Study Desk

"For he has sent word to us in Babylon, saying, 'This captivity [of yours] will be long; build houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their fruit.'"'"

'For behold (hear this), the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah,' says the LORD, 'and I will return them to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they will take possession of it.'"

'Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; It is the time of Jacob's [unequaled] trouble, But he will be saved from it.

'But they shall serve the LORD their God and [the descendant of] David their King, whom I will raise up for them.

'Fear not, O Jacob My servant,' says the LORD, 'Nor be dismayed or downcast, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from a distant land [of exile] And your descendants from the land of their captivity. Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease, And no one will make him afraid.

'For I am with you,' says the LORD, 'to save you; For I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you, But I will not destroy you completely. But I will judge and discipline you fairly And will by no means regard you as guiltless and leave you unpunished.'

"For thus says the LORD, 'Your wound is incurable And your injury is beyond healing.

'There is no one to plead your cause; No [device to close and allow the] healing of your wound, No recovery for you.

'All your lovers (allies) have forgotten you; They do not seek and long for you. For I have injured you with the wound of an enemy, With the punishment of a cruel and merciless foe, Because your guilt is great And your sins are glaring and innumerable.

'Therefore all who devour you will be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity. And they who plunder you will become plunder, And all who prey upon you I will give for prey.

'For I will restore health to you And I will heal your wounds,' says the LORD, 'Because they have called you an outcast, saying: "This is Zion; no one seeks her and no one cares for her."'

'Their prince will be one of them, And their ruler will come forward from among them. I will bring him near and he shall approach Me, For who is he who would have the boldness and would dare [on his own initiative] to risk his life to approach Me?' says the LORD.

"For there will be a day when the watchmen On the hills of Ephraim cry out, 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.'"

For thus says the LORD, "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, And shout for the first and foremost of the nations [the chosen people, Israel]; Proclaim, give praise and say, 'O LORD save Your people, The remnant of Israel!'

"They will come with weeping [in repentance and for joy], And by [their] prayer [for the future] I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble, For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim (Israel) is My firstborn."

For the LORD has ransomed Jacob And has redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

"They will come and sing aloud and shout for joy on the height of Zion, And will be radiant [with joy] over the goodness of the LORD— For the grain, for the new wine, for the oil, And for the young of the flock and the herd. And their life will be like a watered garden, And they shall never sorrow or languish again.

"Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, And the young men and old, together, For I will turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and make them rejoice after their sorrow.

Thus says the LORD, "A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation (songs of mourning) and bitter weeping. Rachel (Israel) is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are gone."

Thus says the LORD, "Restrain your voice from weeping And your eyes from tears, For your work will be rewarded," says the LORD; "And your children will return from the enemy's land.