THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 31 ©
A further prophecy (under the type of the redemption from the Babylonian captivity) concerning the gathering, restoring and blessings of the catholic church of the elect, both Jews and Gentiles, by the Messiah Jesus Christ, v. 1. etc. Concerning the new covenant of grace, 31. Concerning the stability and enlargement of the church, 35.
AT the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the 1God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
Thus saith the LORD, The people which were 2left of the sword found 3grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause 4him to rest.
5The LORD hath appeared of 6old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved 7thee with an 8everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness 9have I drawn thee.
Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy 10tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them thata11make merry.
Thou shalt yet plant vinesb upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as 12common things.
For there shall be a 13day, that the 14watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall 15cry, Arisec ye, and 16let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God.
For thus saith the LORD; 17Sing with gladness for Jacob, and 18shout 19among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O LORD, 20save thy people, the 21remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them from the 22northd country, and gather them from the 23coasts of the earth, and with them the 24blind and the lame, the 25woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
They shall come with 26weeping, and with 27supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the 28rivers of waters in a 29straight way, wherein they shall not 30stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my 31firstborn.e
¶Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles 32afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather 33him, and keep him, as a 34shepherd doth his flock.
For the LORD 35hath 36redeemed Jacob, and 37ransomed him from the hand of him thatf was 38stronger than he.
Therefore they shall come and sing in the 39height of Zion, and shall 40flow together to the 41goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the 42young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a 43wateredg garden; and they shall not sorrow 44any more at all.
Then shall the 45virgin rejoice in the 46dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
And I will satiate the soul of the 47priests with 48fatness, and my people 49shall be satisfied with my 50goodness, saith the LORD.
¶Thus saith the LORD; 51A voiceh was heard in 52Ramah, lamentation, and 53bitter weeping; 54Rahel weeping for 55her children refused to be comforted for her children, 56because they were not.
Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy 57work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the 58enemy.
And there is hope 59in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy 60children shall come again to their own 61border.
¶I have 62surely heard Ephraim 63bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was 64chastised, as a bullock 65unaccustomed to the yoke: turni thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God.
Surely afterj that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was 66instructed, I smote upon my 67thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even 68confounded, because I did bear the reproach of 69my youth.
70Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a 71pleasant child? for since I spake 72against him, I do 73earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are 74troubled for him; I will 75surely have mercy upon him, saith the LORD.
Set thee up waymarks,k make thee 76high heaps: set thine heart toward the 77highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, 78O virgin of Israel, turn again to 79these thy cities.
¶How long wilt thou 80go about, O thou backsliding daughter? 81for the LORD 82hath created a new thing in the earth, 83A woman shall 84compass a man.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again their captivity; The LORD bless thee, O 85habitationl of justice, and mountain of holiness.
And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the 86cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with 87flocks.
For I 88have 89satiated the 90weary soul, and I have 91replenished every sorrowful soul.
92Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep 93was sweet unto me.
¶Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will 94sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of 95man, and with the seed of beast.
And it shall come to pass, that 96like as I have 97watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to 98build, and to plant, saith the LORD.
In those days they shall say no more, 99Them fathers have eaten a sour 100grape, and the children's teeth are set on 101edge.
But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.
¶Behold, the daysn come, saith the LORD, that I will 102make a 103new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
104Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the 105hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; 106which my covenant they 107brake, although I was an 108husband unto them, saith the LORD:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I 109will put my law in their 110inward parts, and write it in their 111hearts; and will be their 112God,o and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach 113no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for theyp shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: forq I will forgive their iniquity, and I will 114remember their sin no more.
¶Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun forr a light by day, and the 115ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, whichs divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of 116hosts is his name:
If those 117ordinances 118depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the 119seed of Israel also shall 120cease from being a nation before me 121for ever.
Thus saith 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 122for all that they have done, saith the LORD.
¶Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the city shall be built to the LORD from the tower of 123Hananeel unto the 124gate of the corner.
And 125the measuring line shall yet go forth over against 126it upon the hill 127Gareb, and shall compass about to 128Goath.
And the whole valley of the 129dead bodies, and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the brook of 130Kidron, unto the corner of the 131horse gate toward the east, shall be 132holy unto the LORD; it shall 133not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever.