05 August 2011

and give them gladness for sorrow

Thus says the Lord:
“The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel!
Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines
and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit.
For there shall be a day when watchmen will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
‘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 raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say, 
‘O Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’
Behold, I will bring them from the north country
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth . . .
I will make them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble,
for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

“Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, 
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, 
and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob 
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy; 
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance,
and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,
declares the Lord.”

-from Jeremiah 31

1 comment:

  1. Blessed are they who weep and mourn for they will be comforted. Jesus told us himself that He would bring us peace in His happy home in Heaven, we just need to get there. Thanks for the reminder!

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