as what [every] man has gained has perished from him.

37 They shall all have their heads shaved in every place, and every beard shall be shaved; and all hands shall beat [the breasts], and on all loins shall be sackcloth.

38 And on all the housetops of Moab, and in his streets [shall be mourning]: for I have broken [him], saith the Lord, as a vessel, which is useless.

39 How has he changed! how has Moab turned [his] back! Moab is put to shame, and become a laughing-stock, and an object of anger to all that are round about him.

40 For thus said the Lord;

41 Carioth is taken, and the strong-holds have been taken together.

42 And Moab shall perish from being a multitude, because he has magnified himself against the Lord.

43 A snare, and fear, and the pit, are upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab.

44 He that flees from the terror shall fall into the pit, and he that comes up out of the pit shall even be taken in the snare: for I will bring these things upon Moab in the year of their visitation.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 In tempore illo, dicit Dominus: Ero Deus universis cognationibus Israel, et ipsi erunt mihi in populum.

2 Hæc dicit Dominus: Invenit gratiam in deserto populus, qui remanserat a gladio: vadet ad requiem suam Israel.

3 Longe Dominus apparuit mihi. Et in charitate perpetua dilexi te, ideo attraxi te, miserans.

4 Rursumque ædificabo te, et ædificaberis virgo Israel: adhuc ornaberis tympanis tuis, et egredieris in choro ludentium.

5 Adhuc plantabis vineas in montibus Samariæ: plantabunt plantantes, et donec tempus veniat, non vindemiabunt:

6 quia erit dies, in qua clamabunt custodes in monte Ephraim: Surgite, et ascendamus in Sion ad Dominum Deum nostrum.

7 Quia hæc dicit Dominus: Exultate in lætitia Iacob, et hinnite contra caput Gentium: personate, et canite, et dicite: Salva Domine populum tuum reliquias Israel.

8 Ecce ego adducam eos de terra Aquilonis, et congregabo eos ab extremis terræ: inter quos erunt cæcus et claudus, prægnans et pariens simul, cœtus magnus revertentium huc.

9 In fletu venient: et in misericordia reducam eos: et adducam eos per torrentes aquarum in via recta, et non impingent in ea: quia factus sum Israeli pater, et Ephraim primogenitus meus est.

10 Audite verbum Domini Gentes, et annunciate in insulis, quæ procul sunt, et dicite. Qui dispersit Israel, congregabit eum: et custodiet eum sicut pastor gregem suum.

11 Redemit enim Dominus Iacob, et liberavit eum de manu potentioris.

12 Et venient, et laudabunt in monte Sion: et confluent ad bona Domini super frumento, et vino, et oleo, et fœtu pecorum et armentorum: eritque anima eorum quasi hortus irriguus, et ultra non esurient.

13 Tunc lætabitur virgo in choro, iuvenes et senes simul: et convertam luctum eorum in gaudium, et consolabor eos, et lætificabo a dolore suo.

14 Et inebriabo animam sacerdotum pinguedine: et populus meus bonis meis adimplebitur, ait Dominus.

15 Hæc dicit Dominus: Vox in excelso audita est lamentationis, luctus, et fletus Rachel plorantis filios suos, et nolentis consolari super eis, quia non sunt.

16 Hæc dicit Dominus: Quiescat vox tua a ploratu, et oculi tui a lacrymis: quia est merces operi tuo, ait Dominus: et revertentur de terra inimici.

17 Et est spes novissimis tuis, ait Dominus: et revertentur filii ad terminos suos.

18 Audiens audivi Ephraim transmigrantem: Castigasti me, et eruditus sum, quasi iuvenculus indomitus: converte me, et convertar: quia tu Dominus Deus meus.

19 Postquam enim convertisti me, egi pœnitentiam: et postquam ostendisti mihi, percussi femur meum. Confusus sum, et erubui, quoniam sustinui opprobrium adolescentiæ meæ.

20 Si filius honorabilis mihi Ephraim, si puer delicatus: quia ex quo locutus sum de eo, adhuc recordabor eius. Idcirco conturbata sunt viscera mea super eum: miserans miserebor eius, ait Dominus.

