Ezekiel 28:25

28:25 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: When I regather the house of Israel from the peoples where they are dispersed, I will reveal my sovereign power ¹  over them in the sight of the nations, and they will live in their land that I gave to my servant Jacob.

Ezekiel 34:13

34:13 I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from foreign countries; I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and all the inhabited places of the land.

Ezekiel 36:24

36:24 “‘I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries; then I will bring you to your land.

Ezekiel 37:21-28

37:21 Then tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from round about and bring them to their land. 37:22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never again be divided into two kingdoms. ²  37:23 They will not defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, and all their rebellious deeds. I will save them from all their unfaithfulness ³  by which they sinned. I will purify them; they will become my people and I will become their God.

37:24 “‘My servant David will be king over them; there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow ⁴  my regulations and carefully observe my statutes. ⁵  37:25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your fathers lived; they will live in it – they and their children and their grandchildren forever. David my servant will be prince over them forever. 37:26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be a perpetual covenant with them. ⁶  I will establish them, ⁷  increase their numbers, and place my sanctuary among them forever. 37:27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 37:28 Then, when my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’” ⁸ 

Ezekiel 39:27-29

39:27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will magnify myself among them in the sight of many nations. 39:28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations, and then gathered them into their own land. I will not leave any of them in exile ⁹  any longer. 39:29 I will no longer hide my face from them, when I pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, ¹⁰  declares the sovereign Lord.”

Isaiah 11:11-16

11:11 At that time ¹¹  the sovereign master ¹²  will again lift his hand ¹³  to reclaim ¹⁴  the remnant of his people ¹⁵  from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, ¹⁶  Cush, ¹⁷  Elam, Shinar, ¹⁸  Hamath, and the seacoasts. ¹⁹ 

11:12 He will lift a signal flag for the nations;

he will gather Israel’s dispersed people ²⁰ 

and assemble Judah’s scattered people

from the four corners of the earth.

11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will end, ²¹ 

and Judah’s hostility ²²  will be eliminated.

Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah,

and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim.

11:14 They will swoop down ²³  on the Philistine hills to the west; ²⁴ 

together they will loot the people of the east.

They will take over Edom and Moab, ²⁵ 

and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

11:15 The Lord will divide ²⁶  the gulf ²⁷  of the Egyptian Sea; ²⁸ 

he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River ²⁹  and send a strong wind, ³⁰ 

he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, ³¹ 

and enable them to walk across in their sandals.

11:16 There will be a highway leading out of Assyria

for the remnant of his people, ³² 

just as there was for Israel,

when ³³  they went up from the land of Egypt.

Jeremiah 3:12

The Lord Calls on Israel and Judah to Repent

3:12 “Go and shout this message to my people in the countries in the north. ³⁴  Tell them,

‘Come back to me, wayward Israel,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not continue to look on you with displeasure. ³⁵ 

For I am merciful,’ says the Lord.

‘I will not be angry with you forever.

Jeremiah 3:18

3:18 At that time ³⁶  the nation of Judah and the nation of Israel will be reunited. ³⁷  Together they will come back from a land in the north to the land that I gave to your ancestors as a permanent possession. ” ³⁸ 

Jeremiah 24:5

24:5 “I, the Lord, the God of Israel, say: ‘The exiles whom I sent away from here to the land of Babylon ³⁹  are like those good figs. I consider them to be good.

Jeremiah 30:10-11

30:10 So I, the Lord, tell you not to be afraid,

you descendants of Jacob, my servants. ⁴⁰ 

Do not be terrified, people of Israel.

For I will rescue you and your descendants

from a faraway land where you are captives. ⁴¹ 

The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.

They will be secure and no one will terrify them. ⁴² 

30:11 For I, the Lord, affirm ⁴³  that

I will be with you and will rescue you.

I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you.

But I will not completely destroy you.

I will indeed discipline you, but only in due measure.

