7. For thus says the Lord:Shout with joy for Jacob,exult at the head of the nations;proclaim your praise and say:The Lord has saved his people,the remnant of Israel.
8. Look! I will bring them backfrom the land of the north;I will gather them from the ends of the earth,the blind and the lame in their midst,Pregnant women, together with those in labor—an immense throng—they shall return.
9. With weeping they shall come,but with compassion I will guide them;I will lead them to streams of water,on a level road, without stumbling.For I am a father to Israel,Ephraim is my firstborn.
10. Hear the word of the Lord, you nations,proclaim it on distant coasts, and say:The One who scattered Israel, now gathers them;he guards them as a shepherd his flock.
11. The Lord shall ransom Jacob,he shall redeem him from a hand too strong for him.
12. Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion,they shall come streaming to the Lord’s blessings:The grain, the wine, and the oil,flocks of sheep and cattle;They themselves shall be like watered gardens,never again neglected.
13. Then young women shall make merry and dance,young men and old as well.I will turn their mourning into joy,I will show them compassion and have them rejoice after their sorrows.
14. I will lavish choice portions on the priests,and my people shall be filled with my blessings—oracle of the Lord.
15. Thus says the Lord:In Ramah is heard the sound of sobbing,bitter weeping!Rachel mourns for her children,she refuses to be consoledfor her children—they are no more!
16. Thus says the Lord:Cease your cries of weeping,hold back your tears!There is compensation for your labor—oracle of the Lord—they shall return from the enemy’s land.
17. There is hope for your future—oracle of the Lord—your children shall return to their own territory.
18. Indeed, I heard Ephraim rocking in grief:You chastised me, and I was chastised;I was like an untamed calf.Bring me back, let me come back,for you are the Lord, my God.
19. For after I turned away, I repented;after I came to myself, I struck my thigh;I was ashamed, even humiliated,because I bore the disgrace of my youth.
20. Is Ephraim not my favored son,the child in whom I delight?Even though I threaten him,I must still remember him!My heart stirs for him,I must show him compassion!—oracle of the Lord.