| New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1“At the same time,” says the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.” | 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." |
| 2Thus says the LORD: “The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness— Israel, when I went to give him rest.” | 2This is what the LORD says: The people who survived the sword found favor in the wilderness. When Israel went to find rest, |
| 3The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. | 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. |
| 4Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. | 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. |
| 5You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria; The planters shall plant and eat them as ordinary food. | 5You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit. |
| 6For there shall be a day When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim, ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.’ ” | 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!" |
| 7For thus says the LORD: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!’ | 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!" |
| 8Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there. | 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! |
| 9They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. | 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. |
| 10“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’ | 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, |
| 11For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. | 11for the LORD has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he." |
| 12Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD— For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. | 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. |
| 13“Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. | 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. |
| 14I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD.” | 14I will refresh the priests with an abundance, and my people will be satisfied with my goodness. This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 15Thus says the LORD: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.” | 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. |
| 16Thus says the LORD: “Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. | 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. |
| 17There is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children shall come back to their own border. | 17There is hope for your future--this is the LORD's declaration--and your children will return to their own territory. |
| 18“I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained bull; Restore me, and I will return, For You are the LORD my God. | 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. |
| 19Surely, after my turning, I repented; And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated, Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ | 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." |
| 20Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD. | 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. |
| 21“Set up signposts, Make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, The way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities. | 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. |
| 22How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth— A woman shall encompass a man.” | 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. |
| 23Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “They shall again use this speech in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I bring back their captivity: ‘The LORD bless you, O home of justice, and mountain of holiness!’ | 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.' |
| 24And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. | 24Judah and all its cities will live in it together--also farmers and those who move with the flocks-- |
| 25For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.” | 25for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak." |
| 26After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was sweet to me. | 26At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me. |
| 27“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. | 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. |
| 28And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. | 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. |
| 29In those days they shall say no more: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ | 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.' |
| 30But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. | 30Rather, each will die for his own iniquity. Anyone who eats sour grapes--his own teeth will be set on edge. |
| 31“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— | 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. |
| 32not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. | 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. |
| 33But 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 minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. | 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. |
| 34No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” | 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. |
| 35Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): | 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: |
| 36“If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever.” | 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. |
| 37Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel For all that they have done, says the LORD. | 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. |
| 38“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that the city shall be built for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. | 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. |
| 39The surveyor’s line shall again extend straight forward over the hill Gareb; then it shall turn toward Goath. | 39A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah. |
| 40And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the LORD. It shall not be plucked up or thrown down anymore forever.” | 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." |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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