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31:1  The Lord says, “At that time I will be God of all Israel’s ·family groups [clans], and they will be my people [30:22].”
31:2  This is what the Lord says: “The people who ·were not killed by the enemy’s [L survived the] sword found ·help [grace; favor] in the ·desert [wilderness; C as during the exodus from Egypt]. I came to give rest to Israel.”
31:3  And from far away the Lord appeared to his people and said, “I love you people with a ·love that will last forever [eternal love]. That is why I have continued showing you ·kindness [loyalty].
31:4  ·People [L Virgin daughter] of Israel, I will build you up again, and you will be rebuilt. You will pick up your tambourines again and dance with those who are joyful.
31:5  You will plant vineyards again on the hills around Samaria [C in northern Israel]. The ·farmers [L planters] will plant them and enjoy their fruit.
31:6  There will be a time when ·watchmen [sentinels; guards] in the mountains of Ephraim [C northern Israel] ·shout this message [L proclaim]: ‘·Come [L Get up], let’s go up to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] to the Lord our God [C to worship]!’”
31:7  This is what the Lord says: “·Be happy and sing [L Sing with joy] for the people of Jacob. Shout for Israel, the ·greatest [head; foremost] of the nations. ·Sing your praises and shout this [L Make yourself heard, praise, and say]: ‘Lord, ·save [rescue] your people, ·those who are left alive from the nation [L the remnant] of Israel!’
31:8  Look, I will soon bring them [C the remnant of Israel] from the country in the north [C Babylon], and I will gather them from the faraway places on earth. Some of the people are blind and ·crippled [lame; Is. 35:5–6; Mic. 4:6–8]. Some of the women are pregnant, and some are ready to give birth. A great ·many people [assembly] will ·come back [return].
31:9  They will be crying as they come, ·but they will pray as [L with supplications] I ·bring [lead] them back. I will lead those people by streams of water [Ps. 23] on an ·even road [straight way] where they will not stumble. I am Israel’s father, and ·Israel [L Ephraim; C the dominant tribe of the northern kingdom of Israel] is my firstborn son.
31:10  “Nations, listen to the ·message from [L word of] the Lord. Tell this message in the faraway ·lands by the sea [coastlands]: ‘The one who scattered the people of Israel will ·bring them back [gather them], and he will ·watch over [keep; guard] his people like a shepherd of a flock. [Num. 27:17; 2 Sam. 7:7; Ps. 78:70–72; Ezek. 34].’
31:11  The Lord will ·pay for [ransom] the people of Jacob and will ·buy them back [redeem them] from ·people [L a hand/power] stronger than they were.
31:12  They [C people of Israel] will come to the high points of Jerusalem and shout for joy. ·Their faces will shine with happiness [L They will be radiant] about all the good things from the Lord: the grain, new wine, oil, young sheep, and young cows. They will be like a garden that has plenty of water, and they will not ·be troubled [languish] anymore.
31:13  Then ·young women [or virgins; C of Israel] will be happy and dance, the young men and old men also. I will change their ·sadness [mourning] into ·happiness [joy]; I will give them comfort and joy instead of ·sadness [lament; Ps. 30:11–12; 126].
31:14  The priests will have ·more than enough sacrifices [L their fill of fatness], and my people will be ·filled [satisfied; sated] with the good things I give them!” says the Lord.
31:15  This is what the Lord says: “A voice was heard in Ramah [C a place from which God’s people were deported into exile; 40:1; Matt. 2:18] of ·painful crying [lamentation] and ·deep sadness [L bitter weeping]: Rachel crying for her children [C the Israelites]. She refused to be comforted, because her children are ·dead [L no more]!”
31:16  But this is what the Lord says: “·Stop crying [L Refrain your voice from weeping]; ·don’t let your eyes fill with tears [L your eyes from tears]. You will be rewarded for your work!” says the Lord. “The people will return from their enemy’s land.
31:17  So there is hope for you in the future,” says the Lord. “Your children will return to their own ·land [borders].
31:18  “I have heard ·Israel [L Ephraim] ·moaning [pleading]: ‘Lord, you ·punished [disciplined; instructed] me, and I ·have learned my lesson [was disciplined/instructed]. I was like a calf that had never been trained [Hos. 10:11]. Take me back so that I may come back. You truly are the Lord my God.
31:19  Lord, after I ·wandered away [turned away] from you, I ·changed my heart and life [L repented]. After I understood, I beat my ·breast [L thigh; C showing sorrow]. I was ashamed and ·disgraced [humiliated], because I ·suffered for the foolish things I did when I was young [L carried the reproach of my youth].’
31:20  “·You know that Israel is my dear son [L Do you know how precious Ephraim is to me…?], The child I ·love [delight in]. Yes, I often speak against him [C Israel], but I still remember him. ·I love him very much [L My innards roil/churn toward him], and I want to ·comfort [be compassionate toward] him,” says the Lord.
