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Liberation from Captivity Promised
30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘(A)Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. 3 For behold, (B)days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will (C)restore the fortunes of My people (D)Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also (E)bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall take possession of it.’”
4 Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
5 “For this is what the Lord says:
‘[a]I have heard a sound of (F)terror,
Of fear, and there is no peace.
6 Ask now, and see
If a male can give birth.
Why do I see every man
With his hands on his waist, (G)as a woman in childbirth?
And why have all faces turned pale?
7 Woe, for that (H)day is great,
There is (I)none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s (J)distress,
Yet he will be (K)saved from it.
8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘that I will (L)break his yoke from [b]their necks and will tear to pieces [c]their (M)restraints; and strangers will no longer (N)make [d]them their slaves. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and (O)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10 And (P)do not fear, Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,
‘And do not be dismayed, Israel;
For behold, I am going to save you (Q)from far away,
And your [e]descendants from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return and be (R)at peace, without anxiety,
And (S)no one will make him afraid.
11 For (T)I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;
For I will completely (U)destroy all the nations where I have scattered you,
Only I will (V)not destroy you completely.
But I will (W)discipline you fairly
And will by no means leave you unpunished.’
12 “For this is what the Lord says:
‘Your broken limb is irreparable,
And your (X)wound is incurable.
13 There is no one to plead your cause;
No healing for your sore,
(Y)No recovery for you.
14 All your (Z)lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you;
For I have (AA)wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the (AB)punishment of a (AC)cruel one,
Because your (AD)wrongdoing is great,
And your (AE)sins are numerous.
15 Why do you cry out over your injury?
Your pain is incurable.
Because your wrongdoing is great
And your sins are numerous,
I have done these things to you.
16 Therefore all who (AF)devour you will be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, (AG)will go into captivity;
And those who plunder you will become plunder,
And all who plunder you I will turn into plunder.
17 For I will [f]restore you to [g](AH)health
And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord,
‘Because they have called you an (AI)outcast, saying:
“It is Zion; no one [h]cares for her.”’
Restoration of Jacob
18 “This is what the Lord says:
‘Behold, I will (AJ)restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And (AK)have compassion on his dwellings;
And the (AL)city will be rebuilt on its ruins,
And the (AM)palace will stand on its rightful place.
19 From them will come a (AN)song of thanksgiving
And the voices of those who [i](AO)celebrate;
And I will (AP)multiply them and they will not decrease;
I will (AQ)honor them and they will not be insignificant.
20 [j]Their children also will be as before,
And [k]their congregation will be (AR)established before Me;
And I will punish all [l]their oppressors.
21 [m]Their (AS)leader shall be one of them,
And [n]their ruler will come out from [o]their midst;
And I will (AT)bring him near and he shall approach Me;
For [p]who would dare to risk his life to (AU)approach Me?’ declares the Lord.
22 ‘You shall be (AV)My people,
And I will be your God.’”
23 Behold, the (AW)tempest of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
A [q]sweeping tempest;
It will whirl upon the head of the wicked.
24 The (AX)fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has performed and accomplished
The intent of His heart.
In the (AY)latter days you will understand this.
Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the (AZ)God of all the (BA)families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survived the sword
(BB)Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when it went to (BC)find its rest.”
3 The Lord appeared to [r]him [s]long ago, saying,
“I have (BD)loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you out with (BE)kindness.
4 (BF)I will build you again and you will be rebuilt,
Virgin of Israel!
You will [t]take up your (BG)tambourines again,
And go out to the dances of the (BH)revelers.
5 Again you will (BI)plant vineyards
On the [u]hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will [v]enjoy the fruit.
6 For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
‘Arise, and (BJ)let’s go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’”
7 For this is what the Lord says:
“(BK)Sing aloud with joy for Jacob,
And be joyful with the [w](BL)chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘Lord, (BM)save Your people,
The (BN)remnant of Israel!’
8 Behold, I am (BO)bringing them from the north country,
And I will (BP)gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them those who are (BQ)blind and those who (BR)limp,
The pregnant woman and she who is in labor, together;
They will return here as a great assembly.
