In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people— those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands.

当那日，主必二次伸手救回自己百姓中所余剩的，就是在亚述、埃及、巴忒罗、古实、以拦、示拿、哈马，并众海岛所剩下的。

当那日，主必再度伸手救回自己百姓中所剩余的，就是在亚述、埃及、巴特罗、古实、以拦、示拿、哈马，并众海岛所剩下的。

当那日，主必再度伸手救回自己百姓中所剩余的，就是在亚述、埃及、巴特罗、古实、以拦、示拿、哈马，并众海岛所剩下的。

到那日，主必再次伸手从亚述、埃及、巴特罗、古实、以拦、示拿、哈马和众海岛救回祂剩余的子民。

到那日，主必再用自己的手，赎回他子民中的余民，就是从亚述、埃及、巴忒罗、古实、以拦、示拿和哈马，以及众海岛所剩下的。

到那日，主必第二次伸手收回他子民中的余剩者，就是在亚述、埃及、巴特罗、库实、以拦、示拿、哈马和众海岛所残留的人。

當那日，主必二次伸手救回自己百姓中所餘剩的，就是在亞述、埃及、巴忒羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈馬，並眾海島所剩下的。

當那日，主必再度伸手救回自己百姓中所剩餘的，就是在亞述、埃及、巴特羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈馬，並眾海島所剩下的。

當那日，主必再度伸手救回自己百姓中所剩餘的，就是在亞述、埃及、巴特羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈馬，並眾海島所剩下的。

到那日，主必再次伸手從亞述、埃及、巴特羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈馬和眾海島救回祂剩餘的子民。

到那日，主必再用自己的手，贖回他子民中的餘民，就是從亞述、埃及、巴忒羅、古實、以攔、示拿和哈馬，以及眾海島所剩下的。

當那日子、主必再舉手，擁有他自己的餘民，就是從亞述、從埃及、從巴忒羅、從古實、從以攔、從示拿和哈馬、以及海邊的沿岸各地、所剩下來的。

到那日，主必第二次伸手收回他子民中的餘剩者，就是在亞述、埃及、巴特羅、庫實、以攔、示拿、哈馬和眾海島所殘留的人。

是日也、主復舉手、救其遺民、使自亞述、埃及、巴忒羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈馬、及諸海島而歸、

主將舉手、再拯其遺民、使自亞述、埃及、八羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈末、及海之洲島而歸、

當是時主復伸手、以救其遺民、即在亞述、伊及、帕特羅、古實、以攔、示拿、哈末、及海島所遺之民、

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.

At that time the Lord will reach out his hand. He will gather his people a second time. He will bring back those who are left alive. He’ll bring them back from Assyria, Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt and Cush. He’ll bring them from Elam, Babylon and Hamath. He will also bring them from the islands of the Mediterranean Sea.

In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.

On that day the Lord will extend his hand a second time to recover the remnant of his people who survive— from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west.

Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover with His hand the second time The remnant of His people who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea.

It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

On that day the Lord will extend His hand a second time to recover— from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the coasts and islands of the west— the remnant of His people who survive.

And it shall come to pass in that day,[ that] the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

At that time the sovereign master will again lift his hand to reclaim the remnant of his people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the seacoasts.

It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

People from many lands will come and honor you— from Assyria all the way to the towns of Egypt, from Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River, and from distant seas and mountains.

The descendants of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

I will perform a sign among them. And I will send those who survive to be messengers to the nations— to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians( who are famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to all the lands beyond the sea that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. There they will declare my glory to the nations.

“ But at last my people will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors for betraying me and being hostile toward me.When I have turned their hostility back on them and brought them to the land of their enemies, then at last their stubborn hearts will be humbled, and they will pay for their sins.Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt. Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria. And I will bring them home again,” says the Lord.

In that day the remnant left in Israel, the survivors in the house of Jacob, will no longer depend on allies who seek to destroy them. But they will faithfully trust the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

In eastern lands, give glory to the Lord. In the lands beyond the sea, praise the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.

This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests, or even idols!But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king. In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.

and to the kings of Zimri, Elam, and Media.

I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine.I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

We destroyed Calno just as we did Carchemish. Hamath fell before us as Arpad did. And we destroyed Samaria just as we did Damascus.

For in that day,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,“ I will break the yoke from their necks and snap their chains. Foreigners will no longer be their masters.For my people will serve the Lord their God and their king descended from David— the king I will raise up for them.“ So do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,” says the Lord.“ For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize them.For I am with you and will save you,” says the Lord.“ I will completely destroy the nations where I have scattered you, but I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you, but with justice; I cannot let you go unpunished.”

As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.

He built his kingdom in the land of Babylonia, with the cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh.

