Mourning Turned to Joy
(Matthew 2:16–18)

1At the same tyme, saith the Lord, shal I be the God of all the generations of Israel, & they shalbe my people.

2Thus saith the Lord: The people of Israel which escaped in the wildernesse from the sworde, founde grace to come into their rest.

3Euen so shall the Lorde nowe also appeare vnto me from farre and say I loue thee with an euerlasting loue, therfore by my mercie I haue drawen thee vnto me.

4I wyll repayre thee agayne O thou daughter of Israel, that thou mayest be fast and sure: thou shalt take thy tabrettes agayne, and go foorth with them that leade the daunce:

5Thou shalt plant vines agayne vpon the hylles of Samaria, and the grape gatherers shall plant, and commonly eate of it.

6For the dayes shall come when the watchmen vpon the mount of Ephraim shall crye, Arise, let vs go vp vnto Sion to our Lorde God.

7For thus saith the Lorde, Reioyce with gladnesse because of Iacob, crye vnto the head of the gentiles, speake out, syng and say, O Lorde saue thy people the remnaunt of Israel.

8Beholde, I wyll bryng them agayne from out of the north lande, and gather them from the endes of the worlde, with the blynde & lame that are among them, with the women that be great with chylde, & such as be also deliuered: and the companie of them that come agayne shalbe great.

9They shall come weepyng, and with mercifull pitie will I bring them hither agayne: I will leade them to the riuers of water in a strayght way where they shall not stumble: For I am Israels father, and Ephraim is my first borne.

10Heare the worde of the Lorde O ye gentiles, preache in the Isles that lye farre of, and say: He that hath scattered Israel, shall gather hym together agayne, and shall kepe hym as a sheephearde doth his flocke.

11For the Lorde hath redeemed Iacob, and ridde hym from the hande of the violent.

12And they shall come and reioyce vpon the hyll of Sion, and shall haue plenteousnesse of goodes, which the Lorde shall geue them, namely wheate, wine, oyle, young sheepe, and calues: and their soule shalbe as a well watered garden, for they shall no more be hungry.

13Then shall the mayde reioyce in the daunce, yea both young and olde folkes: for I wyll turne their sorowe into gladnesse, and wyll comfort them from their sorowes, and make them ioyfull.

14I wyll powre plenteousnesse vpon the heartes of the priestes, and my people shalbe satisfied with my goodnesse, saith the Lorde.

15Thus saith the Lorde, The voyce of heauinesse, weepyng, and lamentation was hearde on hye, euen of Rachel mournyng for her children, and woulde not be comforted because they were not.

16But nowe saith the Lorde, leaue of from weepyng and crying, withholde thine eyes from teares: for thy labour shalbe rewarded saith the Lorde, and they shall come agayne out of the lande of their enemies.

17Yea euen thy posteritie shall haue consolation in this saith the Lorde, that thy children shal come agayne into their owne lande.

18Moreouer, I hearde Ephraim that was led away captiue complayne on this maner: O Lorde thou hast correct me, & thy chastenyng haue I receaued, as an vntamed calfe, conuert thou me and I shalbe conuerted: for thou art my Lorde God.

19Yea assoone as thou turnest me, I shall refourme my selfe, and when I vnderstande, I shall smite vpon my thygh: For veryly I haue committed shamefull thynges: for I haue borne the reproofe and confusion of my youth.

20Upon this complaynt I thought thus by my selfe: Is not Ephraim my deare sonne? Is he not the childe with whom I haue had all my mirth and pastime? For since the tyme that I first comuned with hym, I haue hym euer in remembraunce: therfore my heart driueth me vnto hym, gladly and louyngly wyll I haue mercie vpon him, saith the Lorde.

21Make thy selfe markes, set vp heapes of stone, set thine heart vpon the way that thou didst walke, and turne againe O thou daughter of Israel, turne agayne to these cities of thine.

22Howe long wilt thou go astray O thou shrinkyng daughter? for the Lorde wyll worke a newe thyng vpon earth: A woman shall compasse a man.

23For thus saith the Lorde of hoastes the God of Israel: It wyl come therto, that when I haue brought Iuda out of captiuitie, these wordes shalbe hearde in the lande and in his cities, The Lord blesse thee O thou dwellyng place of ryghteousnesse, O thou holy hyll.

24And there shall dwell Iuda and all her cities, the sheepheardes and husbandmen: 25For I shall feede the hungry soule, and refreshe all faynt heartes.

The New Covenant
(Hebrews 8:6–13)

26When I hearde this, I came agayne to my selfe, I sawe like as I had ben waked out of a sweete sleepe.

27Beholde saith the Lorde, the dayes come that I wyll sowe the house of Israel and the house of Iuda with men and with cattell. 28Yea it shall come therto, that like as I haue gone about in tymes past to roote them out, to scatter them, to breake them downe, to destroy them, & chasten them: euen so wyll I also go diligently about to builde them vp agayne, and to plant them, saith the Lorde.

29Then shall it no more be sayde, The fathers haue eaten a sowre grape, and the childrens teeth are set on edge:

30For euery one shall dye for his owne misdeedes: so that who so eateth a sowre grape, his teeth shalbe set on edge.

31Beholde the dayes wyll come saith the Lorde, that I wyll make a newe couenaunt with the house of Israel, and the house of Iuda: 32Not after the couenaunt that I made with their fathers, when I toke them by the hande and led them out of the lande of Egypt, which couenaunt they brake, yea euen when I as an husbande had rule ouer them saith the Lorde. 33But this shalbe the couenaunt that I wyll make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lorde: I wyll plant my lawe in the inwarde partes of them, and write it in their heartes, and wyll be their God, and they shalbe my people. 34And from thencefoorth shall no man teache his neighbour or his brother, and say, Knowe the Lorde: but they shal all knowe me from the lowest vnto the hyest, saith the Lorde: for I wyll forgeue their misdeedes, and wyll neuer remember their sinnes any more.

35Thus saith the Lorde, which gaue the sunne to be a lyght for the day, and the moone and the starres to shine in the night, whiche moueth the sea, so that the fluddes thereof waxe fierce, his name is the Lorde of hoastes.

36Like as this ordinaunce shall neuer be taken out of my sight, saith the Lord: so shall the seede of Israel neuer ceasse, but alway be a people before me.

37Moreouer, thus saith the Lord, Like as the heauen aboue can not be measured, and as the foundations of the earth beneath may not be sought out: so will I also not cast out the whole seede of Israel for that they haue committed saith the Lorde.

38Beholde, the dayes come saith the Lorde, that the citie of the Lorde shalbe enlarged, from the towre of Hananeel, vnto the gate of the corner wall. 39From thence shall the right measure be taken before her vnto the hyll toppe of Gareb, and shall come about Gaath. 40And the whole valley of the dead carkasses, and of the asshes, and all the fieldes, vnto the brooke of Cedron, and vnto the corner of the horse gate towarde the east, it shalbe holy vnto the Lorde, and shall neuer be broken nor cast downe any more.