< Jeremiah 33 >

1 While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time:
Moreover the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still locked up in the court of the guard, saying,
2 “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it, the LORD is His name:
“The LORD who does it, the LORD who forms it to establish it—the LORD is his name, says:
3 Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you do not know.’
4 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses of this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah that have been torn down for defense against the siege ramps and the sword:
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:
5 The Chaldeans are coming to fight and to fill those places with the corpses of the men I will strike down in My anger and in My wrath. I have hidden My face from this city because of all its wickedness.
‘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,
6 Nevertheless, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
behold, I will bring it health and healing, and I will cure them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth.
7 I will restore Judah and Israel from captivity and will rebuild them as in former times.
I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel, and will build them as at the first.
8 And I will cleanse them from all the iniquity they have committed against Me, and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me.
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.
9 So this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise, and glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the good I do for it. They will tremble in awe because of all the goodness and prosperity that I will provide for it.
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.’”
10 This is what the LORD says: In this place you say is a wasteland without man or beast, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted—inhabited by neither man nor beast—there will be heard again
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,’
11 the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those bringing thank offerings into the house of the LORD, saying: ‘Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good; His loving devotion endures forever.’ For I will restore the land from captivity as in former times, 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 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.
12 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: In this desolate place, without man or beast, and in all its cities, there will once more be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.
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.
13 In the cities of the hill country, the foothills, and the Negev, in the land of Benjamin and the cities surrounding Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD.
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.
14 Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the gracious promise that I have spoken to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
“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.
15 In those days and at that time I will cause to sprout for David a righteous Branch, and He will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
“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.
16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely, and this is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
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.”
17 For this is what the LORD says: David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,
For the LORD says: “David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.
18 nor will the priests who are Levites ever fail to have a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to present sacrifices.”
The Levitical priests will not lack a man before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn meal offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.”
19 And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
The LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
20 “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 cease to occupy their appointed time,
“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,
21 then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant and with My ministers the Levites who are priests, so that David will not have a son to reign on his throne.
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.
22 As the hosts of heaven cannot be counted and as the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so too will I multiply the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who minister before Me.”
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.’”
23 Moreover, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
The LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
24 “Have you not noticed what these people are saying: ‘The LORD has rejected the two families He had chosen’? So they despise My people and no longer regard them as a nation.
“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.”
25 This is what the LORD says: If I have not established My covenant with the day and the night and the fixed order of heaven and earth,
The LORD says: “If my covenant of day and night fails, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth,
26 then I would also reject the descendants of Jacob and of My servant David, so as not to take from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore them from captivity and will have compassion on them.”
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.”

< Jeremiah 33 >