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Wanem nao Jeremiah minim taem hem sei Rachel hem krae for olketa son bilong hem?

Long Jeremiah 31:15 hem sei: “Diswan nao samting wea Jehovah hem talem: ‘Olketa herem bigfala krae and singaot long Ramah. Rachel nao hem krae for olketa son bilong hem. Hard for eniwan mekem hem feel gud moa bikos olketa son bilong hem nomoa nao.’”

Rachel hem dae bifor tufala son bilong hem dae. So maet samfala pipol tingse datfala toktok bilong Jeremiah, wea hem raetem 1,000 year bihaen Rachel dae, hem no stret.

Firstborn bilong Rachel hem Joseph. (Gen. 30:22-24) Bihaen, Rachel hem dae taem hem bornem mek-tu son bilong hem, Benjamin. So maet samfala ting olsem: Why nao Jeremiah 31:15 sei Rachel hem krae bikos olketa son bilong hem “nomoa nao”?

Joseph garem tufala son, Manasseh and Ephraim. (Gen. 41:50-52; 48:13-20) Gogo, tribe bilong Ephraim nao hem garem big paoa long kingdom bilong Israel long north, and hem stand for datfala ten tribe kingdom. And tribe bilong Benjamin, wea kam from mek-tu son bilong Rachel, hem kamap part long kingdom bilong Judah long south. So Rachel savve piksarem evri mami long Israel, wea hem nao kingdom long north and kingdom long south.

Taem Jeremiah raetem buk bilong hem, olketa bilong Assyria tekovarem finis kingdom bilong Israel long north, and olketa tekem staka Israelite olsem prisoner. Bat maet samfala from tribe bilong Ephraim ranawe go long kingdom bilong Judah long south. Long 607 B.C.E., olketa bilong Babylon tekovarem kingdom bilong Judah. Luk olsem olketa bilong Babylon tekem staka Israelite wea olketa kasholem go long Ramah, wea hem samting olsem 8 km north long Jerusalem. (Jer. 40:1) Maet olketa bilong Babylon killim dae samfala Israelite long Ramah. Diswan hem long territory bilong tribe bilong Benjamin, wea hem nao ples wea olketa berem Rachel. (1 Sam. 10:2) So taem Jeremiah sei Rachel hem krae for olketa son bilong hem, maet datwan piksarem wei wea olketa mami long Israel krae for olketa long tribe bilong Benjamin or olketa Israelite wea go long Ramah. Or maet hem piksarem wei wea evri mami long Israel krae for olketa Israelite wea dae or kamap prisoner.

And tu, datfala toktok bilong Jeremiah abaotem wei wea Rachel hem krae for olketa son bilong hem, hem wanfala profesi. Datfala toktok storyim samting wea happen staka handred year bihaen, taem Jesus hem smol pikinini. Long datfala taem, King Herod givim komand for killim dae olketa boy wea no kasem tufala year yet wea stap long Bethlehem, wea hem south long Jerusalem. Tingim olketa mami wea barava sorre and krae for olketa son bilong olketa wea “nomoa nao.” Hem olsem olketa savve herem kam bigfala krae and singaot long Ramah, wea hem north long Jerusalem.—Matt. 2:16-18.

So datfala toktok long Jeremiah 31:15, hem piksarem bigfala sorre bilong olketa Israelite mami long taem bilong Jeremiah and long taem bilong Jesus wea krae for pikinini bilong olketa wea dae. Bat olsem Jeremiah talem tu, staka wea go long “land bilong olketa enemy,” wea piksarem dae, bae olketa laef bak.—Jer. 31:16; 1 Cor. 15:26.