6. There will be a time when watchmen shout this message: ‘Come, let’s go up to Zion to worship the Lord our God!’ Even the watchmen in the hill country of Ephraim will shout that message.”
7. This is what the Lord says: “Be happy and sing for Jacob! Shout for Israel, the greatest of the nations! Sing your praises and shout: ‘Lord, save your people! Save those who are left alive from the nation of Israel.’
8. Remember, I will bring Israel from that country in the north. I will gather the people of Israel from the faraway places on earth. Some of the people will be blind and crippled. Some of the women will be pregnant and ready to give birth. But many people will come back.
9. They will come back crying, but I will lead them and comfort them. I will lead them by streams of water. I will lead them on an easy road, where they will not stumble. I will lead them in that way because I am Israel’s father. And Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10. “Nations, listen to this message from the Lord! Tell this message in the faraway lands by the sea: ‘God scattered the people of Israel, but he will bring them back together. And he will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11. The Lord will bring Jacob back. He will save his people from those who are stronger.
12. The people of Israel will come to the top of Zion, and they will shout with joy. Their faces will shine with happiness about the good things the Lord gives them. He will give them grain, new wine, olive oil, young sheep and cattle. They will be like a garden that has plenty of water. And the people of Israel will not be troubled anymore.
13. Then the young women of Israel will be happy and dance. And the men, young and old, will join in the dancing. I will change their sadness into happiness. I will comfort my people, making them happy instead of sad.
14. I will give the priests plenty of food. And my people will be filled and satisfied with the good things I give them.” This message is from the Lord.
15. This is what the Lord says: “A sound is heard in Ramah— bitter crying and great sadness. Rachel cries for her children, and she refuses to be comforted, because her children are gone.”
16. But the Lord says, “Stop crying. Don’t fill your eyes with tears. You will be rewarded for your work.” This message is from the Lord. “The people of Israel will come back from their enemy’s land.
17. Israel, there is hope for you.” This message is from the Lord. “Your children will come back to their own land.
18. I have heard Ephraim crying: ‘Lord, you punished me, and I learned my lesson. I was like a calf that was never trained. Please stop punishing me, and I will come back to you. You really are the Lord my God.
19. I wandered away from you. But I finally realized how wrong I was. So I changed my heart and life. I am ashamed and embarrassed about the foolish things I did when I was young.’”
20. The Lord says, “You know that Ephraim is my dear son. I love that child. Yes, I often criticized Ephraim, but I still think about him. I love him very much, and I really do want to comfort him.
21. “People of Israel, repair the road signs. Put up signs that show the way home. Watch the road. Remember the road you are leaving on. Israel, my bride, come home. Come back to your towns.
22. Unfaithful daughter, how long will you wander around? “The Lord has created something new in the land: A woman surrounding a man.”