I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.” ⁴⁴ 

Jeremiah 30:18

The Lord Will Restore Israel and Judah

30:18 The Lord says,

“I will restore the ruined houses of the descendants of Jacob.

I will show compassion on their ruined homes. ⁴⁵ 

Every city will be rebuilt on its former ruins. ⁴⁶ 

Every fortified dwelling will occupy its traditional site. ⁴⁷ 

Jeremiah 31:8-10

31:8 Then I will reply, ⁴⁸  ‘I will bring them back from the land of the north.

I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth.

Blind and lame people will come with them,

so will pregnant women and women about to give birth.

A vast throng of people will come back here.

31:9 They will come back shedding tears of contrition.

I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance. ⁴⁹ 

I will lead them besides streams of water,

along smooth paths where they will never stumble. ⁵⁰ 

I will do this because I am Israel’s father;

Ephraim ⁵¹  is my firstborn son.’”

31:10 Hear what the Lord has to say, O nations.

Proclaim it in the faraway lands along the sea.

Say, “The one who scattered Israel will regather them.

He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock.”

Jeremiah 32:37-41

32:37 ‘I will certainly regather my people from all the countries where I will have exiled ⁵²  them in my anger, fury, and great wrath. I will bring them back to this place and allow them to live here in safety. 32:38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. ⁵³  32:39 I will give them a single-minded purpose to live in a way that always shows respect for me. They will want to do that for ⁵⁴  their own good and the good of the children who descend from them. 32:40 I will make a lasting covenant ⁵⁵  with them that I will never stop doing good to them. ⁵⁶  I will fill their hearts and minds with respect for me so that ⁵⁷  they will never again turn ⁵⁸  away from me. 32:41 I will take delight in doing good to them. I will faithfully and wholeheartedly plant them ⁵⁹  firmly in the land.’

Hosea 1:10-11

The Restoration of Israel

1:10 (2:1) ⁶⁰  However, ⁶¹  in the future the number of the people ⁶²  of Israel will be like the sand of the sea which can be neither measured nor numbered. Although ⁶³  it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it will be said to them, “You are ⁶⁴  children ⁶⁵  of the living God!” 1:11 Then the people ⁶⁶  of Judah and the people of Israel will be gathered together. They will appoint for themselves one leader, ⁶⁷  and will flourish in the land. ⁶⁸  Certainly, ⁶⁹  the day of Jezreel will be great!

Amos 9:14-15

9:14 I will bring back my people, Israel; ⁷⁰ 

they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble ⁷¹  and settle down. ⁷² 

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce; ⁷³ 

they will grow orchards ⁷⁴  and eat the fruit they produce. ⁷⁵ 

9:15 I will plant them on their land

and they will never again be uprooted from the ⁷⁶  land I have given them,”

says the Lord your God.

[28:25]  ¹ tn Or “reveal my holiness.” See verse 22.

[37:22]  ² sn Jeremiah also attested to the reuniting of the northern and southern kingdoms (Jer 3:12, 14; 31:2-6).

[37:23]  ³ tc Heb “their dwellings.” The text as it stands does not make sense. Based on the LXX, a slight emendation of two vowels, including a mater, yields the reading “from their turning,” a reference here to their turning from God and deviating from his commandments. See BDB 1000 s.v. מְשׁוּבָה, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:407.

[37:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk [in].”

[37:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “and my statutes they will guard and they will do them.”

[37:26]  ⁶ sn See Isa 24:5; 55:3; 61:8; Jer 32:40; 50:5; Ezek 16:60, for other references to perpetual covenants.

[37:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “give them.”

[37:28]  ⁸ sn The sanctuary of Israel becomes the main focus of Ezek 40-48.

[39:28]  ⁹ tn Heb “there,” referring to the foreign nations to which they were exiled. The translation makes the referent clear.

[39:29]  ¹⁰ sn See Ezek 11:19; 37:14.

