✝
← Bible
ARCBLIVREKJVVBL

Jeremias 31

ARC · Chapter 31/52

1N'aquelle tempo, diz o Senhor, serei por Deus a todas as gerações de Israel, e ellas me serão a mim por povo.

2Assim diz o Senhor: O povo dos que escaparam da espada achou graça no deserto; a saber, Israel, quando fui leval-o a descançar.

3Ha muito que o Senhor me appareceu, dizendo: Porquanto com amor eterno te amei, por isso com benevolencia te attrahi.

4Ainda te edificarei, e serás edificada, ó virgem de Israel! ainda serás adornada com os teus adufes, e sairás com o coro dos que dançam.

5Ainda plantarás vinhas nos montes de Samaria: os plantadores as plantarão e gozarão dos fructos.

6Porque haverá um dia em que gritarão os vigias sobre o monte de Ephraim: Levantae-vos, e subamos a Sião, ao Senhor nosso Deus.

7Porque assim diz o Senhor: Cantae sobre Jacob com alegria, e exultae por causa do Cabeça das gentes: fazei-o ouvir, cantae louvores, e dizei: Salva, Senhor, ao teu povo, o resto de Israel.

8Eis que os trarei da terra do norte, e os congregarei das extremidades da terra; entre os quaes haverá cegos e aleijados, gravidas e as de parto juntamente: com grande congregação voltarão para aqui.

9Virão com choro, e com supplicas os levarei; guial-os-hei aos ribeiros de aguas, por caminho direito, no qual não tropeçarão, porque sou a Israel por pae, e Ephraim é o meu primogenito.

10Ouvi a palavra do Senhor, ó nações, e annunciae-a nas ilhas de longe, e dizei: Aquelle que espalhou a Israel o congregará e o guardará, como o pastor o seu rebanho.

11Porque o Senhor resgatou a Jacob, e o livrou da mão do mais forte do que elle.

12Assim que virão, e exultarão na altura de Sião, e correrão aos bens do Senhor, ao trigo, e ao mosto, e ao azeite, e aos cordeiros e bezerros; e a sua alma será como um jardim regado, e nunca mais andarão tristes.

13Então a virgem se alegrará na dança, como tambem os mancebos e os velhos juntamente; e tornarei o seu pranto em alegria, e os consolarei, e os alegrarei na tristeza.

14E saciarei a alma dos sacerdotes com gordura, e o meu povo se fartará dos meus bens, diz o Senhor.

15Assim diz o Senhor: Uma voz se ouviu em Rama, lamentação, choro amargo: Rachel chora seus filhos; não quer ser consolada quanto a seus filhos, porque já não são.

16Assim diz o Senhor: Reprime a tua voz de choro, e as lagrimas de teus olhos: porque ha galardão para o teu trabalho, diz o Senhor, pois voltarão da terra do inimigo.

17E ha esperanças no derradeiro fim para os teus descendentes, diz o Senhor, porque teus filhos voltarão para os seus termos.

18Bem ouvi eu que Ephraim se queixava, dizendo: Castigaste-me e fui castigado, como novilho ainda não domado: converte-me, e converter-me-hei, porque tu és o Senhor meu Deus.

19Na verdade que, depois que me converti, tive arrependimento; e depois que me dei a conhecer a mim mesmo, bati na côxa: fiquei confuso, e tambem me envergonhei; porque levei o opprobrio da minha mocidade.

20Não é Ephraim para mim um filho precioso? creança das minhas delicias? porque depois que fallei contra elle, ainda me lembrei d'elle cuidadosamente; por isso se commoveram por elle as minhas entranhas: devéras me compadecerei d'elle, diz o Senhor.

21Levanta para ti signaes, põe para ti pyramides, applica o teu coração á vereda, ao caminho por onde andaste: volta pois, ó virgem de Israel, volta a estas tuas cidades.

22Até quando andarás vagabunda, ó filha rebelde; porque o Senhor creou uma nova coisa sobre a nova terra: uma mulher cercará a um varão.

