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.
Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut within the courtyard 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:
“Yahweh the maker, says this—Yahweh, who forms in order to establish—Yahweh 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. I will demonstrate great things to you, mysteries that you do not understand.'
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 Yahweh, God of Israel, says this concerning the houses in this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that are torn down because of the siege ramps and 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.
'The Chaldeans are coming to fight and to fill the houses with corpses of people whom I will kill in my wrath and fury, when I hide my face from this city because of all their wickedness.
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.
But see, I am about to bring healing and a cure, for I will heal them and will bring to them abundance, peace, and faithfulness.
7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from exile and will make them as strong as before.
For I will bring back the fortunes of Judah and Israel; I will build them up as in the beginning.
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.
Then I will purify them from all the iniquity that they have committed against me. I will pardon all the iniquities that they have done against me, and all the ways that they rebelled 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.
For this city will become for me an object of joy, a song of praise and honor for all the nations of the earth who will hear of all the good things that I am going to do for it. Then they will fear and tremble because of all the good things and the peace that I will give 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
Yahweh says this, 'In this place about which you are now saying, “It is desolate, a place with neither man nor beast,” in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate having neither man nor beast, there will be heard again
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 sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride, the sound of those who say, while they bring thank offerings to the house of Yahweh, “Give thanks to Yahweh of hosts, for Yahweh is good, and his unfailing love lasts forever!” For I will restore the fortunes of the land to what they were before,' says Yahweh.
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.
Yahweh of hosts says this: 'In this desolate place, where now there is neither man nor beast—in all its cities there will again be pastures where shepherds can rest their flocks.
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 in the hill country, the lowlands, and the Negev, in the land of Benjamin and all around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the ones counting them,' says Yahweh.
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! Days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when I will do what I have promised for the house of Israel and 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 in that time I will make a righteous branch to grow for David, and he will carry out 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 Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in security, for this is what she will be called, “Yahweh is our righteousness.”'
17 This is what the Lord says: David will always have a descendant who will be king of Israel,
For Yahweh says this: 'A man from David's line will never be lacking 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.
nor will a man from the Levitical priests be lacking before me to raise burnt offerings, to burn food offerings, and to perform grain offerings all the time.'”
19 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah:
The word of Yahweh 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,
“Yahweh says this: 'If you can break my covenant with day and night so that there will no longer be day or night at their proper times,
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 you will be able to break my covenant with David my servant, so that he will no longer have a son to sit on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests, my servants.
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 hosts of heaven cannot be counted, and as the sand of the seashores cannot be measured, so I will increase the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who serve before me.'”
23 Another message from the Lord came to Jeremiah:
The word of Yahweh 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.
“Have you not considered what this people has declared when they said, 'The two families that Yahweh chose, now he has rejected them'? In this way they despise my people, saying that they are no longer a nation in their sight.
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,
I, Yahweh, say this, 'If I have not established the covenant of day and night, and if I have not fixed the laws 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 I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant, and not bring from them a person to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and show mercy to them.'”