21 Statue tibi speculam, pone tibi amaritudines: dirige cor tuum in viam rectam, in qua ambulasti: revertere virgo Israel, revertere ad civitates tuas istas.

22 Usquequo deliciis dissolveris filia vaga? quia creavit Dominus novum super terram: FEMINA CIRCUMDABIT VIRUM.

23 Hæc dicit Dominus exercituum Deus Israel: Adhuc dicent verbum istud in terra Iuda, et in urbibus eius, cum convertero captivitatem eorum: Benedicat tibi Dominus pulchritudo iustitiæ, mons sanctus:

24 et habitabunt in eo Iudas, et omnes civitates eius simul: agricolæ et minantes greges.

25 Quia inebriavi animam lassam, et omnem animam esurientem saturavi.

26 Ideo quasi de somno suscitatus sum: et vidi, et somnus meus dulcis mihi.

27 Ecce dies veniunt, dicit Dominus: et seminabo domum Israel et domum Iuda semine hominum, et semine iumentorum.

28 Et sicut vigilavi super eos ut evellerem, et demolirer, et dissiparem, et disperderem, et affligerem: sic vigilabo super eos ut ædificem, et plantem, ait Dominus.

29 In diebus illis non dicent ultra: Patres comederunt uvam acerbam, et dentes filiorum obstupuerunt.

30 Sed unusquisque in iniquitate sua morietur: omnis homo, qui comederit uvam acerbam, obstupescent dentes eius.

31 Ecce dies venient, dicit Dominus: et feriam domui Israel et domui Iuda fœdus novum:

32 non secundum pactum, quod pepigi cum patribus eorum in die, qua apprehendi manum eorum, ut educerem eos de Terra Ægypti: pactum, quod irritum fecerunt, et ego dominatus sum eorum, dicit Dominus.

33 Sed hoc erit pactum, quod feriam cum domo Israel: post dies illos dicit Dominus: Dabo legem meam in visceribus eorum, et in corde eorum scribam eam: et ero eis in Deum, et ipsi erunt mihi in populum.

34 Et non docebit ultra vir proximum suum, et vir fratrem suum, dicens: Cognosce Dominum: omnes enim cognoscent me a minimo eorum usque ad maximum, ait Dominus: quia propitiabor iniquitati eorum, et peccati eorum non memorabor amplius.

35 Hæc dicit Dominus, qui dat solem in lumine diei, ordinem lunæ et stellarum in lumine noctis: qui turbat mare, et sonant fluctus eius, Dominus exercituum nomen illi.

36 Si defecerint leges istæ coram me, dicit Dominus: tunc et semen Israel deficiet, ut non sit gens coram me cunctis diebus.

37 Hæc dicit Dominus: Si mensurari potuerint cæli sursum, et investigari fundamenta terræ deorsum: et ego abiiciam universum semen Israel propter omnia, quæ fecerunt, dicit Dominus.

38 Ecce dies veniunt, dicit Dominus: et ædificabitur civitas Domino a turre Hananeel usque ad portam anguli.

39 Et exibit ultra norma mensuræ in conspectu eius super collem Gareb: et circuibit Goatha,

40 et omnem vallem cadaverum, et cineris, et universam regionem mortis, usque ad torrentem Cedron, et usque ad angulum portæ equorum Orientalis, Sanctum Domini: non evelletur, et non destruetur ultra in perpetuum.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

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

2 The LORD says, “The people who survive the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.”

3 The LORD appeared of old to me, saying, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.

4 I will build you again, and you will be built, O virgin of Israel. You will again be adorned with your tambourines, and will go out in the dances of those who make merry.

5 Again you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria. The planters will plant, and will enjoy its fruit.

6 For there will be a day that the watchmen on the hills of Ephraim cry, ‘Arise! Let’s go up to Zion to the LORD our God.’”

7 For the LORD says, “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations. Publish, praise, and say, ‘LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!’

8 Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, along with the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who travails with child together. They will return as a great company.

9 They will come with weeping. I will lead them with petitions. I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way in which they won’t stumble; for I am a father to Israel. Ephraim is my firstborn.