[11:11]  ¹¹ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:11]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).

[11:11]  ¹³ tc The Hebrew text reads, “the sovereign master will again, a second time, his hand.” The auxiliary verb יוֹסִיף (yosif), which literally means “add,” needs a main verb to complete it. Consequently many emend שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) to an infinitive. Some propose the form שַׁנֹּת (shannot, a Piel infinitive construct from שָׁנָה, shanah) and relate it semantically to an Arabic cognate meaning “to be high.” If the Hebrew text is retained a verb must be supplied. “Second time” would allude back to the events of the Exodus (see vv. 15-16).

[11:11]  ¹⁴ tn Or “acquire”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “recover.”

[11:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the remnant of his people who remain.”

[11:11]  ¹⁶ sn Perhaps a reference to Upper (i.e., southern) Egypt (so NIV, NLT; NCV “South Egypt”).

[11:11]  ¹⁷ tn Or “Ethiopia” (NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[11:11]  ¹⁸ tn Or “Babylonia” (NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).

[11:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or perhaps, “the islands of the sea.”

[11:12]  ²⁰ tn Or “the banished of Israel,” i.e., the exiles.

[11:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “turn aside”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “depart.”

[11:13]  ²² tn Heb “hostile ones of Judah.” Elsewhere when the substantival participle of צָרָר (tsarar) takes a pronominal suffix or appears in a construct relationship, the following genitive is objective. (For a list of texts see BDB 865 s.v. III צָרַר) In this case the phrase “hostile ones of Judah” means “those who are hostile toward Judah,” i.e., Judah’s enemies. However, the parallel couplet that follows suggests that Judah’s hostility toward Ephraim is in view. In this case “hostile ones of Judah” means “hostile ones from Judah.” The translation above assumes the latter, giving the immediate context priority over general usage.

[11:14]  ²³ tn Heb “fly.” Ephraim/Judah are compared to a bird of prey.

[11:14]  ²⁴ tn Heb “on the shoulder of Philistia toward the sea.” This refers to the slopes of the hill country west of Judah. See HALOT 506 s.v. כָּתֵף.

[11:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “Edom and Moab [will be the place of] the outstretching of their hand,” i.e., included in their area of jurisdiction (see HALOT 648 s.v. ח(וֹ)מִשְׁלֹ).

[11:15]  ²⁶ tn The verb is usually understood as “put under the ban, destroy,” or emended to חָרָב (kharav, “dry up”). However, HALOT 354 s.v. II חרם proposes a homonymic root meaning “divide.”

[11:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “tongue” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).

[11:15]  ²⁸ sn That is, the Red Sea.

[11:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the river”; capitalized in some English versions (e.g., ASV, NASB, NRSV) as a reference to the Euphrates River.

[11:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “with the [?] of his wind” [or “breath”]. The Hebrew term עַיָם (’ayam) occurs only here. Some attempt to relate the word to an Arabic root and translate, “scorching [or “hot”] wind.” This interpretation fits especially well if one reads “dry up” in the previous line. Others prefer to emend the form to עֹצֶם (’otsem, “strong”). See HALOT 817 s.v. עֲצַם.

[11:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “seven streams.” The Hebrew term נַחַל (nakhal, “stream”) refers to a wadi, or seasonal stream, which runs during the rainy season, but is otherwise dry. The context (see v. 15b) here favors the translation, “dried up streams.” The number seven suggests totality and completeness. Here it indicates that God’s provision for escape will be thorough and more than capable of accommodating the returning exiles.

[11:16]  ³² tn Heb “and there will be a highway for the remnant of his people who remain, from Assyria.”

[11:16]  ³³ tn Heb “in the day” (so KJV).

[3:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Go and proclaim these words to the north.” The translation assumes that the message is directed toward the exiles of northern Israel who have been scattered in the provinces of Assyria to the north.

[3:12]  ³⁵ tn Heb “I will not cause my face to fall on you.”

