Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

所以，你们当悔改归正，使你们的罪得以涂抹。这样，那安舒的日子就必从主面前来到；

所以，你们当悔改归正，使你们的罪得以涂去，

所以，你们当悔改归正，使你们的罪得以涂去，

所以你们要悔改，归向上帝，祂将除去你们一切的罪恶，

所以你们应当悔改归正，使你们的罪得着涂抹。

所以，你们应当悔改，应当回转，使你们的罪孽被抹去，

所以，你們當悔改歸正，使你們的罪得以塗抹，

所以，你們當悔改歸正，使你們的罪得以塗去，

所以，你們當悔改歸正，使你們的罪得以塗去，

所以你們要悔改，歸向上帝，祂將除去你們一切的罪惡，

所以你們應當悔改歸正，使你們的罪得著塗抹。

所以你們要悔改、回轉過來，使你們的罪得擦掉，使舒爽之時期從主面前來到，

所以，你們應當悔改，應當回轉，使你們的罪孽被抹去，

故爾當改悔而轉移、令罪塗抹、俾安舒之日自主而來、

汝宜悔改反正、俾罪得抹、則主賜爾安舒之日至、

故爾當悔改反正、使爾罪得抹、

是以爾當悔悟、棄邪歸正用消宿罪庶幾和平安樂之日、萬物同春之時、當可自主而臨；

So turn away from your sins. Turn to God. Then your sins will be wiped away. The time will come when the Lord will make everything new.

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out,

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord;

Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

“ Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,

Peter replied,“ Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

“ I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

And he said:“ Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.“ Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.“ Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land;but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

Then they gathered around him and asked him,“ Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’“ So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name;then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.And forgive your people, who have sinned against you; forgive all the offenses they have committed against you, and cause their captors to show them mercy;

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.Many peoples will come and say,“ Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“ Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.“ Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.“ Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God.“ For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord your Redeemer.“ To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.“ Afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli.I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust.May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field.May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him:“ Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.

Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

“ 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.After 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.’Is 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.

For“ you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.“ As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders.”

They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.See, they will come from afar— some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan.”Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.But Zion said,“ The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”“ Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you.Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord,“ you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.“ Though you were ruined and made desolate and your land laid waste, now you will be too small for your people, and those who devoured you will be far away.The children born during your bereavement will yet say in your hearing,‘ This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.’Then you will say in your heart,‘ Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. Who brought these up? I was left all alone, but these— where have they come from?’”This is what the Sovereign Lord says:“ See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips.

“ See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.“ Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the Lord, the King.Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.On that day they will say to Jerusalem,“ Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”“ I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you.At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you. I will rescue the lame; I will gather the exiles. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they have suffered shame.At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord..

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

“ The days are coming,” declares the Lord,“ when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills,and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.“ They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.They will be my people, and I will be their God.I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying,“ So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

How long will you wander, unfaithful Daughter Israel? The Lord will create a new thing on earth— the woman will return to the man.”This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:“ When I bring them back from captivity, 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.’People will live together in Judah and all its towns— farmers and those who move about with their flocks.I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old

Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,

Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

“‘ In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’For this is what the Lord says:‘ David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel,nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:“ This is what the Lord says:‘ If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,then my covenant with David my servant— and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me— can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:“ Have you not noticed that these people are saying,‘ The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation.This is what the Lord says:‘ If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth,then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’”

Awake, awake, Zion, clothe yourself with strength! Put on your garments of splendor, Jerusalem, the holy city. The uncircumcised and defiled will not enter you again.Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, Daughter Zion, now a captive.For this is what the Lord says:“ You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:“ At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them.“ And now what do I have here?” declares the Lord.“ For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock,” declares the Lord.“ And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I.”How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion,“ Your God reigns!”Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord,“ search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.

This is what the Lord Almighty says:“ Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come,and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say,‘ Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.”This is what the Lord Almighty says:“ In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say,‘ Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”

The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.“ Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her.“ In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house and will water the valley of acacias.But Egypt will be desolate, Edom a desert waste, because of violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.Judah will be inhabited forever and Jerusalem through all generations.Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged? No, I will not.” The Lord dwells in Zion!

Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said,“ I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord.“ In that day I will respond,” declares the Lord—“ I will respond to the skies, and they will respond to the earth;and the earth will respond to the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called‘ Not my loved one.’ I will say to those called‘ Not my people,’‘ You are my people’; and they will say,‘ You are my God.’”

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the Lord your God and obey him.For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.

Those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

“ Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance.”For this is what the Lord says:“ I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees.As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.

“ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name.They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid.When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations.Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

and say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.“‘ My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever.My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’”

“ Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

“ And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.“ I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations— to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians( famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord— on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the Lord.“ They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels.And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the Lord.“ As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord,“ so will your name and descendants endure.

I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.“‘ I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid.I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

“ 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.No 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.”

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

“ Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.“ Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.“ Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.“ Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession.For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.“ The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for my feet.The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.“ Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and well- being your ruler.No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.”

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

‘ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,