Jeremiah 31 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The Lord said these things, “At that time, I will be the God of all the family groups of Israel. And they will be my people.”

² The Lord says:\par “The people who escaped the enemy’s sword\par will find comfort in the desert.\par Israel will go there looking for rest.”\par

³ From far away, the Lord\par will appear to his people.\par

⁴ Israel, my bride, I will build you again.\par You will be a country again.\par You will pick up your tambourines again.\par You will dance with all the other people\par that are having fun.\par

⁵ You farmers of Israel will plant\par fields of grapes again.\par You will plant those vineyards on the hills\par around the city of Samaria.\par And those farmers will enjoy the fruit\par from those vineyards.\par

⁶ There will be a time when watchmen {\cf2\super [245]} \par shout this message:\par ‘Come, let’s go up to Zion {\cf2\super [246]} \par to worship the Lord our God!’\par Even the watchmen in the hill country of Ephraim {\cf2\super [247]} will shout that message.”\par

⁷ The Lord says:\par “Be happy and sing for Jacob {\cf2\super [248]} !\par Shout for Israel,\par the greatest of the nations!\par Sing your praises and shout:\par ‘The Lord saved his people! {\cf2\super [249]} \par He has saved the people that are left alive\par from the nation of Israel.’\par

⁸ Remember, I will bring Israel\par from that country in the north.\par I will gather the people of Israel\par from the faraway places on earth.\par Some of the people will be blind and crippled.\par Some of the women will be pregnant\par and ready to give birth.\par But many, many people will come back.\par

⁹ Those people will come back crying.\par But I will lead them and comfort them.\par I will lead those people by streams of water.\par I will lead them on an easy road,\par so that they will not stumble.\par I will lead them in that way\par because I am Israel’s father.\par And Ephraim {\cf2\super [250]} is my firstborn son.\par

¹⁰ “Nations, listen to this message\par from the Lord!\par Tell this message in the faraway lands\par by the sea:\par ‘God scattered the people of Israel\par But God will bring them back together.\par And he will watch over his flock (people)\par like a shepherd.’\par

¹¹ The Lord will bring Jacob {\cf2\super [251]} back.\par The Lord will save his people from people\par that were stronger than them.\par

¹² The people of Israel will come\par to the top of Zion, {\cf2\super [252]} \par and they will shout with joy.\par Their faces will shine with happiness\par about the good things the Lord gives them.\par The Lord will give them grain, new wine,\par olive oil, young sheep, and cows.\par They will be like a garden\par that has plenty of water.\par And the people of Israel will not\par be troubled anymore.\par

¹³ Then the young women of Israel\par will be happy and dance.\par And the young men and old men\par will join in the dancing.\par I will change their sadness into happiness.\par I will comfort the people of Israel.\par I will change their sadness to happiness.\par

¹⁴ I will give the priests plenty of food.\par And my people will be filled and satisfied\par with the good things I give them.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par

¹⁵ The Lord says:\par “A sound will be heard in Ramah.\par It will be bitter crying and\par much sadness.\par Rachel {\cf2\super [253]} will be crying for her children.\par Rachel will refuse to be comforted,\par because her children are dead.”\par

¹⁶ But the Lord says:\par “Stop crying!\par Don’t fill your eyes with tears!\par You will be rewarded for your work!”\par This message is from the Lord.\par “The people of Israel will come back from their enemy’s land.\par

¹⁷ Israel, there is hope for you.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par “Your children will come back\par to their own land.\par

¹⁸ I have heard Ephraim {\cf2\super [254]} crying.\par I heard Ephraim say these things:\par ‘Lord, you really punished me!\par And I learned my lesson.\par I was like a calf that was never trained.\par Please stop punishing me,\par and I will come back to you.\par You truly are the Lord my God.\par

¹⁹ Lord, I wandered away from you.\par But I learned about the bad things I did.\par So I changed my heart and life.\par I am ashamed and embarrassed about the foolish things I did when I was young.’\par

²⁰ \{God says,\}\par “You know that Ephraim {\cf2\super [255]} is my dear son.\par I love that child.\par Yes, I often criticized Ephraim,\par but I still think about him.\par I love him very much.\par And I really do want to comfort him.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par

²¹ “People of Israel, fix the road signs.\par Put up the signs that show the way home.\par Watch the road.\par Remember the road you are leaving on.\par Israel, my bride, come home.\par Come back to your towns.\par

²² Unfaithful daughter,\par how long will you wander around?\par \{When will you come home?\}”\par

²³ The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: “I will again do good things for the people of Judah. I will bring back the people who were taken away as prisoners. At that time, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘May the Lord bless you, good home and holy mountain!’ {\cf2\super [257]}

²⁴ “People in all the towns of Judah will live together in peace. Farmers and those that move around with their flocks will live peacefully together in Judah.

²⁵ I will give rest and strength to the people that are weak and tired.”

²⁶ After hearing that, I (Jeremiah) woke up and looked around. That was a very pleasant sleep.

²⁷ “The days are coming,” this message is from the Lord, “when I will help the family of Israel and Judah to grow. I will help their children and animals to grow too. It will be like planting and caring for a plant.

²⁸ In the past, I watched over Israel and Judah, but I watched for the time to pull them up. I tore them down. I destroyed them. I gave many troubles to them. But now, I will watch over them to build them up and make them strong.” This message is from the Lord.

²⁹ “People won’t use this saying anymore:

³⁰ No, each person will die for his own sin. The person that eats sour grapes will get the sour taste.”

³¹ The Lord said these things, “The time is coming when I will make a new Agreement {\cf2\super [259]} with the family of Israel, and with the family of Judah.

³² It will not be like the Agreement I made with their ancestors. {\cf2\super [260]} I made that Agreement when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. I was their Master, but they broke that Agreement.” This message is from the Lord.

³³ “In the future, I will make this Agreement {\cf2\super [261]} with the people of Israel.” This message is from the Lord. “I will put my teachings in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

³⁴ People will not have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord. Why? Because all people, from the least important to the greatest, will know me.” This message is from the Lord. “I will forgive them for the bad things they did. I won’t remember their sins.”

³⁵ The Lord says:\par “The Lord makes the sun shine in the day.\par And the Lord makes the moon and the stars shine at night.\par The Lord stirs up the sea so that its waves\par crash on the shore.\par The Lord All-Powerful is his name.”\par

³⁶ The Lord says these things:\par “The descendants {\cf2\super [262]} of Israel will never stop being a nation.\par That would happen only if I lost control\par of the sun, moon, stars, and sea.”\par

³⁷ The Lord says:\par “I’ll never reject the descendants of Israel.\par That would happen only if people could\par measure the sky above,\par and learn all the secrets\par of the earth below.\par Only then would I reject\par the descendants of Israel.\par Only then would I reject them\par for the bad things they have done.”\par This message is from the Lord.\par

³⁸ This message is from the Lord, “The days are coming when the city of Jerusalem will be built again for the Lord. The whole city will be built again—from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

³⁹ The measuring line {\cf2\super [263]} will stretch from the Corner Gate straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to the place named Gorah.

⁴⁰ The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown will be holy to the Lord. And all the terraces down to the bottom of Kidron Valley all the way to the corner of Horse Gate will be included. All that area will be holy to the Lord. The city of Jerusalem will never again be torn down or destroyed.”