[3:18]  ³⁶ tn Heb “In those days.”

[3:18]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the house of Judah will walk together with the house of Israel.”

[3:18]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the land that I gave your [fore]fathers as an inheritance.”

[24:5]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4.

[30:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “So do not be afraid, my servant Jacob, oracle of the Lord.” Here and elsewhere in the verse the terms Jacob and Israel are poetic for the people of Israel descended from the patriarch Jacob. The terms have been supplied throughout with plural referents for greater clarity.

[30:10]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “For I will rescue you from far away, your descendants from the land of their captivity.”

[30:10]  ⁴² sn Compare the ideals of the Mosaic covenant in Lev 26:6, the Davidic covenant in 2 Sam 7:10-11, and the new covenant in Ezek 34:25-31.

[30:11]  ⁴³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[30:11]  ⁴⁴ tn The translation “entirely unpunished” is intended to reflect the emphatic construction of the infinitive absolute before the finite verb.

[30:18]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and will have compassion on his habitations.” For the meaning of the idiom “restore the fortunes of” see the translator’s note on 29:14. The “tents of Jacob” refers to their homes or houses (see BDB 14 s.v. אֹהֶל 2 and compare usage in Judg 19:9; Mal 2:12). The word “ruined” has been supplied in the translation to show more clearly the idea of restoration of their houses on their former sites in conformity to the concepts in the latter half of the verse.

[30:18]  ⁴⁶ sn Heb “on its tel.” A tel is a site where successive layers of occupation are built upon one another after the destruction or decay of the former city. The original site was not abandoned because it had been chosen for strategic purposes, such as proximity to water or ease of defense. Many modern archaeological sites have the designation “Tel” as a component of their name because of this practice.

[30:18]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “according to its custom [or plan].” Cf. BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 6.d and compare usage in 1 Sam 27:11.

[31:8]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “And I will reply” are not in the text but the words vv. 8-9 appear to be the answer to the petition at the end of v. 7. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[31:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “They will come with weeping; I will bring them with supplication.” The ideas of contrition and repentance are implicit from the context (cf. vv. 18-19) and are supplied for clarity.

[31:9]  ⁵⁰ sn Jer 31:8-9 are reminiscent of the “New Exodus” motif of Isa 40-66 which has already been referred to in Jer 16:14-15; 23:7-8. See especially Isa 35:3-10; 40:3-5, 11; 41:17-20; 42:14-17; 43:16-21; 49:9-13. As there, the New Exodus will so outstrip the old that the old will pale in comparison and be almost forgotten (see Jer 23:7-8).

[31:9]  ⁵¹ sn Ephraim was the second son of Joseph who was elevated to a place of prominence in the family of Jacob by the patriarch’s special blessing. It was the strongest tribe in northern Israel and Samaria lay in its territory. It is often used as a poetic parallel for Israel as here. The poetry is not speaking of two separate entities here; it is a way of repeating an idea for emphasis. Moreover, there is no intent to show special preference for northern Israel over Judah. All Israel is metaphorically God’s son and the object of his special care and concern (Exod 4:22; Deut 32:6).

[32:37]  ⁵² tn The verb here should be interpreted as a future perfect; though some of the people have already been exiled (in 605 and 597 b.c.), some have not yet been exiled at the time this prophesy is given (see study note on v. 1 for the date). However, contemporary English style does not regularly use the future perfect, choosing instead to use the simple future or the simple perfect as the present translation has done here.

[32:38]  ⁵³ sn The covenant formula setting forth the basic relationship is reinstituted along with a new covenant (v. 40). See also 24:7; 30:22; 31:1 and the study note on 30:22.

