These are the inhabitants of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had carried away to Babylon, and who came back to Jerusalem and Judah, to their various cities
Like the crocus it shall bloom abundantly, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have banished them and bring them back to their folds; there they shall be fruitful and multiply.
In those days the house of Judah will walk alongside the house of Israel; together they will come from the land of the north to the land which I gave your ancestors as a heritage.
But you, my servant Jacob, do not fear!—oracle of the Lord— do not be dismayed, Israel! For I will soon deliver you from places far away, your offspring from the land of their exile; Jacob shall again find rest, secure, with none to frighten him,
Thus says the Lord: See! I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents, on his dwellings I will have compassion; A city shall be rebuilt upon its own ruins, a citadel restored where it should be.
See, I am gathering them from all the lands to which I drove them in my rising fury and great anger; I will bring them back to this place and settle them here in safety.
But you, my servant Jacob, do not fear; do not be dismayed, Israel! Listen! I will deliver you from far-off lands; your offspring, from the land of their exile. Jacob shall again find rest, secure, with none to frighten him.
Lost sheep were my people, their shepherds misled them, leading them astray on the mountains; From mountain to hill they wandered, forgetting their fold.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God, I will gather you from the nations and collect you from the lands through which you were scattered, so I can give you the land of Israel.
After many days you will be called to battle; in the last years you will invade a land that has survived the sword—a people gathered from many nations back to the long-deserted mountains of Israel, brought forth from the nations to dwell securely.
The eastern border shall be between Damascus and Hauran, while the Jordan will form the border between Gilead and the land of Israel down to the eastern sea as far as Tamar. This is the eastern boundary.
Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, That lives apart in a woodland, in the midst of an orchard. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old;
Who is a God like you, who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but instead delights in mercy,
I will bring them back from the land of Egypt, and gather them from Assyria. To the land of Gilead and to Lebanon I will bring them, until no room is found for them.
Joshua answered them, “If you are too many, go up to the forest and clear out a place for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaim, since the mountain regions of Ephraim are so narrow.”