The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones.He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.Then he asked me,“ Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”“ O Sovereign Lord,” I replied,“ you alone know the answer to that.”Then he said to me,“ Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say,‘ Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.Then he said to me,“ Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet— a great army.Then he said to me,“ Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying,‘ We have become old, dry bones— all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’Therefore, prophesy to them and say,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel.When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord.I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”Again a message came to me from the Lord:“ Son of man, take a piece of wood and carve on it these words:‘ This represents Judah and its allied tribes.’ Then take another piece and carve these words on it:‘ This represents Ephraim and the northern tribes of Israel.’Now hold them together in your hand as if they were one piece of wood.When your people ask you what your actions mean,say to them,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take Ephraim and the northern tribes and join them to Judah. I will make them one piece of wood in my hand.’“ Then hold out the pieces of wood you have inscribed, so the people can see them.And give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: I will gather the people of Israel from among the nations. I will bring them home to their own land from the places where they have been scattered.I will unify them into one nation on the mountains of Israel. One king will rule them all; no longer will they be divided into two nations or into two kingdoms.They will never again pollute themselves with their idols and vile images and rebellion, for I will save them from their sinful apostasy. I will cleanse them. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.“ My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and be careful to keep my decrees.They will live in the land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation. And my servant David will be their prince forever.And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever.I will make my home among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.And when my Temple is among them forever, the nations will know that I am the Lord, who makes Israel holy.”

then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you.Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth, the Lord your God will gather you from there and bring you back again.The Lord your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!“ The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!

Their descendants became the seafaring peoples that spread out to various lands, each identified by its own language, clan, and national identity.The descendants of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them.And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!“ I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear.I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the Lord.They will no longer be prey for other nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them.

Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands.

He will make a highway for the remnant of his people, the remnant coming from Assyria, just as he did for Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.

For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.“ Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.“ And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

O Lord, protect your people with your shepherd’s staff; lead your flock, your special possession. Though they live alone in a thicket on the heights of Mount Carmel, let them graze in the fertile pastures of Bashan and Gilead as they did long ago.“ Yes,” says the Lord,“ I will do mighty miracles for you, like those I did when I rescued you from slavery in Egypt.”

This is what the Lord says:“ You will rule the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans. They will come to you with all their merchandise, and it will all be yours. They will follow you as prisoners in chains. They will fall to their knees in front of you and say,‘ God is with you, and he is the only God. There is no other.’”

Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite together. They will choose one leader for themselves, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be— the day of Jezreel— when God will again plant his people in his land.

“ In that day,” says the Lord,“ when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say,‘ As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’Instead, they will say,‘ As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what the Lord says:“ The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear, for they have heard the news of their destruction. Their hearts are troubled like a wild sea in a raging storm.

The Lord will terrify them as he destroys all the gods in the land. Then nations around the world will worship the Lord, each in their own land.

About this time war broke out in the region. King Amraphel of Babylonia, King Arioch of Ellasar, King Kedorlaomer of Elam, and King Tidal of Goiim

This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the Lord:“ This message is from the Lord, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit.I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah.On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves.“ On that day,” says the Lord,“ I will cause every horse to panic and every rider to lose his nerve. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of their enemies.And the clans of Judah will say to themselves,‘ The people of Jerusalem have found strength in the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, their God.’“ On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a flame that sets a woodpile ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure.“ The Lord will give victory to the rest of Judah first, before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal line of David will not have greater honor than the rest of Judah.On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like God, like the angel of the Lord who goes before them!For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.“ Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.The sorrow and mourning in Jerusalem on that day will be like the great mourning for Hadad rimmon in the valley of Megiddo.“ All Israel will mourn, each clan by itself, and with the husbands separate from their wives. The clan of David will mourn alone, as will the clan of Nathan,the clan of Levi, and the clan of Shimei.Each of the surviving clans from Judah will mourn separately, and with the husbands separate from their wives.

Doom is certain for Hamath, near Damascus, and for the cities of Tyre and Sidon, though they are so clever.

“ At the time of those events,” says the Lord,“ when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem,I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land.They threw dice to decide which of my people would be their slaves. They traded boys to obtain prostitutes and sold girls for enough wine to get drunk.“ What do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia? Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, then watch out! I will strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done.You have taken my silver and gold and all my precious treasures, and have carried them off to your pagan temples.You have sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, so they could take them far from their homeland.“ But I will bring them back from all the places to which you sold them, and I will pay you back for everything you have done.I will sell your sons and daughters to the people of Judah, and they will sell them to the people of Arabia, a nation far away. I, the Lord, have spoken!”Say to the nations far and wide:“ Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors. Let all your fighting men advance for the attack.Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors.Come quickly, all you nations everywhere. Gather together in the valley.” And now, O Lord, call out your warriors!“ Let the nations be called to arms. Let them march to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce judgment on them all.Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread the grapes, for the winepress is full. The storage vats are overflowing with the wickedness of these people.”Thousands upon thousands are waiting in the valley of decision. There the day of the Lord will soon arrive.The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.The Lord’s voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth will shake. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a strong fortress for the people of Israel.“ Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, live in Zion, my holy mountain. Jerusalem will be holy forever, and foreign armies will never conquer her again.In that day the mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills will flow with milk. Water will fill the streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the Lord’s Temple, watering the arid valley of acacias.But Egypt will become a wasteland and Edom will become a wilderness, because they attacked the people of Judah and killed innocent people in their land.“ But Judah will be filled with people forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all generations.I will pardon my people’s crimes, which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make my home in Jerusalem with my people.”

