Jeremiah 12:16New International Reader's VersionSuppose those nations learn to follow the practices of my people. And they make their promises in my name. When they promise, they say, ‘You can be sure that the Lord is alive.’ They do this just as they once taught my people to make promises in Baal’s name. Then I will give them a place among my people. See the chapter |
People from many nations will go there. They will say, “Come. Let us go up to the Lord’s mountain. Let’s go to the temple of Jacob’s God. He will teach us how we should live. Then we will live the way he wants us to.” The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion. His message will go out from Jerusalem.
Here is what the Lord says to me. “It is not enough for you as my servant to bring the tribes of Jacob back to their land. It is not enough for you to bring back the people of Israel I have kept alive. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles. Then you will make it possible for the whole world to be saved.”
Lord, you give me strength. You are like a fort to me. When I’m in trouble, I go to you for safety. The nations will come to you from one end of the earth to the other. They will gather together and say, “Our people of long ago didn’t own anything except statues of gods. The statues were worthless. They didn’t do them any good.
I commanded my servants the prophets what to say. I told them what I planned to do. But your people refused to obey me. So I had to punish them. “Then they had a change of heart. They said, ‘The Lord who rules over all has punished us because of how we have lived. He was fair and right to do that. He has done to us just what he decided to do.’ ”