23Assim diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, o Deus de Israel: Ainda dirão esta palavra na terra de Judah, e nas suas cidades, quando eu tornar o seu captiveiro: O Senhor te abençõe, ó morada de justiça, ó monte de sanctidade!

24E n'ella habitarão Judah, e todas as suas cidades juntamente; como tambem os lavradores e os que estão com o rebanho.

25Porque reguei a alma cançada, e toda a alma entristecida saciei.

26Sobre isto despertei, e olhei, e o meu somno foi doce para mim.

27Eis que dias veem, diz o Senhor, quando semear a casa de Israel, e a casa de Judah, com a semente de homens, e com a semente de animaes.

28E será que, como velei sobre elles, para arrancar, e para derribar, e para transtornar, e para destruir, e para affligir, assim velarei sobre elles, para edificar e para plantar, diz o Senhor.

29N'aquelles dias nunca mais dirão: Os paes comeram uvas verdes, e os dentes dos filhos se embotaram.

30Mas cada um morrerá pela sua iniquidade: de todo o homem que comer as uvas verdes os dentes se embotarão.

31Eis que dias veem, diz o Senhor, em que farei um concerto novo com a casa de Israel e com a casa de Judah.

32Não conforme o concerto que fiz com seus paes, no dia em que os tomei pela mão, para os tirar da terra do Egypto; porque elles invalidaram o meu concerto, ainda que me desposei com elles, diz o Senhor.

33Mas este é o concerto que farei com a casa de Israel depois d'aquelles dias, diz o Senhor: Porei a minha lei no seu interior, e a escreverei no seu coração; e lhes serei a elles por Deus e elles me serão a mim por povo.

34E não ensinará alguem mais a seu proximo, nem alguem a seu irmão, dizendo: Conhecei ao Senhor: porque todos me conhecerão, desde o mais pequeno d'elles até ao maior d'elles, diz o Senhor: porque lhes perdoarei a sua maldade, e nunca mais me lembrarei dos seus peccados.

35Assim diz o Senhor, que dá o sol para luz do dia, e as ordenanças da lua e das estrellas para luz da noite, que fende o mar, e as suas ondas bramem; o Senhor dos Exercitos é o seu nome.

36Se se desviarem estas ordenanças de diante de mim, diz o Senhor, cessará tambem a semente de Israel de ser uma nação diante de mim todos os dias.

37Assim disse o Senhor: Se poderem ser medidos os céus para cima, e sondarem-se os fundamentos da terra para baixo, tambem eu rejeitarei toda a semente de Israel, por tudo quanto fizeram, diz o Senhor.

38Eis que dias veem, diz o Senhor, em que esta cidade será reedificada para o Senhor, desde a torre de Hanameel até á porta da esquina.

39E o nivel de medir sairá tambem adiante, defronte d'elle, até ao outeiro de Gareb, e virar-se-ha para Goah.

40E todo o valle dos cadaveres e da cinza, e todos os campos até ao ribeiro de Cedron, até á esquina da porta dos cavallos para o oriente, serão consagrados ao Senhor; não se arrancará nem se derribará mais eternamente.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God promises to restore Israel with joy, caring for the blind, the lame, and the mothers, and announces the New Covenant, in which the law will be written not on tablets of stone but on the hearts of the people.

Explanation

This is one of the most theologically important chapters in the entire Old Testament: the prophecy of the 'New Covenant' (v.31-34) is quoted directly in Hebrews 8 and 10 as fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and to this day gives its name to the 'New Testament.' Unlike the Sinai covenant, based on external stone tablets, the new promise is one of inward transformation: 'I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.' The moving image of 'Rachel weeping for her children' (v.15) is later quoted in Matthew 2:18 in reference to Herod's massacre of the innocents, linking this prophetic text to events surrounding the birth of Jesus centuries later.

