Jeremiah 33

1 A second message came from the Lord to Jeremiah while he was still being held in the guard's courtyard of the guard.

Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the guard, saying,

2 This is what the Lord says, the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who shaped it and set it in place, the Lord is his name:

"Thus says the LORD who made the earth, and who formed it to establish it; the LORD is his name:

3 Call out to me, and I will answer you, explaining to you amazing, hidden things about which you don't have any idea.

'Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and hidden things, which you do not know.'

4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about Jerusalem's houses and the palaces of the kings of Judah that were demolished for materials to be used to defend against the siege ramps and the enemy attacks.

For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 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 They come to fight the Babylonians but will only fill those houses with the dead bodies of those I'm going to kill in my furious anger. I have given up on 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 But even so, in the future I will restore and repair it, and I will heal its people and give them lasting peace and safety.

'Look, I will bring it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth.

7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from exile and will make them as strong as before.

I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

8 I will wash away all their sins that they committed against me, and I will forgive all their guilt from when they sinned in rebelling against me.

I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, by which they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, by which they have sinned against me, and by which they have transgressed against me.

9 Then this city will bring me a glorious reputation, celebrated and praised by all the nations of the earth who get to hear of all the good things I do for it. They will tremble, amazed at how much good I have done for it, how I have made it so prosperous.

This city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do to them, and shall fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I procure to it.'

10 This is what the Lord says: You call this place “a wasteland where there's no people or animals.” Well, here in the towns of Judah and in the empty streets of Jerusalem where no people or animals live, one day

"Thus says the LORD: 'Yet again there shall 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 celebration will be heard there again, the happy voices of bride and bridegroom, and the shouts of praise of those bringing thank offerings to the Lord's Temple, saying: “Thank the Lord Almighty! For the Lord is good; his trustworthy love lasts endures forever.” For I will bring the land back from its “captivity” too, 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 hosts, for the LORD is good, for his loving kindness endures forever; who bring thanksgiving into the house of the LORD." For I will cause the captivity of the land to return as at the first,' says the LORD.

12 This is what the Lord Almighty says: In this wasteland where there's no people or animals, and in all its towns, once again there'll be pastures where shepherds can take their flocks.

Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Yet again shall there 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 all the towns, whether in the hill country, or the foothills, or the Negev, or the land of Benjamin or the towns around Jerusalem, or throughout the cities of Judah, flocks will once again be counted by their shepherds, says the Lord.

In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the Negev, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks again pass under the hands of him who numbers them,' says the LORD.

14 Look! The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will keep my promise to do good to the people of Israel and Judah.

'Look, 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 At that time, right there and then, I will give you a good king from the line of David. He will do what is just and right throughout the country.

In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up to David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

16 This is when Judah will be saved, and the people of Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name he will be called: The Lord Who Makes Us Right.

In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name by which she shall be called: "The LORD our righteousness."

17 This is what the Lord says: David will always have a descendant who will be king of Israel,

For thus says the LORD: "David shall never want a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;

18 and the Levitical priests will always have a descendant to present burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices to me.

neither shall the cohanim the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to burn meal offerings, and to do sacrifice continually."'"

19 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah:

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

20 This is what the Lord says: If you were able to break my agreement with the day and with the night, so that they wouldn't come at the right time,

"Thus says the LORD: 'If you can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season;

21 only then would my agreement be broken with David my servant and with the Levites who serve as my priests, so that David would not have a descendant to rule on his throne.

then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levites the cohanim, my ministers.

22 In the same way that the stars of heaven can't be counted, and the sand on the seashore can't be measured, that's how many times I will multiply the number of my servant David's descendants and the Levites who serve me.

As the host of heaven can't be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levites who minister to me.'"

23 Another message from the Lord came to Jeremiah:

The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

24 Have you heard what people are saying: “The Lord chose two families, but now he's rejected them”? So they look down on my people and don't consider them worthy of being called a nation.

"Do not consider what this people has spoken, saying, 'The two families which the LORD chose, he has cast them off?' Thus do they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

25 This is what the Lord says: Just as I can't break my agreement with the day and the night and the laws that regulate heaven and earth,

Thus says the LORD: 'If my covenant of day and night fails, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

26 so I can't reject the descendants of Jacob and of my servant David, and I can't fail to make his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will bring them back from exile and I will be kind to them.

then will I also cast away the descendants of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them.'"