The Lord Will Turn Mourning to Joy

Jeremiah 31

1 "At a the same time," says the LORD, b "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people."

2 Thus says the LORD:
"The people who survived the sword
Found grace in the wilderness -
Israel, when c I went to give him rest." 3 The LORD has appeared 1 of old to me, saying:
"Yes, d I have loved you with e an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have f drawn you. 4 Again g I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
You shall again be adorned with your h tambourines,
And shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. 5 i You shall yet plant vines on the mountains of Samaria;
The planters shall plant and 2 eat them as ordinary food. 6 For there shall be a day
When the watchmen will cry on Mount Ephraim,
j 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
To the LORD our God.' "

7 For thus says the LORD:
k "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!' 8 Behold, I will bring them l from the north country,
And m 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. 9 n They shall come with weeping,
And with supplications I will lead them.
I will cause them to walk o 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 p firstborn.

10 "Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
And declare it in the 3 isles afar off, and say,
'He who scattered Israel q will gather him,
And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.' 11 For r the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
And ransomed him s from the hand of one stronger than he. 12 Therefore they shall come and sing in t the height of Zion,
Streaming to u 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 v well-watered garden,
w And they shall sorrow no more at all. 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. 14 I will 4 satiate the soul of the priests with abundance,
And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD."

15 Thus says the LORD:
x "A voice was heard in y Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter z weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because a they are no more."

16 Thus says the LORD:
"Refrain your voice from b 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. 17 There is c hope in your future, says the LORD,
That your children shall come back to their own border. 18 "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself:
'You have d chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained bull;
e Restore me, and I will return,
For You are the LORD my God. 19 Surely, f after my turning, I repented;
And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;
I was g ashamed, yes, even humiliated,
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.' 20 Is Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a pleasant child?
For though I spoke against him,
I earnestly remember him still;
h Therefore My 5 heart yearns for him;
i I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.

21 "Set up signposts,
Make landmarks;
j Set your heart toward the highway,
The way in which you went.
6 Turn back, O virgin of Israel,
Turn back to these your cities. 22 How long will you k gad about,
O you l backsliding daughter?
For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth -
A woman shall encompass a man."

23 Thus 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: m 'The LORD bless you, O home of justice, and n mountain of holiness!'

24 "And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and o in all its cities together, farmers and those going out with flocks. 25 "For I have 7 satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul."

26 After this I awoke and looked around, and my sleep was p sweet to me.

27 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that q I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 "And it shall come to pass, that as I have r watched over them s to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them t to build and to plant, says the LORD.

29 u "In those days they shall say no more:
'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children's teeth are set on edge.'

30 v "But every one shall die for his own iniquity; every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