Fun facts

  • The prophecy of the New Covenant (v.31-34) is quoted almost in its entirety in Hebrews 8:8-12, making it one of the most central texts for Christian theology on the relationship between the Old and New Testaments.
  • 'Rachel weeping for her children' (v.15) is quoted by Matthew 2:18 in reference to the massacre of children in Bethlehem ordered by Herod, linking this ancient lament to a New Testament event.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Jeremias 31:1It closes the previous chapter’s thought and opens this one: it repeats the covenant formula — God will be God of all the families of Israel, north and south together — uniting the two kingdoms in a single promise.
  2. Jeremias 31:2It recalls the exodus from Egypt, when the newly freed people found favor with God even while wandering in the wilderness — a parallel used to guarantee that the return from exile will receive the same care in the midst of hardship.
  3. Jeremias 31:3One of the most quoted verses in the book: God’s everlasting love is the stated reason behind His whole insistence on bringing the people back, even after so much unfaithfulness.
  4. Jeremias 31:4“O virgin of Israel” is an affectionate title, not a literal one, for the people of the northern kingdom — the promise of rebuilding comes with celebration, tambourines, and dancing, a scene of joy after the destruction.
  5. Jeremias 31:5Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC; planting vineyards there again is a sign of normal life resuming in a region that had lain in ruins for decades.
  6. Jeremias 31:6Ephraim was the most common name for the northern kingdom (its strongest tribe); the scene imagines watchmen from that territory announcing the call to go up to Jerusalem again, the two kingdoms reunited in worship.
  7. Jeremias 31:7“Chief of the nations” means the foremost among the peoples, not a foreign ruler — the call to praise already celebrates a rescue that has not yet happened, as if it were already guaranteed.
  8. Jeremias 31:8The list of who will return — the blind, the lame, pregnant women, women in labor — shows the return includes everyone, even the most vulnerable, not just the strong who could manage the journey alone.
  9. Jeremias 31:9The weeping here is not from pain but from emotion at the return; the image of God as a father guiding Ephraim, His “firstborn,” reinforces that despite the punishment, the relationship of child remains.
  10. Jeremias 31:10It calls even the distant nations to witness: the one who scattered Israel among the peoples is the same one who will gather it, like a shepherd caring for his own scattered flock.
  11. Jeremias 31:11“Him that was stronger than he” is Babylon; the promise of redemption guarantees that the power that exiled Israel will not be able to hold it forever.
  12. Jeremias 31:12It describes material abundance — grain, wine, oil, livestock — as a concrete part of the restoration, alongside emotional joy; the exile had also meant hunger and scarcity.
  13. Jeremias 31:13The promise reaches everyone, from young people dancing to the old — the weeping, a constant theme in Jeremiah and Lamentations, finally turns to celebration.
  14. Jeremias 31:14Even the priests, who lost the temple and their role, will be filled again — a sign that normal religious life will also be restored, not only civic life.
  15. Jeremias 31:15Ramah was a city near Jerusalem, a gathering point for the exiles before they set out for Babylon (see 40:1) — Rachel, the symbolic mother of Israel, is pictured weeping there for the children leaving for exile. The Gospel of Matthew (2:18) reuses this image centuries later for the massacre of children ordered by Herod.
  16. Jeremias 31:16Direct comfort addressed to the weeping voice (the symbolic mother from the previous verse): the effort of raising those children was not in vain, because they will return from the enemy’s land.
  17. Jeremias 31:17It reinforces the hope for the descendants’ future: they will return within their own borders, they will not stay scattered forever.
  18. Jeremias 31:18Ephraim (the northern kingdom) is quoted lamenting like a wild bull calf that needs to be broken by force — acknowledging, late, that it needed God’s correction to learn.
  19. Jeremias 31:19Ephraim’s confession includes striking his own thigh, an ancient gesture of repentance and grief — carrying “the reproach of my youth” means remembering the mistakes made when the people were still young as a nation.
  20. Jeremias 31:20God answers with an almost unexpected tenderness after so much judgment: even having spoken against Ephraim, His heart is moved for him — the language of parental compassion, not lingering anger.