9 (BS)They will come with weeping,
And by pleading I will bring them;
I will lead them by (BT)streams of waters,
On a straight path on which they will (BU)not stumble;
For I am a (BV)father to Israel,
And Ephraim is (BW)My firstborn.”
10 Hear the word of the Lord, you nations,
And declare it in the (BX)coastlands far away,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will (BY)gather him,
And He will keep him as a (BZ)shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For the Lord has (CA)ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was (CB)stronger than he.
12 “They will (CC)come and shout for joy on the (CD)height of Zion,
And they will be (CE)radiant over the [x]bounty of the Lord—
Over the (CF)grain, the new wine, the oil,
And over the young of the (CG)flock and the herd.
And their life will be like a (CH)watered garden,
And they will (CI)never languish again.
13 Then the virgin will rejoice in the (CJ)dance,
And the young men and the old together;
For I will (CK)turn their mourning into joy
And comfort them, and give them (CL)joy for their sorrow.
14 I will refresh the soul of the priests with [y]abundance,
And My people will be (CM)satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
“(CN)A voice is heard in (CO)Ramah,
Lamenting and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
She (CP)refuses to be comforted for her children,
Because (CQ)they are no more.”
16 This is what the Lord says:
“(CR)Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your (CS)work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
“And they will (CT)return from the land of the enemy.
17 There is (CU)hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your children will return to their own territory.
18 I have certainly heard Ephraim (CV)grieving,
‘You have (CW)disciplined me, and I was corrected,
Like an untrained (CX)calf;
(CY)Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
19 For after I turned back, I (CZ)repented;
And after I was instructed, I [z](DA)slapped my thigh;
I was (DB)ashamed and also humiliated
Because I bore the shame of my youth.’
20 Is (DC)Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him;
Therefore My [aa](DD)heart yearns for him;
I will certainly (DE)have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.
21 “Set up roadmarks for yourself,
Place guideposts for yourself;
(DF)Direct your [ab]mind to the highway,
The way by which you went.
(DG)Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
22 How long will you waver,
You (DH)rebellious daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing on the earth:
A woman will shelter a man.”
23 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I (DI)restore their fortunes,
24 Judah and all its cities will (DL)live together in it, the farmers and those who travel with flocks. 25 (DM)For I give plenty of water to the weary ones, and [ac]refresh everyone who languishes.” 26 At this I (DN)awoke and looked, and my (DO)sleep had been pleasant to me.
A Call to Prayer
2 First of all, then, I urge that (A)requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made in behalf of all people, 2 (B)for kings and all who are in [a]authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and [b]dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of (C)God our Savior, 4 (D)who wants all people to be (E)saved and to (F)come to the [c]knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is (G)one God, and (H)one mediator also between God and mankind, the (I)Man Christ Jesus, 6 who (J)gave Himself as a ransom for all, the (K)testimony [d]given at [e](L)the proper time. 7 (M)For this I was appointed as a [f]preacher and (N)an apostle ((O)I am telling the truth, I am not lying), as a teacher of (P)the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Instructions for Believers
8 Therefore (Q)I want the men (R)in every place to pray, (S)lifting up (T)holy hands, without anger and dispute. 9 Likewise, I want (U)women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, [g]modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive apparel, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. 11 (V)A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 (W)But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 (X)For it was Adam who was first [h]created, and then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but (Y)the woman was [i]deceived and [j]became a wrongdoer. 15 But [k]women will be [l]preserved through [m]childbirth—if they continue in (Z)faith, love, and sanctity, with moderation.
The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
87 His (A)foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord (B)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
3 (C)Glorious things are spoken of you,
(D)City of God. Selah
4 “I shall mention [a](E)Rahab and Babylon [b]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and (F)Tyre with [c](G)Cush:
‘This one was born there.’”
5 But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will (H)establish her.
6 The Lord will count when He (I)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 Then those who (J)sing as well as those who [d](K)play the flutes will say,
“All my (L)springs of joy are in you.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.