10 “Hear the LORD’s word, you nations, and declare it in the distant islands. Say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.’

11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

12 They will come and sing in the height of Zion, and will flow to the goodness of the LORD, to the grain, to the new wine, to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd. Their soul will be as a watered garden. They will not sorrow any more at all.

13 Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, 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.

14 I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness,” says the LORD.

15 The LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

16 The LORD says: “Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” says the LORD. “They will come again from the land of the enemy.

17 There is hope for your latter end,” says the LORD. “Your children will come again to their own territory.

18 “I have surely heard Ephraim grieving thus, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, as an untrained calf. Turn me, and I will be turned, for you are the LORD my God.

19 Surely after that I was turned. I repented. After that I was instructed. I struck my thigh. I was ashamed, yes, even confounded, because I bore the reproach of my youth.’

20 Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still earnestly remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him. I will surely have mercy on him,” says the LORD.

21 “Set up road signs. Make guideposts. Set your heart toward the highway, even the way by which you went. Turn again, virgin of Israel. Turn again to these your cities.

22 How long will you go here and there, you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth: a woman will encompass a man.”

23 The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Yet again they will use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I reverse their captivity: ‘The LORD bless you, habitation of righteousness, mountain of holiness.’

24 Judah and all its cities will dwell therein together, the farmers, and those who go about with flocks.

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

26 On this I awakened, and saw; and my sleep was sweet to me.

27 “Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of animal.

28 It will happen 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 I will watch over them to build and to plant,” says the LORD.

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

30 But everyone will die for his own iniquity. Every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.

31 “Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah,

32 not 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 covenant of mine they broke, although I was a husband to them,” says the LORD.

33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the LORD: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 They will no longer each teach his neighbor, and every man teach his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD;’ for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest,” says the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

35 The LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar— the LORD of Armies is his name, says:

36 “If these ordinances depart from before me,” says the LORD, “then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before me forever.”

37 The LORD says: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done,” says the LORD.

38 “Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that the city will be built to the LORD from the tower of Hananel to the gate of the corner.

39 The measuring line will go out further straight onward to the hill Gareb, and will turn toward Goah.

40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields to the brook Kidron, to the corner of the horse gate toward the east, will be holy to the LORD. It will not be plucked up or thrown down any more forever.”

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 At that time, an affirmation of Jehovah, I am for God to all families of Israel, And they--they are to Me for a people.

2 Thus said Jehovah: Found grace in the wilderness Hath a people remaining from the sword Going to cause it to rest--Israel.

3 From afar Jehovah hath appeared to me, With love age-during I have loved thee, Therefore I have drawn thee <FI>with<Fi> kindness.

4 Again do I build thee, And thou hast been built, O virgin of Israel, Again thou puttest on thy tabrets, And hast gone out in the chorus of the playful.

5 Again thou dost plant vineyards In mountains of Samaria, Planters have planted, and made common.

6 For there is a day, Cried have watchmen on mount Ephraim, `Rise, and we go up to Zion, unto Jehovah our God;

7 For thus said Jehovah: Sing, O ye to Jacob, <FI>with<Fi> joy, And cry aloud at the head of the nations, Sound ye, praise ye, and say, Save, O Jehovah, thy people, the remnant of Israel.

8 Lo, I am bringing them in from the north country, And have gathered them from the sides of the earth, Among them <FI>are<Fi> blind and lame, Conceiving and travailing one--together, A great assembly--they turn back hither.

9 With weeping they come in, And with supplications I bring them, I cause them to go unto streams of waters, In a right way--they stumble not in it, For I have been to Israel for a father, And Ephraim--My first-born <FI>is<Fi> he.

10 Hear a word of Jehovah, O nations, And declare ye among isles afar off, and say: He who is scattering Israel doth gather him, And hath kept him as a shepherd <FI>doth<Fi> his flock,

11 For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, And redeemed him from a hand stronger than he.

12 And they have come in, And have sung in the high place of Zion, And flowed unto the goodness of Jehovah, For wheat, and for new wine, and for oil, And for the young of the flock and herd, And their soul hath been as a watered garden, And they add not to grieve any more.