  21. Jeremias 31:21Practical instruction for the return: set up markers along the way, pay attention to the road traveled into exile, so as to know the way back — a metaphor of memory guiding repentance.
  22. Jeremias 31:22One of the most debated verses in the book: “a woman shall compass a man” is enigmatic, probably describing something reversed and new that God is going to do — the end of Israel’s wandering life.
  23. Jeremias 31:23Looking ahead to the return, the people will once again bless Jerusalem with the same titles as before — “habitation of justice,” “mountain of holiness” — language that had sounded hollow at the height of the corruption denounced earlier.
  24. Jeremias 31:24The restoration includes everyone: city dwellers, farmers, and shepherds — Judah’s normal economic life resuming alongside its religious life.
  25. Jeremias 31:25A simple image of relief: whoever was weary and sorrowful (the exiled soul) will be refreshed — the same kind of language that appears in the Psalms to describe rest after suffering.
  26. Jeremias 31:26A rare personal interruption in the middle of the oracle: Jeremiah himself comments that he woke from a sleep as sweet as the vision he had just received — a human touch in the midst of prophecy.
  27. Jeremias 31:27“The seed of man, and the seed of beast” describes total repopulation after the devastation — both people and livestock multiplying again in the land.
  28. Jeremias 31:28It sums up the pattern of the whole book: the same careful attention God used to destroy (most of Jeremiah) He will now use to rebuild — it is not carelessness on one side and attentiveness on the other.
  29. Jeremias 31:29The proverb about the sour grapes described the idea of inherited punishment: children paying for their parents’ sin, as if one person’s teeth were set on edge by what someone else ate. Jeremiah announces a change of rule: from now on, each person answers for their own wrongdoing — the same debate that appears in Ezekiel 18.
  30. Jeremias 31:30It corrects the earlier proverb without voiding justice: each person answers for their own sin, but that does not mean the collective suffering of the exile stops happening — it is about individual responsibility within the larger story.
  31. Jeremias 31:31This is the theological heart of the book. A new covenant, different from the covenant at Sinai that the people broke, in which the law is no longer written only on tablets of stone but comes to live in each person’s heart, doing away with the need for anyone to teach another.
  32. Jeremias 31:32It explains why a new covenant is needed: the old one, made at Sinai when they left Egypt, was broken by the people themselves, even though God had treated them like a faithful marriage.
  33. Jeremias 31:33The heart of the new covenant: instead of tablets of stone or a scroll, the law will be written inside the people themselves — a shift in where obedience lives, from outside to inside.
  34. Jeremias 31:34It promises a knowledge of God so widespread that no one will need to teach their neighbor about Him — along with a forgiveness that wipes out sin for good, the foundation of hope for after the exile.
  35. Jeremias 31:35To back up the promise, God presents Himself as the same one who created the sun, the moon, and the tides of the sea — if these laws of nature are reliable, the promise of the covenant is too.
  36. Jeremias 31:36The comparison is direct: only if the laws of nature fail would the promise to Israel fail too — in other words, never, because the sun and the moon keep on being predictable.
  37. Jeremias 31:37It reinforces this with another impossible image: only if someone could measure the heavens or fathom the depths of the earth would God reject Israel for good — a guarantee stated in humanly impossible terms.
  38. Jeremias 31:38It closes with concrete details of Jerusalem’s rebuilding: the tower of Hananel and the corner gate were real points along the city wall, marking the new outline that would be raised up.
  39. Jeremias 31:39It continues mapping out the future rebuilt city, mentioning the hill of Gareb and Goah — specific places around Jerusalem, showing that the promise is not vague, it has coordinates.
  40. Jeremias 31:40Even the valley where corpses and ashes were dumped during the siege (linked to the Valley of Hinnom, the scene of so much suffering) will become holy ground — the most impure place in the city being consecrated for good.

Chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546474849505152

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

App StoreGoogle Play

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.

App StoreGoogle Play