Promise of Restoration

33 While Jeremiah was still confinedb in the courtyardc of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time:d 2 “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth,e the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name:f 3 ‘Callg to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchableh things you do not know.’ 4 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siegei rampsj and the sword 5 in the fight with the Babyloniansa: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.k I will hide my facel from this city because of all its wickedness.

6 “ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will healm my people and will let them enjoy abundant peacen and security. 7 I will bring Judaho and Israel back from captivityb p and will rebuildq them as they were before.r 8 I will cleanses them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgivet all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown,u joy, praisev and honorw before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremblex at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”y Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,z inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more 11 the sounds of joy and gladness,a the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offeringsb to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,

for the Lord is good;c

his love endures forever.”d

For I will restore the fortunese of the land as they were before,f’ says the Lord.

12 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolateg and without people or animalsh—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.i 13 In the towns of the hillj country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,k in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the handl of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 “ ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promisem I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

15 “ ‘In those days and at that time

I will make a righteousn Brancho sprout from David’s line;p

he will do what is just and right in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be savedq

and Jerusalem will live in safety.r

This is the name by which itc will be called:s

The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’t

17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never failu to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18 nor will the Leviticalv priestsw ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.x’ ”

19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the dayy and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,z 21 then my covenanta with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levitesb who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.c 22 I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countlessd as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’ ”

23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdomsd e he chose’? So they despisef my people and no longer regard them as a nation.g 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and nighth and established the lawsi of heaven and earth,j 26 then I will rejectk the descendants of Jacobl and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunese m and have compassionn on them.’ ”