31:21  “·Fix [L Put up; Erect] the road ·signs [markers]. ·Put up signs to show you the way home [L Make guideposts]. ·Watch the road [L Set your heart toward the highway]. Pay attention to the road on which you travel. ·People [L Virgin daughter; Young woman] of Israel, ·come home [L return; repent], ·come back to [L return to these] your towns.
31:22  You are an unfaithful daughter. How long will you ·wander before you come home [L waver]? The Lord has ·made [created] something new happen in the land: A woman will ·go seeking [or protect; or embrace; L surround] a man.”
31:23  The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: “I will again do good things for the people of Judah. At that time the people in the land of Judah and its towns will again use these words: ‘May the Lord bless you, ·home of what is good [L abode of righteousness], holy mountain.’
31:24  People in all the towns of Judah will live together [C in peace]. Farmers and those who ·move around [wander] with their flocks will live together [C in peace].
31:25  I will ·give rest [satisfy] and ·strength to [replenish] those who ·are weak [languish] and ·tired [faint].”
31:26  After hearing that, I [C Jeremiah], woke up and looked around. My sleep had been very pleasant.
31:27  The Lord says, “The ·time is [L days are] coming when I will ·help [L sow] the ·families [L houses] of Israel and Judah ·and their children [L with the seed of humans] and ·animals to grow [L seed of animals].
31:28  In the past I watched over them [C Israel and Judah; 1:12], to ·pull [pluck] them up and ·tear [pull] them down, to destroy them and bring them ·disaster [harm; trouble]. But now I will watch over them to build them up and ·make them strong [to plant them; 1:10],” says the Lord.
31:29  “·At that time [L In those days] people will no longer say: ‘The ·parents [fathers] have eaten sour grapes, and that caused the children to ·grind their teeth from the sour taste [L be set on edge].’
31:30  Instead, each person will die for his own ·sin [iniquity]; the person who eats sour grapes ·will grind his own teeth [L his teeth are set on edge; Lam. 5:7; Ezek. 18:2].
31:31  “Look, the ·time is [L days are] coming,” says the Lord, “when I will ·make [L cut] a new ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the ·people [L house] of Israel and the ·people [L house] of Judah.
31:32  It will not be like the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] I ·made [L cut] with their ·ancestors [fathers] when I took them by the hand to bring them out of Egypt [C the Mosaic Covenant; Ex. 19–24]. I was a ·husband [or master] to them [2:2], but they broke ·that agreement [my covenant/treaty],” says the Lord.
31:33  “This is the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] I will ·make [L cut] with the ·people [L house] of Israel ·at that time [L after those days],” says the Lord: “I will put my ·teachings [laws; instructions] in their ·minds [L innards] and write them on their hearts [Joel 2:28–29]. I will be their God, and they will be my people [Ex. 6:6–8].
31:34  People will no longer have to teach their neighbors and ·relatives [brothers] to know the Lord, because all people will know me, from the least to the most important,” says the Lord. “I will forgive them for ·the wicked things they did [L their iniquities], and I will not remember their sins anymore [32:37–44; 50:4–5; Ezek. 37:15–28; Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:5–14; Heb. 8:8–12; 10:16–17].”
31:35  The Lord ·makes [L gives] the sun to ·shine in [L light] the day and [L regulates; fixes the order of] the moon and stars to ·shine at [L light the] night [Gen. 1:14–18]. He stirs up the sea so that its waves ·crash on the shore [L roar]. The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is his name. This is what the Lord says:
31:36  “Only if these ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements; C that uphold the natural order] should ever ·fail [give way; Gen. 8:22; 9:8–17],” says the Lord, “will Israel’s ·descendants [L seed] ever ·stop [cease] being a nation before me ·forever [L for all days].”
31:37  This is what the Lord says: “Only if people can measure the ·sky [heavens] above and ·learn [investigate] the ·secrets [L foundations] of the earth below, will I reject all the ·descendants [L seed] of Israel because of what they have done,” says the Lord.
31:38  The Lord says, “The ·time is [L days are] coming when this city [C Jerusalem] will be rebuilt for me—everything from the Tower of Hananel [Neh. 3:1; 12:39; Zech. 14:10] to the Corner Gate [2 Kin. 14:13; 2 Chr. 25:23; 26:9; Zech. 14:10].
31:39  The measuring line will stretch from ·the Corner Gate [L before it] straight to the hill of Gareb. Then it will turn to the place named Goah.
31:40  The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown [C the Hinnom; ch. 19], and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate [2 Chr. 23:15; Neh. 3:28]—all that area will be holy to the Lord. It [C Jerusalem] will never again be torn down or destroyed [1:10].”