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Jeremiah 30:3
The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,‘ when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.” (niv)
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Ezekiel 36:1-38
“ Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say,‘ Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.This is what the Sovereign Lord says: The enemy said of you,“ Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession.”’Therefore prophesy and say,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because they ravaged and crushed you from every side so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations and the object of people’s malicious talk and slander,therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and the deserted towns that have been plundered and ridiculed by the rest of the nations around you—this is what the Sovereign Lord says: In my burning zeal I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, for with glee and with malice in their hearts they made my land their own possession so that they might plunder its pastureland.’Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations.Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn.“‘ But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown,and I will cause many people to live on you— yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children.“‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because some say to you,“ You devour people and deprive your nation of its children,”therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign Lord.No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”Again the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in my sight.So I poured out my wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols.I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions.And wherever they went among the nations they profaned my holy name, for it was said of them,‘ These are the Lord’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.“ Therefore say to the Israelites,‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.“‘ For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you.I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!“‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt.The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it.They will say,“ This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.”Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’“ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep,as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” (niv)
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Psalms 126:4
Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. (niv)
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Psalms 32:6
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. (niv)
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Jeremiah 50:33-34
This is what the Lord Almighty says:“ The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon. (niv)
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Jeremiah 46:27-28
“ Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,” declares the Lord.“ Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.” (niv)
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Jeremiah 31:8-14
See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.“ Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands:‘ He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord— the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well- watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord. (niv)
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Zephaniah 3:20
At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.. (niv)
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Jeremiah 33:7-26
I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’“ This is what the Lord says:‘ You say about this place,“ It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.” Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once morethe sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying,“ Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.“ This is what the Lord Almighty says:‘ In this place, desolate and without people or animals— in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.“‘ The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,‘ when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.“‘ In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’For this is what the Lord says:‘ David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel,nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’”The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:“ This is what the Lord says:‘ If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,then my covenant with David my servant— and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me— can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:“ Have you not noticed that these people are saying,‘ The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation.This is what the Lord says:‘ If I have not made my covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth,then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’” (niv)
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Jeremiah 16:14-15
“ However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,“ when it will no longer be said,‘ As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’but it will be said,‘ As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors. (niv)
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Micah 4:12
But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. (niv)
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Ezekiel 11:16-20
“ Therefore say:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’“ Therefore say:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’“ They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols.I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (niv)
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Ezekiel 34:1-31
The word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them:‘ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.“‘ Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.“‘ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.“‘ As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats.Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?“‘ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away,I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.“‘ I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them.They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid.I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’” (niv)
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Jeremiah 50:19-20
But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture, and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord,“ search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare. (niv)
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Deuteronomy 4:7
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? (niv)
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Deuteronomy 30:3
then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. (niv)
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Amos 9:14
and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.“ They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. (niv)
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Jeremiah 23:3-8
“ I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.“ The days are coming,” declares the Lord,“ when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.“ So then, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,“ when people will no longer say,‘ As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’but they will say,‘ As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.” (niv)
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Isaiah 45:19
I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,‘ Seek me in vain.’ I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. (niv)
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Jeremiah 50:4-5
“ In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord,“ the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten. (niv)
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Jeremiah 32:37-44
I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.They will be my people, and I will be their God.I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.“ This is what the Lord says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say,‘ It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.” (niv)
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Jeremiah 24:5-7
“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:‘ Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them.I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. (niv)
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Jeremiah 30:10
“‘ So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’ declares the Lord.‘ I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. (niv)
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Jeremiah 51:10
“‘ The Lord has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the Lord our God has done.’ (niv)
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Psalms 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (niv)
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1 Chronicles 28 9
“ And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. (niv)
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2 Chronicles 15 12-2 Chronicles 15 15
They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.All who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, were to be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.They took an oath to the Lord with loud acclamation, with shouting and with trumpets and horns.All Judah rejoiced about the oath because they had sworn it wholeheartedly. They sought God eagerly, and he was found by them. So the Lord gave them rest on every side. (niv)
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Psalms 126:1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. (niv)
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Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. (niv)
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Romans 10:20
And Isaiah boldly says,“ I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” (niv)
