1“At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
2This is what the Lord says:
“The people who survive the sword
will find favor in the wilderness;
I will come to give rest to Israel.”
3The Lord appeared to us in the past,31:3 Or Lord has appeared to us from afar saying:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
4I will build you up again,
and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt.
Again you will take up your timbrels
and go out to dance with the joyful.
5Again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.
6There will be a day when watchmen cry out
on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.’ ”
7This is what the Lord says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob;
shout for the foremost of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
‘Lord, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
8See, I will bring them from the land of the north
and gather them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
expectant mothers and women in labor;
a great throng will return.
9They will come with weeping;
they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water
on a level path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,
and Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
proclaim it in distant coastlands:
‘He who scattered Israel will gather them
and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11For the Lord will deliver Jacob
and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion;
they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,
the young of the flocks and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,
and they will sorrow no more.
13Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
and my people will be filled with my bounty,”
declares the Lord.
15This is what the Lord says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
16This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,”
declares the Lord.
“They will return from the land of the enemy.
17So there is hope for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
“Your children will return to their own land.
18“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf,
and I have been disciplined.
Restore me, and I will return,
because you are the Lord my God.
19After I strayed,
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
20Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him,”
declares the Lord.
21“Set up road signs;
put up guideposts.
Take note of the highway,
the road that you take.
Return, Virgin Israel,
return to your towns.
22How long will you wander,
unfaithful Daughter Israel?
The Lord will create a new thing on earth—
the woman will return to31:22 Or will protect the man.”
23This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,31:23 Or I restore their fortunes the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.’ 24People will live together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks. 25I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
26At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
27“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. 28Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. 29“In those days people will no longer say,
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’
30Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.
31“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
32It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to31:32 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac / and I turned away from them,31:32 Or was their master”
declares the Lord.
33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
35This is what the Lord says,
he who appoints the sun
to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
to shine by night,
who stirs up the sea
so that its waves roar—
the Lord Almighty is his name:
36“Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,”
declares the Lord,
“will Israel ever cease
being a nation before me.”
37This is what the Lord says:
“Only if the heavens above can be measured
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject all the descendants of Israel
because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.
38“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt for me from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. 40The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate, will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”
Mahamisho Kurudi Kwa Shangwe
131:1 Law 26:12; Yer 30:22“Wakati huo, nitakuwa Mungu wa koo zote za Israeli nao watakuwa watu wangu,” asema Bwana.
231:2 Hes 14:20; Kut 33:14; Kum 12:9Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana:
“Watu watakaopona upanga
watapata upendeleo jangwani;
nitakuja niwape Israeli pumziko.”
331:3 Rum 11:28; Kum 4:37; Hos 11:4; Yn 6:44Bwana alitutokea wakati uliopita, akisema:
“Nimekupenda kwa upendo wa milele,
nimekuvuta kwa wema.
431:4 Yer 30:18-19; 2Fal 19:21; Mwa 31:27; Kut 15:20; Yer 30:19Nitakujenga tena nawe utajengeka upya,
ewe Bikira Israeli.
Utachukua tena matari yako
na kwenda kucheza na wenye furaha.
531:5 Yer 33:13; Oba 1:19; Isa 65:12; Amo 9:14; Kum 20:6; Yer 50:19; Isa 37:30Utapanda tena shamba la mizabibu
juu ya vilima vya Samaria,
wakulima watapanda
na kufurahia matunda yake.
631:6 Kum 33:19; Mik 4:2; Isa 52:8; 56:10; Yer 50:4-5Itakuja siku wakati walinzi watakapowapigia kelele
juu ya vilima vya Efraimu wakisema,
‘Njooni, twendeni juu Sayuni,
kwake Bwana Mungu wetu.’ ”
731:7 Kum 28:13; Isa 61:9; Za 14:7; 28:9; Isa 37:31; 12:6Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana:
“Mwimbieni Yakobo kwa furaha,
mpigieni kelele aliye mkuu wa mataifa.
Zifanyeni sifa zenu zisikike, nanyi mseme,
‘Ee Bwana, okoa watu wako,
mabaki ya Israeli.’
831:8 Yer 3:18; Mwa 33:13; Za 106:47; Isa 42:16; Eze 34:16; 34:12-14Tazama, nitawaleta kutoka nchi ya kaskazini
na kuwakusanya kutoka miisho ya dunia.
Miongoni mwao watakuwepo vipofu na viwete,
mama wajawazito na wenye utungu wa kuzaa.
Umati mkubwa wa watu utarudi.
931:9 Ezr 3:12; Za 126:5; Isa 63:13; Za 126:5; Isa 63:13; 40:4; 49:11; Kut 4:22; Hes 20:8Watakuja wakilia;
wataomba wakati ninawarudisha.
Nitawaongoza kando ya vijito vya maji
katika mapito yaliyo tambarare ambapo hawatajikwaa,
kwa sababu mimi ndimi baba wa Israeli,
naye Efraimu ni mzaliwa wangu wa kwanza.
