A reading from
the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 31:1-7
At that time, says the Lord,/ I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel,/ and they shall be my people./ Thus says the Lord:/ The people that escaped the sword/ have found favor in the desert./ As Israel comes forward to be given his rest,/ the Lord appears to him from afar:/ With age-old love I have loved you;/ so I have kept my mercy toward you./ Again I will restore you, and you shall be rebuilt,/ O virgin Israel;/ Carrying your festive tambourines,/ you shall go forth dancing with the merrymakers./ Again you shall plant vineyards/ on the mountains of Samaria;/ those who plant them shall enjoy the fruits./ Yes, a day will come when the watchmen/ will call out on Mount Ephraim:/ “Rise up, let us go to Zion,/ to the Lord, our God.”
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 delivered his people,/ the remnant of Israel.
The word of the Lord.