[32:39]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “I will give to them one heart and one way to [= in order that they may] fear me all the days for good to them.” The phrase “one heart” refers both to unanimity of will and accord (cf. 1 Chr 12:38 [12:39 HT]; 2 Chr 30:12) and to singleness of purpose or intent (cf. Ezek 11:19 and see BDB 525 s.v. ֵלב 4 where reference is made to “inclinations, resolutions, and determinations of the will”). The phrase “one way” refers to one way of life or conduct (cf. BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a where reference is made to moral action and character), a way of life that is further qualified by the goal of showing “fear, reverence, respect” for the Lord. The Hebrew sentence has been broken up to avoid a long complex sentence in English which is contrary to contemporary English style. However, an attempt has been made to preserve all the connections of the original.

[32:40]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “an everlasting covenant.” For the rationale for the rendering “agreement” and the nature of the biblical covenants see the study note on 11:2.

[32:40]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “stop being gracious to them” or “stop blessing them with good”; Heb “turn back from them to do good to them.”

[32:40]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “I will make them want to fear and respect me so much that”; Heb “I will put the fear of me in their hearts.” However, as has been noted several times, “heart” in Hebrew is more the center of the volition (and intellect) than the center of emotions as it is in English. Both translations are intended to reflect the difference in psychology.

[32:40]  ⁵⁸ tn The words “never again” are not in the text but are implicit from the context and are supplied not only by this translation but by a number of others.

[32:41]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “will plant them in the land with faithfulness with all my heart and with all my soul.” The latter expressions are, of course, anthropomorphisms (see Deut 6:5).

[1:10]  ⁶⁰ sn Beginning with 1:10, the verse numbers through 2:23 in the English Bible differ by two from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 1:10 ET = 2:1 HT, 1:11 ET = 2:2 HT, 2:1 ET = 2:3 HT, etc., through 2:23 ET = 2:25 HT. Beginning with 3:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.

[1:10]  ⁶¹ tn The vav prefixed to וְהָיָה (véhaya) functions in an adversative sense: “however” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §432).

[1:10]  ⁶² tn Heb “sons” (so NASB); KJV, ASV “the children”; NAB, NIV “the Israelites.”

[1:10]  ⁶³ tn Heb “in the place” (בִּמְקוֹם, bimqom). BDB 880 s.v. מָקוֹם 7.b suggests that בִּמְקוֹם (preposition בְּ, bet, + noun מָקוֹם, maqom) is an idiom carrying a concessive sense: “instead of” (e.g., Isa 33:21; Hos 2:1). However, HALOT suggests that it functions in a locative sense: “in the same place” (HALOT 626 s.v. מָקוֹם 2b; e.g., 1 Kgs 21:19; Isa 33:21; Hos 2:1).

[1:10]  ⁶⁴ tn The predicate nominative, “You are…,” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:10]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “sons” (so KJV, NASB, NIV).

[1:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “sons” (twice in this verse, so NASB); KJV, ASV “children”; NIV, NRSV, TEV “people.”

[1:11]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “head” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

[1:11]  ⁶⁸ tn Alternatively, “gain possession of the land” (cf. NRSV) or “rise up from the land” (cf. NIV). This clause may be understood in two ways: (1) Israel will gain ascendancy over the land or conquer the land (e.g., Exod 1:10; cf. NAB “come up from other lands”) or (2) Israel will be “planted” in the land (Hos 2:24-25; cf. NLT “will…plant his people”).

[1:11]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “For” (so NASB); NCV “because”; TEV “Yes.”

[9:14]  ⁷⁰ tn This line can also be translated “I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel” and is a common idiom (e.g., Deut 30:3; Jer 30:3; Hos 6:11; Zeph 3:20). This rendering is followed by several modern English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV, NJPS).

[9:14]  ⁷¹ tn Or “the ruined [or “desolate”] cities.”

[9:14]  ⁷² tn Or “and live [in them].”

[9:14]  ⁷³ tn Heb “drink their wine.”

[9:14]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “gardens.”

[9:14]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “eat their fruit.”

[9:15]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “their.” The pronoun was replaced by the English definite article in the translation for stylistic reasons.