耶和华说：我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。

我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。这是耶和华说的。

我知道我向你们所怀的意念是赐平安的意念，不是降灾祸的意念，要叫你们末后有指望。这是耶和华说的。

因为我知道我为你们安排的计划。我的计划不是要降祸给你们，而是要赐福给你们，使你们的未来充满希望。这是耶和华说的。

因我自己知道我为你们所定的计划，是使你们得平安，而不是遭受灾祸的计划；要赐给你们美好的前程和盼望。’这是耶和华的宣告。

耶和華說：我知道我向你們所懷的意念是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念，要叫你們末後有指望。

我知道我向你們所懷的意念是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念，要叫你們末後有指望。這是耶和華說的。

我知道我向你們所懷的意念是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念，要叫你們末後有指望。這是耶和華說的。

因為我知道我為你們安排的計劃。我的計劃不是要降禍給你們，而是要賜福給你們，使你們的未來充滿希望。這是耶和華說的。

因我自己知道我為你們所定的計劃，是使你們得平安，而不是遭受災禍的計劃；要賜給你們美好的前程和盼望。’這是耶和華的宣告。

因為我知道我向你們懷的意念、永恆主發神諭說、是賜福利的意念，不是降災禍的意念；是要給你們好的晚景和希望。

耶和華曰、我為爾所存之念、我自知之、乃平康之念、非災害之念也、俾爾終有所望、

耶和華又云、予待爾將若何、予自知之、欲錫平康、不加災害、終有可望。

主又云、我為爾所懷之意、惟我知之、我意賜爾平康、不加災害、爾曹終有可望、

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,“ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I know the plans I have for you,” announces the Lord.“ I want you to enjoy success. I do not plan to harm you. I will give you hope for the years to come.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.“ They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

For I know the plans I have for you”— this is the LORD’s declaration—“ plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord,‘ plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.

For I know the plans I have for you”— this is the Lord’s declaration—“ plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD.‘ I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says Yahweh,“ thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

“ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.“ As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. (niv)

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (niv)

Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. (niv)

But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. (niv)

“ But he stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases. (niv)

it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (niv)

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say,‘ My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far- off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. (niv)

“‘ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.“‘ As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?“‘ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away,I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.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.’” (niv)

Go, proclaim this message toward the north:“‘ Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,‘ I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,‘ I will not be angry forever.Only acknowledge your guilt— you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me,’” declares the Lord.“ Return, faithless people,” declares the Lord,“ for I am your husband. I will choose you— one from a town and two from a clan— and bring you to Zion.Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,” declares the Lord,“ people will no longer say,‘ The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.“ I myself said,“‘ How gladly would I treat you like my children and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.’ I thought you would call me‘ Father’ and not turn away from following me. (niv)

“ At that time,” declares the Lord,“ I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”This 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.”The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:“ I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.I 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.Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit.There 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.’”This 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.’See, 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.They 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.“ 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.’For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.They 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.Then 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.I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord.This 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.”This 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.So there is hope for your descendants,” declares the Lord.“ Your children will return to their own land.“ 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.“ Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, Virgin Israel, return to your towns.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.“ 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.Just 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.“ In those days people will no longer say,‘ The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes— their own teeth will be set on edge.“ 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.It 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 to them,” declares 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. (niv)

“ And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. (niv)

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.Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount warhorses. We will never again say‘ Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”“ I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine— Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon.Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruitfulness comes from me.”Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them. (niv)

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.A voice of one calling:“ In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”A voice says,“ Cry out.” And I said,“ What shall I cry?”“ All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah,“ Here is your God!”See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor?Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him?As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple.Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.“ To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel,“ My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God”?Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (niv)

“ Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.“ In that day,” declares the Lord,“ you will call me‘ my husband’; you will no longer call me‘ my master.’I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked.In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the creatures that move along the ground. Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land, so that all may lie down in safety.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.’” (niv)

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.. (niv)

Then the clans of Judah will say in their hearts,‘ The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’“ On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.“ The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah.On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord going before them.On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.“ And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (niv)

“ This is what the Lord says:“‘ I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents and have compassion on his dwellings; the city will be rebuilt on her ruins, and the palace will stand in its proper place.From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.Their children will be as in days of old, and their community will be established before me; I will punish all who oppress them.Their leader will be one of their own; their ruler will arise from among them. I will bring him near and he will come close to me— for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord.“‘ So you will be my people, and I will be your God.’” (niv)

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.I will bend Judah as I bend my bow and fill it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, Zion, against your sons, Greece, and make you like a warrior’s sword.Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south,and the Lord Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.How attractive and beautiful they will be! Grain will make the young men thrive, and new wine the young women. (niv)

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.”Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears will become deaf.They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the Lord our God and will be afraid of 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.You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago. (niv)

This is what the Lord Almighty says:“ Just as I had determined to bring disaster on you and showed no pity when your ancestors angered me,” says the Lord Almighty,“ so now I have determined to do good again to Jerusalem and Judah. Do not be afraid. (niv)

Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days. (niv)

“ Surely the eyes of the Sovereign Lord are on the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. Yet I will not totally destroy the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord.“ For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground.All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say,‘ Disaster will not overtake or meet us.’“ In that day I will restore David’s fallen shelter— I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins— and will rebuild it as it used to be,so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name,” declares the Lord, who will do these things.“ 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. (niv)

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses. We will raise against them seven shepherds, even eight commanders,who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrians when they invade our land and march across our borders.The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or depend on man. (niv)

“ Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say,‘ Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The enemy said of you,“ Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.”’Therefore prophesy and say,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they ravaged and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander,therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you—this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn.“‘ But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,and I will cause many people to live on you— yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.“‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because some say to you,“ You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,”therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord.No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”Again the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight.So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols.I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them,‘ These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.“ Therefore say to the Israelites,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.“‘ For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!“‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt.The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.They will say,“ This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.”Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, (niv)

But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your ancestors?“ Then they repented and said,‘ The Lord Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.’” (niv)

On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar.Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty. (niv)

A second angel followed and said,“‘ Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice:“ If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.Then I heard a voice from heaven say,“ Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”“ Yes,” says the Spirit,“ they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. (niv)

“ Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal.I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel.Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand.On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals.You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the Lord.“‘ I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel.It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of.“‘ Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up— the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.“‘ On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.“‘ For seven months the Israelites will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I display my glory will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord.People will be continually employed in cleansing the land. They will spread out across the land and, along with others, they will bury any bodies that are lying on the ground.“‘ After the seven months they will carry out a more detailed search.As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone will leave a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in the Valley of Hamon Gog,near a town called Hamonah. And so they will cleanse the land.’“ Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Call out to every kind of bird and all the wild animals:‘ Assemble and come together from all around to the sacrifice I am preparing for you, the great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as if they were rams and lambs, goats and bulls— all of them fattened animals from Bashan.At the sacrifice I am preparing for you, you will eat fat till you are glutted and drink blood till you are drunk.At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, mighty men and soldiers of every kind,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.“ I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay on them.From that day forward the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offenses, and I hid my face from them.“ 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.” (niv)