13 Then rejoice doth a virgin in a chorus, Both young men and old men--together, And I have turned their mourning to joy, And have comforted them, And gladdened them above their sorrow,

14 And satisfied the soul of the priests <FI>with<Fi> fatness, And My people with My goodness are satisfied, An affirmation of Jehovah.

15 Thus said Jehovah, A voice in Ramah is heard, wailing, weeping most bitter, Rachel is weeping for her sons, She hath refused to be comforted for her sons, because they are not.

16 Thus said Jehovah: Withhold thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears, For there is a reward for thy work, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they have turned back from the land of the enemy.

17 And there is hope for thy latter end, An affirmation of Jehovah, And the sons have turned back <FI>to<Fi> their border.

18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, `Thou hast chastised me, And I am chastised, as a heifer not taught, Turn me back, and I turn back, For thou <FI>art<Fi> Jehovah my God.

19 For after my turning back I repented, And after my being instructed I struck on the thigh, I have been ashamed, I have also blushed, For I have borne the reproach of my youth.

20 A precious son is Ephraim to Me? A child of delights? For since My speaking against him, I do thoroughly remember him still, Therefore have My bowels been moved for him, I do greatly love him, An affirmation of Jehovah.

21 Set up for thee signs, make for thee heaps, Set thy heart to the highway, the way thou wentest, Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back unto these thy cities.

22 Till when dost thou withdraw thyself, O backsliding daughter? For Jehovah hath prepared a new thing in the land, Woman doth compass man.

23 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Still they say this word in the land of Judah, And in its cities, In My turning back <FI>to<Fi> their captivity, Jehovah doth bless thee, habitation of righteousness, Mountain of holiness.

24 And dwelt in Judah have husbandmen, and in all its cities together, And they have journeyed in order.

25 For I have satiated the weary soul, And every grieved soul I have filled.'

26 On this I have awaked, and I behold, and my sleep hath been sweet to me.

27 Lo, days are coming, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have sown the house of Israel, And the house of Judah, With seed of man, and seed of beast.

28 And it hath been, as I watched over them to pluck up, And to break down, and to throw down, And to destroy, and to afflict; So do I watch over them to build, and to plant, An affirmation of Jehovah.

29 In those days they do not say any more: Fathers have eaten unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted.

30 But--each for his own iniquity doth die, Every man who is eating the unripe fruit, Blunted are his teeth.

31 Lo, days are coming, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have made with the house of Israel And with the house of Judah a new covenant,

32 Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers, In the day of My laying hold on their hand, To bring them out of the land of Egypt, In that they made void My covenant, And I ruled over them--an affirmation of Jehovah.

33 For this <FI>is<Fi> the covenant that I make, With the house of Israel, after those days, An affirmation of Jehovah, I have given My law in their inward part, And on their heart I do write it, And I have been to them for God, And they are to me for a people.

34 And they do not teach any more Each his neighbour, and each his brother, Saying, Know ye Jehovah, For they all know Me, from their least unto their greatest, An affirmation of Jehovah; For I pardon their iniquity, And of their sin I make mention no more.

35 Thus said Jehovah, Who is giving the sun for a light by day, The statutes of moon and stars for a light by night, Quieting the sea when its billows roar, Jehovah of Hosts <FI>is<Fi> His name:

36 If these statutes depart from before Me, An affirmation of Jehovah, Even the seed of Israel doth cease From being a nation before Me all the days.

37 Thus said Jehovah: If the heavens above be measured, And the foundations of earth below searched, Even I kick against all the seed of Israel, For all that they have done, An affirmation of Jehovah.

38 Lo, days <FI>are coming<Fi> , an affirmation of Jehovah, And the city hath been built to Jehovah, From the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner.

39 And gone out again hath the measuring line Over-against it, unto the height of Gareb, And it hath compassed to Goah.

40 And all the valley of the carcases and of the ashes, And all the fields unto the brook Kidron, Unto the corner of the horse-gate eastward, <FI>Are<Fi> holy to Jehovah, it is not plucked up, Nor is it thrown down any more to the age!

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).