1031:10 Isa 66:19; Kum 30:4; Isa 11:12; 40:11; Eze 34:12; Yer 25:22; Law 26:33“Sikieni neno la Bwana, enyi mataifa,
litangazeni katika nchi za pwani ya mbali:
‘Yeye aliyewatawanya Israeli atawakusanya
na atalichunga kundi lake la kondoo kama mchungaji.’
1131:11 Kut 6:6; Isa 44:23; Za 142:6; 9:16Kwa kuwa Bwana atamlipia fidia Yakobo
na kuwakomboa mkononi mwa walio na nguvu kuliko wao.
1231:12 Eze 40:2; Mik 4:1; Yoe 3:18; Hes 18:12; Hos 2:21-22; Wim 4:15; Yn 16:22; Isa 58:11; Wim 4:15; Isa 30:19Watakuja na kupiga kelele kwa furaha katika miinuko ya Sayuni;
watashangilia ukarimu wa Bwana:
nafaka, divai mpya na mafuta,
wana-kondoo wachanga
na ndama wa makundi ya ngʼombe nitakaowapa.
Watakuwa kama bustani iliyonyeshewa vizuri,
wala hawatahuzunika tena.
1331:13 Isa 61:3; Za 30:11; Isa 51:11Kisha wanawali watacheza na kufurahi,
vijana waume na wazee pia.
Nitageuza maombolezo yao kuwa furaha,
nitawapa faraja na furaha badala ya huzuni.
1431:14 Law 7:35-36; Za 36:8; Isa 30:23Nitawashibisha makuhani kwa wingi,
nao watu wangu watajazwa kwa ukarimu wangu,”
asema Bwana.
1531:15 Yos 18:25; Mwa 37:35; Yer 10:20; Mt 2:17-18; Ay 7:21Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana:
“Sauti imesikika huko Rama,
maombolezo na kilio kikubwa,
Raheli akiwalilia watoto wake
na anakataa kufarijiwa,
kwa sababu watoto wake hawako tena.”
1631:16 Za 30:5; Isa 25:8; Rut 2:12; Eze 11:17-18; 2Nya 15:7; Yer 30:3; Isa 30:19Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana:
“Izuie sauti yako kulia,
na macho yako yasitoe machozi,
kwa kuwa kazi yako itapata thawabu,”
asema Bwana.
“Watarudi kutoka nchi ya adui.
17Kwa hiyo kuna tumaini kwa siku zijazo,”
asema Bwana.
“Watoto wako watarudi nchi yao yenyewe.
1831:18 Ay 5:17; Hos 4:16; 10:11; Za 80:3-4; Mao 5:21; Yer 50:11“Hakika nimeyasikia maombolezo ya Efraimu:
‘Ulinirudi kama ndama mkaidi,
nami nimekubali kutii.
Unirudishe, nami nitarudi,
kwa sababu wewe ndiwe Bwana, Mungu wangu.
1931:19 Za 95:10; Eze 36:31; 21:12; Lk 18:13; Yer 8:4; Ezr 9:6; Za 25:7Baada ya kupotea, nilitubu;
baada ya kuelewa, nilijipiga kifua.
Niliaibika na kuona haya
kwa sababu niliibeba aibu ya ujana wangu.’
2031:20 Isa 44:21; Hos 4:4; Mik 7:18; 1Fal 3:26; Mao 3:33; Isa 55:7Je, Efraimu si mwanangu mpendwa,
mtoto ninayependezwa naye?
Ingawa mara kwa mara ninanena dhidi yake,
bado ninamkumbuka.
Kwa hiyo moyo wangu unamwonea shauku,
nina huruma kubwa kwa ajili yake,”
asema Bwana.
2131:21 Isa 35:8; Yer 50:5; Isa 52:11; Yer 3:12; Eze 21:19“Weka alama za barabara,
weka vibao vya kuelekeza.
Zingatia vyema njia kuu,
barabara ile unayoipita.
Rudi, ee Bikira Israeli,
rudi kwenye miji yako.
2231:22 Yer 2:23; Hos 4:16; Isa 43:19; Kum 32:10Utatangatanga hata lini,
ee binti usiye mwaminifu?
Bwana ameumba kitu kipya duniani:
mwanamke atamlinda mwanaume.”
2331:23 Yer 30:18; Isa 1:26; Zek 8:3; Mwa 28:3; Hes 6:24; Isa 2:2; Za 48:1Hili ndilo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, Mungu wa Israeli, asemalo, “Nitakapowarudisha toka nchi ya kutekwa kwenu, watu walio katika nchi ya Yuda na miji yake kwa mara nyingine tena watatumia maneno haya: ‘Bwana akubariki, ee makao ya haki, ee mlima mtakatifu.’ 2431:24 Yer 33:12, 18; Zek 8:4-8; Yer 30:18Watu wataishi pamoja katika Yuda na miji yake yote, wakulima na wote wanaohamahama na mifugo yao. 2531:25 Yn 4:14; Isa 40:29Nitawaburudisha waliochoka na kuwatuliza walio na huzuni.”
