26 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, ⌊saying⌋,d 27 “Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is ⌊anything⌋e too difficult for me?” 28 ⌊Therefore⌋f thus says Yahweh: “Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 And the Chaldeans, who are fighting against this city, will come and set this city on fire, and they will burn it, and the houses where they have made smoke offerings on their roofs to Baal, and where they have devoted libations to other gods, in order to provoke me to anger. 30 For the peopleg of Israel and the peopleh of Judah were doing only evil in my eyes from their youth, for the peoplei of Israel were only provoking me to anger by the work of their hands,” ⌊declares⌋j Yahweh.

31 “For this city has been for me a cause of my anger and of my wrath from the day that they built it even until this day, so I will remove it from my ⌊sight⌋,k 32 because of all the evil of the peoplel of Israel and the peoplem of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, and the menn of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 And they have turned to me their backso and not their faces, though ⌊I have taught them over and over again⌋,p but they were not listening to accept discipline. 34 And they set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 35 And they built the high places of Baal that are in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to present as offerings their sons and their daughters to Molech, which I had not commanded them, and it had not come to my ⌊mind⌋q to do this detestable thing in order to cause Judah to sin.”

36 “So now ⌊therefore⌋,r thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning this city, of which you are saying, ‘It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the plague’: 37 Look, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I driven them in my anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath, and I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell ⌊in safety⌋.s 38 And they will be for me a people, and I will be for them God. 39 And I will give to them one heart and one way, to revere me ⌊forever⌋,t for good to them, and to their children after them. 40 And I will ⌊make⌋u with them ⌊an everlasting covenant⌋v that I will not turn away from them, my doing good to them, and my reverence I will put in their heartsw so that they will not turn aside from me. 41 And I will rejoice over them to do good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness with all my heart, and with all my inner self.”x

42 “For thus says Yahweh, ‘Just as I have brought to this people all this great disaster, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise to them. 43 And the fieldsy will be bought in this land of which you are saying, “It is a desolation, ⌊without humankind or animals⌋.z It has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” 44 They will buy fields with money, and they will sign the deeds,a and they will seal them,b and they will call witnesses as witness in the land of Benjamin, and in the surroundings of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negev, for I will restore their fortunes,’c ⌊declares⌋d Yahweh.”

The Fortunes of Judah and Israel Will Be Restored

33 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still held back in the courtyard of the guard, ⌊saying⌋,a 2 “Thus says Yahweh who made the earth,b Yahweh who formed it to establish it, Yahweh is his name: 3 ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great things and inaccessible things that you have not known.’ 4 For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, that were torn down to make a defense against the siege ramps and against the sword: 5 ‘They are coming to fight against the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the corpses of the people whom I will strike in my anger and in my wrath, for whom I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness. 6 Look, I am going to bring healing and health to it, and I will heal them, and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and reliability. 7 And I will restore the fortunesc of Judah and the fortunesd of Israel, and I will rebuild them as in the beginning. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their guilt that they sinned against me, and I will forgive all their iniquities that they sinned against me, and that they rebelled against me. 9 And it will be to me a name of jubilation, a praise, and a glory before all the nations of the earth, who will hear all the good that I will do for them, and they will fear,e and they will tremble because of all the good, and because of all the prosperity that I will provide for it.’

10 “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Again will be heard in this place, of which you are saying, “It is a waste, ⌊without⌋f people and ⌊without⌋g animals,”h in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, ⌊without⌋i people and ⌊without⌋j inhabitantsk and ⌊without⌋l animals,m 11 the voice of jubilation, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voicesn of those who say, “Praise Yahweh of hosts, for Yahweh is good, for his loyal love is ⌊forever⌋,”o the voices of those who bring thank offeringsp to the house of Yahweh, for I will restore the fortunesq of the land as in the beginning,’ says Yahweh. 12 Thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Again there will be in this waste place, ⌊without⌋r people and animals,s and in all its towns, pasture for shepherds allowing their flock to lie down. 13 In the towns of the hill country, in the towns of the Shephelah, and in the towns of the Negev, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the surroundings of Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hands of the counter,’ says Yahweh.

14 ‘Look, days are coming,’ ⌊declares⌋t Yahweh, ‘and I will fulfill the good promiseu that I promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. 15 In those days and in that time I will make a branch of righteousness sprout for David, and he will execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell ⌊safely⌋,v and this is what they shall call it: “Yahweh is our righteousness.” ’ 17 For thus says Yahweh: ‘A man who sits on the throne of the house of Israel will not be cut off for David. 18 And for the priests, a man from the Levites who offers burnt offeringsw and who burns grain offeringsx and who brings sacrificesy will not be cut off ⌊before me⌋z ⌊forever⌋.’ ”a