< Jeremiah 33 >

1 Moreover the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still locked up in the court of the guard, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying:
2 “The LORD who does it, the LORD who forms it to establish it—the LORD is his name, says:
Thus saith the Lord, who will do, and will form it, and prepare it, the Lord is his name.
3 ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you do not know.’
Cry to me and I will hear thee: and I will shew thee great things, and sure things which thou knowest not.
4 For the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defense against the mounds and against the sword:
For thus saith the Lord the God of Israel to the houses of this city, and to the houses of the king of Juda, which rue destroyed, and to the bulwarks, and to the sword.
5 ‘While men come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have killed in my anger and in my wrath, and for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city,
Of them that come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of the men whom I have slain in my wrath, and in my indignation, hiding my face from this city because of all their wickedness.
6 behold, I will bring it health and healing, and I will cure them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth.
Behold I will close their wounds and give them health, and I will cure them: and I will reveal to them the prayer of peace and truth.
7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel, and will build them as at the first.
And I will bring back the captivity of Juda, and the captivity of Jerusalem: and I will build them as from the beginning.
8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against me. I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against me and by which they have transgressed against me.
And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me: and I will forgive all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned against me, and despised me.
9 This city will be to me for a name of joy, for praise, and for glory, before all the nations of the earth, which will hear all the good that I do to them, and will fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I provide to it.’”
And it shall be to me a name, and a joy, and a praise, and a gladness before all the nations of the earth, that shall hear of all the good things which I will do to them: and they shall fear and be troubled for all the good things, and for all the peace that I will make for them.
10 The LORD says: “Yet again there will be heard in this place, about which you say, ‘It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,’
Thus saith the Lord: There shall be heard again in this place (which you say is desolate, because there is neither man nor beast: in the cities of Juda, and without Jerusalem, which are desolate without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast)
11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Armies, for the LORD is good, for his loving kindness endures forever;’ who bring thanksgiving into the LORD’s house. For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed as at the first,” says the LORD.
The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say: Give ye glory to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring their vows into the house of the Lord: for I will bring back the captivity of the land as at the first, saith the Lord.
12 The LORD of Armies says: “Yet again there will be in this place, which is waste, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts: There shall be again in this place that is desolate without man, and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.
13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of him who counts them,” says the LORD.
And in the cities on the mountains, and in the cities of the plains, and in the cities that are towards the south: and in the land of Benjamin, and round about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Juda shall the flocks pass again under the hand of him that numbereth them, saith the Lord.
14 “Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.
Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform the good word that I have spoken to the house of Israel, and to the house of Juda.
15 “In those days and at that time, I will cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up to David. He will execute justice and righteousness in the land.
In those days, and at that time, I will make the bud of justice to spring forth unto David, and he shall do judgment and justice in the earth.
16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. This is the name by which she will be called: The LORD our righteousness.”
In those days shall Juda be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell securely: and this is the name that they shall call him, The Lord our just one.
17 For the LORD says: “David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.
For thus saith the Lord: There shall not be cut off from David a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.
18 The Levitical priests will not lack a man before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn meal offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.”
Neither shall there be cut off from the priests and Levites a man before my face to offer holocausts, and to burn sacrifices, and to kill victims continually:
19 The LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying:
20 “The LORD says: ‘If you can break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, so that there will not be day and night in their time,
Thus saith the Lord: If my covenant with the day can be made void, and my covenant with the night, that there should not be day and night in their season:
21 then my covenant could also be broken with David my servant, that he will not have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levitical priests, my ministers.
Also my covenant with David my servant may be made void, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne, and with the Levites and priests my ministers.
22 As the army of the sky cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant and the Levites who minister to me.’”
As the stars of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea be measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites my ministers.
23 The LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying:
24 “Do not consider what this people has spoken, saying, ‘Has the LORD cast off the two families which he chose?’ Thus they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.”
Hast thou not seen what this people hath spoken, saying: The two families which the Lord had chosen, are cast off: and they have despised my people, so that it is no more a nation before them?
25 The LORD says: “If my covenant of day and night fails, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth,
Thus saith the Lord: If I have not set my covenant between day and night, and laws to heaven and earth:
26 then I will also cast away the offspring of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his offspring to be rulers over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I will cause their captivity to be reversed and will have mercy on them.”
Surely I will also cast; off the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so as not to take any of his seed to be rulers of the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will bring back their captivity, and will have mercy on them.

< Jeremiah 33 >