20 “Is not Israel still my son,my darling child?” says the lord.“I often have to punish him,but I still love him.That’s why I long for himand surely will have mercy on him.
21 Set up road signs;put up guideposts.Mark well the pathby which you came.Come back again, my virgin Israel;return to your towns here.
22 How long will you wander,my wayward daughter?For the lord will cause something new to happen—Israel will embrace her God.”
23 This is what the lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people of Judah and its towns will again say, ‘The lord bless you, O righteous home, O holy mountain!’
24 Townspeople and farmers and shepherds alike will live together in peace and happiness.
25 For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”
26 At this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been very sweet.