  1. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:24
    The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until He has done it, And until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it.
  2. Cross References
    Jeremiah 30:22
    'You shall be My people, And I will be your God.'"
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 33:14
    And He said, "My Presence will go with you, and...
    Numbers 10:33
    So they departed from the mountain of the LORD ...
    Deuteronomy 1:33
    Who went in the way before you to search out a ...
    Joshua 1:13
    "Remember the word which Moses the servant of t...
    Psalms 95:11
    So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter M...
    Isaiah 63:14
    As a beast goes down into the valley, And the S...
  4. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 4:37
    And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power.
    Deuteronomy 7:8
    But because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
    Malachi 1:2
    I have loved you," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'In what way have You loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" Says the LORD. "Yet Jacob I have loved.
  5. Cross References
    Isaiah 43:4
    Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life.
    Romans 11:28
    Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
  6. Cross References
    Hosea 11:4
    I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.
  7. Cross References
    Jeremiah 33:7
    And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 15:20
    Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
    Judges 11:34
    When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
    Psalms 149:3
    Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 107:37
    And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest.
    Isaiah 65:21
    They shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
    Ezekiel 28:26
    "And they will dwell safely there, build houses, and plant vineyards; yes, they will dwell securely, when I execute judgments on all those around them who despise them. Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God." '"
    Amos 9:14
    I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
  10. Cross References
    Isaiah 2:3
    Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
    Jeremiah 31:12
    Therefore 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.
    Jeremiah 50:4
    In those days and in that time," says the LORD, "The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the LORD their God.
    Jeremiah 50:5
    They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying, 'Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten.
    Micah 4:2
    Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
  11. Cross References
    Isaiah 12:5
    Sing to the LORD, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth.
    Isaiah 12:6
    Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!
  12. Cross References
    Jeremiah 3:12
    Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: 'Return, backsliding Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not remain angry forever.
    Jeremiah 3:18
    In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers.
    Jeremiah 23:8
    "but, 'As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.' And they shall dwell in their own land."
  13. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 30:4
    If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you.
    Isaiah 43:6
    I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!' Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth -
    Ezekiel 20:34
    I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out.
    Ezekiel 20:41
    I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles.
    Ezekiel 34:13
    And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 126:5
    Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.
    Jeremiah 50:4
    In those days and in that time," says the LORD, "The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the LORD their God.
  15. Cross References
    Isaiah 35:8
    A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.
    Isaiah 43:19
    Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
    Isaiah 49:10
    They shall neither hunger nor thirst, Neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, Even by the springs of water He will guide them.
    Isaiah 49:11
    I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated.
  16. Cross References
    Exodus 4:22
    Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.
  17. Cross References
    Isaiah 40:11
    He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.
    Ezekiel 34:12 - 14
    As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.
  18. Cross References
    Isaiah 44:23
    Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.
    Isaiah 48:20
    Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, Declare, proclaim this, Utter it to the end of the earth; Say, "The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!
    Jeremiah 15:21
    "I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible."
    Jeremiah 50:19
    But I will bring back Israel to his home, And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan; His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead.
  19. Cross References
    Isaiah 49:24
    Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered?
  20. Cross References
    Ezekiel 17:23
    On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell.
  21. Cross References
    Hosea 3:5
    Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.
  22. Cross References
    Isaiah 58:11
    The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 35:10
    And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
    Isaiah 65:19
    I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.
    John 16:22
    Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
    Revelation 21:4
    "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
  24. Cross References
    Matthew 2:17
    Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
    Matthew 2:18
    "A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more."
  25. Cross References
    Joshua 18:25
    Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth.
    Judges 4:5
    And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
    Isaiah 10:29
    They have gone along the ridge, They have taken up lodging at Geba. Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled.
    Jeremiah 40:1
    The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive from Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.
  26. Cross References
    Genesis 37:35
    And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him.
  27. Cross References
    Jeremiah 10:20
    My tent is plundered, And all my cords are broken; My children have gone from me, And they are no more. There is no one to pitch my tent anymore, Or set up my curtains.
  28. Cross References
    Isaiah 25:8
    He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
    Isaiah 30:19
    For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you.
  29. Cross References
    Jeremiah 29:11
    For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
  30. Cross References
    Job 5:17
    Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
    Psalms 94:12
    Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD, And teach out of Your law.
  31. Cross References
    Psalms 80:3
    Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, An...
    Psalms 80:7
    Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to ...
    Psalms 80:19
    Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; Cause Your fac...
    Jeremiah 17:4
    And you, even yourself, Shall let go of your he...
    Lamentations 5:21
    Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be res...
    Acts 3:26
    "To you first, God, having raised up His Servan...
  32. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 30:2
    And you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul.
  33. Cross References
    Ezekiel 36:31
    Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.
    Zechariah 12:10
    And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
  34. Cross References
    Genesis 43:30
    Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.
    Deuteronomy 32:36
    For the LORD will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free.
    Judges 10:16
    So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
    Isaiah 63:15
    Look down from heaven, And see from Your habitation, holy and glorious. Where are Your zeal and Your strength, The yearning of Your heart and Your mercies toward me? Are they restrained?
    Hosea 11:8
    How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.
  35. Cross References
    Isaiah 57:18
    I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will also lead him, And restore comforts to him And to his mourners.
    Jeremiah 3:12
    Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: 'Return, backsliding Israel,' says the LORD; 'I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,' says the LORD; 'I will not remain angry forever.
    Jeremiah 12:15
    Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land.
    Hosea 14:4
    I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him.
    Micah 7:18
    Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
  36. Cross References
    Jeremiah 50:5
    They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying, 'Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten.
  37. Cross References
    Jeremiah 2:18
    And now why take the road to Egypt, To drink the waters of Sihor? Or why take the road to Assyria, To drink the waters of the River?
    Jeremiah 2:23
    How can you say, 'I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals'? See your way in the valley; Know what you have done: You are a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways.
    Jeremiah 2:36
    Why do you gad about so much to change your way? Also you shall be ashamed of Egypt as you were ashamed of Assyria.
  38. Cross References
    Jeremiah 3:6
    The LORD said also to me in the days of Josiah ...
    Jeremiah 3:8
    Then I saw that for all the causes for which ba...
    Jeremiah 3:11
    Then the LORD said to me, "Backsliding Israel h...
    Jeremiah 3:12
    Go and proclaim these words toward the north, a...
    Jeremiah 3:14
    Return, O backsliding children," says the LORD;...
    Jeremiah 3:22
    Return, you backsliding children, And I will he...
  39. Cross References
    Psalms 122:5 - 8
    For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.
    Isaiah 1:26
    I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.
  40. Cross References
    Zechariah 8:3
    "Thus says the LORD: 'I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the LORD of hosts, The Holy Mountain.'
  41. Cross References
    Jeremiah 33:12
    Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.
  42. Cross References
    Proverbs 3:24
    When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
  43. Cross References
    Ezekiel 36:9 - 11
    For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.
    Hosea 2:23
    Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they shall say, 'You are my God!'
  44. Cross References
    Jeremiah 44:27
    Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them.
    Daniel 9:14
    Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.
  45. Cross References
    Jeremiah 1:10
    See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.
    Jeremiah 18:7
    The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it.
  46. Cross References
    Jeremiah 24:6
    For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up.
  47. Cross References
    Lamentations 5:7
    Our fathers sinned and are no more, But we bear their iniquities.
    Ezekiel 18:2
    What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, And the children's teeth are set on edge'?
    Ezekiel 18:3
    As I live," says the Lord GOD, "you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
  48. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 24:16
    Fathers shall not be put to death for their chi...
    2 Chronicles 25:4
    However he did not execute their children, but ...
    Isaiah 3:11
    Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, Fo...
    Ezekiel 18:4
    Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the fat...
    Ezekiel 18:20
    The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not ...
    Galatians 6:5
    For each one shall bear his own load.
    Galatians 6:7
    Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for what...
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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