20. “You know that Israel is my dear son.I love that child.Yes, I often speak against Israel,but I still remember him.I love him very much.And I want to comfort him,” says the Lord.
21. “People of Israel, fix the road signs.Put up the signs that show you the way home.Watch the road.Pay attention to the road on which you travel.People of Israel, come home.Come back to your towns.
22. You are an unfaithful daughter.How long will you wander before you come home?The Lord will make something new happen in the land:A woman will go seeking a man.”
23. The Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, says: “I will again do good things for the people of Judah. At that time the people in the land of Judah and its towns will again say: ‘May the Lord bless you. You are a righteous dwelling. You are a holy mountain.’
24. People in all the towns of Judah will live together in peace. Farmers and those who move around with their flocks will live together in peace.
25. I will give rest and strength to those who are weak and tired.”
26. After hearing that, I, Jeremiah, woke up and looked around. My sleep had been very pleasant.
27. The Lord says, “The days are coming when I will help the families of Israel and Judah to grow. I will help their children and animals to grow, too. It will be like planting and caring for a plant.
28. In the past I watched over Israel and Judah, but I watched for the time to pull them up. I tore them down. I destroyed them. I brought disaster to them. But now I will watch over them to build them up and make them strong,” says the Lord.
29. “At that time people will no longer say:‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes.And that caused the children to grind their teeth from the sour taste.’