26Kwa jambo hili niliamka na kuangalia pande zote. Usingizi wangu ulikuwa mtamu kwangu.
2731:27 Eze 36:9-11; Hos 2:23; Yer 16:14Bwana asema, “Siku zinakuja, nitakapoongeza idadi ya watu, na kuzidisha hesabu ya mifugo katika nyumba ya Israeli na nyumba ya Yuda. 2831:28 Yer 18:8; 44:27; Kum 30; 9; Amo 9:14; Ay 29:2; Eze 36:10-11; Yer 1:10Kama vile nilivyowaangalia ili kungʼoa na kubomoa, kuharibu, kuangamiza na kuleta maafa juu yao, vivyo hivyo nitawaangalia ili kujenga na kupanda,” asema Bwana. 2931:29 Mwa 9:25; Kum 24:16; Eze 18:2; Mao 5:7“Katika siku hizo, watu hawatasema tena,
“ ‘Baba wamekula zabibu chachu,
nayo meno ya watoto yakatiwa ganzi.’
3031:30 2Fal 14:6; Gal 6:7; Isa 3:11Badala yake, kila mmoja atakufa kwa ajili ya dhambi zake mwenyewe; yeyote alaye zabibu chachu, meno yake mwenyewe yatatiwa ganzi.
3131:31 Kum 29:14; Ebr 8:8-12; Yer 33:14; Lk 22:20; Isa 42:6; 54:10; Ebr 10:16-17“Siku zinakuja,” asema Bwana,
“nitakapofanya agano jipya
na nyumba ya Israeli
na nyumba ya Yuda.
3231:32 Kut 24:8; Kum 5:3; 1:31; Yer 11:4; Isa 54:5Halitafanana na agano
nililofanya na baba zao
wakati nilipowashika mkono
kuwaongoza watoke Misri,
kwa sababu walivunja agano langu,
ijapokuwa nilikuwa mume kwao,”
asema Bwana.
3331:33 Kum 6:6; 2Kor 3:3; Yer 24:7; Ebr 10:16; Za 40:8; Kut 4:15“Hili ndilo agano nitakalofanya na nyumba ya Israeli
baada ya siku zile,” asema Bwana.
“Nitaweka sheria yangu katika nia zao,
na kuiandika mioyoni mwao.
Nitakuwa Mungu wao,
nao watakuwa watu wangu.
3431:34 1Yn 2:27; Yn 6:45; Isa 54:13; Za 85:2; Mik 7:19; Rum 11:27; Isa 11:9Mtu hatamfundisha tena jirani yake,
wala mtu kumfundisha ndugu yake akisema, ‘Mjue Bwana Mungu,’
kwa sababu wote watanijua mimi,
tangu aliye mdogo kabisa kwao, hadi aliye mkuu sana,”
asema Bwana.
“Kwa sababu nitasamehe uovu wao,
wala sitazikumbuka dhambi zao tena.”
3531:35 Za 136:7-9; Mwa 1; 16; Yer 10:16; Kut 14:21; Za 93:3Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana,
yeye aliyeweka jua
liwake mchana,
yeye anayeamuru mwezi na nyota
kungʼaa usiku,
yeye aichafuaye bahari
ili mawimbi yake yangurume;
Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote ndilo jina lake:
3631:36 Ay 38:33; Isa 54:9-10; Za 89:36-37; Yer 33:20-26“Ikiwa amri hizi zitaondoka machoni pangu,”
asema Bwana,
“ndipo wazao wa Israeli watakoma
kuwa taifa mbele yangu daima.”
3731:37 Ay 38:5; Yer 33:22, 24, 26; Rum 11:1-5Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana:
“Ikiwa mbingu zilizo juu zitaweza kupimika
na misingi ya dunia chini
ikaweza kuchunguzwa,
ndipo nitakapowakataa wazao wote wa Israeli
kwa sababu ya yote waliyoyatenda,”
asema Bwana.
3831:38 Yer 30:18; Neh 3:1; 2Nya 25:23; Zek 14:10; Yer 24:6; 2Fal 14:13“Siku zinakuja,” asema Bwana, “wakati mji huu utajengwa upya kwa ajili yangu, kuanzia mnara wa Hananeli hadi Lango la Pembeni. 3931:39 1Fal 7:23Kamba ya kupimia itaanzia hapo kuendelea hadi kwenye kilima cha Garebu, na kisha kugeuka kuelekea Goa. 4031:40 Yer 2:23; 7:31-32; 1Sam 15:23; Yn 18:1; 2Fal 11:16; Yoe 3:17; Zek 14:21Bonde lote watupwapo maiti na majivu pia na matuta yote kutoka Bonde la Kidroni upande wa mashariki hadi pembe ya Lango la Farasi, itakuwa takatifu kwa Bwana. Kamwe mji huu hautangʼolewa tena wala kubomolewa.”
