Deliverance from Captivity Promised

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. 3For behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’ ”

4Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah:

5“For thus says the Lord,

‘I have heard a sound of terror,

Of dread, and there is no peace.

6Ask now, and see

If a male can give birth.

Why do I see every man

With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth?

And why have all faces turned pale?

7Alas! for that day is great,

There is none like it;

And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,

But he will be saved from it.

8‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. 9But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,

‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;

For behold, I will save you from afar

And your offspring from the land of their captivity.

And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,

And no one will make him afraid.

11For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;

For I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you,

Only I will not destroy you completely.

But I will chasten you justly

And will by no means leave you unpunished.’

12“For thus says the Lord,

‘Your wound is incurable

And your injury is serious.

13There is no one to plead your cause;

No healing for your sore,

No recovery for you.

14All your lovers have forgotten you,

They do not seek you;

For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,

With the punishment of a cruel one,

Because your iniquity is great

And your sins are numerous.

15Why do you cry out over your injury?

Your pain is incurable.

Because your iniquity is great

And your sins are numerous,

I have done these things to you.

16Therefore all who devour you will be devoured;

And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity;

And those who plunder you will be for plunder,

And all who prey upon you I will give for prey.

17For I will restore you to health

And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord,

‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying:

“It is Zion; no one cares for her.” ’

Restoration of Jacob

18“Thus says the Lord,

‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob

And have compassion on his dwelling places;

And the city will be rebuilt on its ruin,

And the palace will stand on its rightful place.

19From them will proceed thanksgiving

And the voice of those who celebrate;

And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished;

I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.

20Their children also will be as formerly,

And their congregation shall be established before Me;

And I will punish all their oppressors.

21Their leader shall be one of them,

And their ruler shall come forth from their midst;

And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me;

For who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the Lord.

22‘You shall be My people,

And I will be your God.’ ”

23Behold, the tempest of the Lord!

Wrath has gone forth,

A sweeping tempest;

It will burst on the head of the wicked.

24The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back

Until He has performed and until He has accomplished

The intent of His heart;

In the latter days you will understand this.

Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy

1“At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”

2Thus says the Lord,

“The people who survived the sword

Found grace in the wilderness—

Israel, when it went to find its rest.”

3The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

4Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,

O virgin of Israel!

Again you will take up your tambourines,

And go forth to the dances of the merrymakers.

5Again you will plant vineyards

On the hills of Samaria;

The planters will plant

And will enjoy them.

6For there will be a day when watchmen

On the hills of Ephraim call out,

‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,

To the Lord our God.’ ”

7For thus says the Lord,

“Sing aloud 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.’

8Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,

And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,

Among them the blind and the lame,

The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;

A great company, they will return here.

9With weeping they will come,

And by supplication 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 is My firstborn.”

10Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,

And declare in the coastlands afar off,

And say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him

And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”

11For the Lord has ransomed Jacob

And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

12“They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion,

And they will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord—

Over the grain and the new wine and the oil,

And over the young of the flock and the herd;

And their life will be like a watered garden,

And they will never languish again.

13Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance,

And the young men and the old, together,

For I will turn their mourning into joy

And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.

14I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance,

And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.

15Thus says the Lord,

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children;

She refuses to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more.”

16Thus says the Lord,

“Restrain your voice from weeping

And your eyes from tears;

For your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,

“And they will return from the land of the enemy.

17There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord,

“And your children will return to their own territory.

18I have surely heard Ephraim grieving,

‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised,

Like an untrained calf;

Bring me back that I may be restored,

For You are the Lord my God.

19For after I turned back, I repented;

And after I was instructed, I smote on my thigh;

I was ashamed and also humiliated

Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’

20Is Ephraim My dear son?

Is he a delightful child?

Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,

I certainly still remember him;

Therefore My heart yearns for him;

I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.

21“Set up for yourself roadmarks,

Place for yourself guideposts;

Direct your mind to the highway,

The way by which you went.

Return, O virgin of Israel,

Return to these your cities.

22How long will you go here and there,

O faithless daughter?

For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—

A woman will encompass a man.”

23Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I restore their fortunes,

‘The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness,

O holy hill!’

24Judah and all its cities will dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. 25For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.” 26At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me.

A Call to Prayer

1First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. 7For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

8Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

Women Instructed

9Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, 10but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. 11A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. 14And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

PSALM 87

The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.

A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.

1His foundation is in the holy mountains.

2The Lord loves the gates of Zion

More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.

3Glorious things are spoken of you,

O city of God. Selah.

4“I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me;

Behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia:

‘This one was born there.’ ”

5But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;

And the Most High Himself will establish her.

6The Lord will count when He registers the peoples,

“This one was born there.” Selah.

7Then those who sing as well as those who play the flutes shall say,

“All my springs of joy are in you.”

18Like a club and a sword and a sharp arrow

Is a man who bears false witness against his neighbor.

19Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot

Is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble.