Jeremiah 31:9
They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Jeremiah 31 belongs to the prophecy of Israel's restoration. Its promise of return from captivity was sure. The verse depicts God Himself leading His exiled people back, with the divided tribes reunited as one people. They come with weeping and with supplications, while He guides them along a safe, direct path where they will not stumble. By calling Himself a father to Israel and Ephraim His firstborn, He expresses His continuing care for His people. The testimony of Jeremiah 31 helped Daniel understand that the Babylonian desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.