I will destroy southern Egypt, set fire to Zoan, and bring judgment against Thebes.

Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing his praise.

The Lord says,“ I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.

They carved your oars from the oaks of Bashan. Your deck of pine from the coasts of Cyprus was inlaid with ivory.

In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will both worship God.In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth.

He replied,“ To the land of Babylonia, where they will build a temple for the basket. And when the temple is ready, they will set the basket there on its pedestal.”

“ Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you.Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.“ Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home.Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands.Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense and will come worshiping the Lord.The flocks of Kedar will be given to you, and the rams of Nebaioth will be brought for my altars. I will accept their offerings, and I will make my Temple glorious.“ And what do I see flying like clouds to Israel, like doves to their nests?They are ships from the ends of the earth, from lands that trust in me, led by the great ships of Tarshish. They are bringing the people of Israel home from far away, carrying their silver and gold. They will honor the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has filled you with splendor.“ Foreigners will come to rebuild your towns, and their kings will serve you. For though I have destroyed you in my anger, I will now have mercy on you through my grace.Your gates will stay open day and night to receive the wealth of many lands. The kings of the world will be led as captives in a victory procession.For the nations that refuse to serve you will be destroyed.“ The glory of Lebanon will be yours— the forests of cypress, fir, and pine— to beautify my sanctuary. My Temple will be glorious!The descendants of your tormentors will come and bow before you. Those who despised you will kiss your feet. They will call you the City of the Lord, and Zion of the Holy One of Israel.“ Though you were once despised and hated, with no one traveling through you, I will make you beautiful forever, a joy to all generations.Powerful kings and mighty nations will satisfy your every need, as though you were a child nursing at the breast of a queen. You will know at last that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel.I will exchange your bronze for gold, your iron for silver, your wood for bronze, and your stones for iron. I will make peace your leader and righteousness your ruler.Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.“ No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with my own hands in order to bring myself glory.The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.”

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

In this vision I was at the fortress of Susa, in the province of Elam, standing beside the Ulai River.

“ I am as likely to reject my people Israel as I am to abolish the laws of nature!”This is what the Lord says:“ Just as the heavens cannot be measured and the foundations of the earth cannot be explored, so I will not consider casting them away for the evil they have done. I, the Lord, have spoken!“ The day is coming,” says the Lord,“ when all Jerusalem will be rebuilt for me, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.A measuring line will be stretched out over the hill of Gareb and across to Goah.And the entire area— including the graveyard and ash dump in the valley, and all the fields out to the Kidron Valley on the east as far as the Horse Gate— will be holy to the Lord. The city will never again be captured or destroyed.”

“ Listen to this message from the Lord, you nations of the world; proclaim it in distant coastlands: The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock.

“ Have you noticed what people are saying?—‘ The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!’ They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation.But this is what the Lord says: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky.I will never abandon the descendants of Jacob or David, my servant, or change the plan that David’s descendants will rule the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore them to their land and have mercy on them.”

When I whistle to them, they will come running, for I have redeemed them. From the few who are left, they will grow as numerous as they were before.Though I have scattered them like seeds among the nations, they will still remember me in distant lands. They and their children will survive and return again to Israel.I will bring them back from Egypt and gather them from Assyria. I will resettle them in Gilead and Lebanon until there is no more room for them all.They will pass safely through the sea of distress, for the waves of the sea will be held back, and the waters of the Nile will dry up. The pride of Assyria will be crushed, and the rule of Egypt will end.By my power I will make my people strong, and by my authority they will go wherever they wish. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them— from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west.In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain.

For the Lord will scatter you among the nations, where only a few of you will survive.There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone— gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.“ In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the Lord your God and listen to what he tells you.For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant he made with your ancestors.

“ After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame.

This is the message Jeremiah received concerning the Judeans living in northern Egypt in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and in southern Egypt as well:

And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say,“ The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.

“ Therefore, tell the exiles,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you during your time in exile.I, the Sovereign Lord, will gather you back from the nations where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel once again.’“ When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols.And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart,so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.

For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!