God’s Assurance of the People’s Return

26 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the cGod of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? 28 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 29 And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and dset fire to this city and burn it, with the houses eon whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; 30 because the children of Israel and the children of Judah fhave done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands,’ says the Lord. 31 ‘For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; gso I will remove it from before My face 32 because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger—hthey, their kings, their princes, their priests, itheir prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33 And they have turned to Me the jback, and not the face; though I taught them, krising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction. 34 But they lset their abominations in 5the house which is called by My name, to defile it. 35 And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to mcause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to nMolech, owhich I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’

36 “Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: 37 Behold, I will pgather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them qto dwell safely. 38 They shall be rMy people, and I will be their God; 39 then I will sgive them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. 40 And tI will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but uI will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. 41 Yes, vI will rejoice over them to do them good, and wI will 6assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.’

42 “For thus says the Lord: x‘Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. 43 And fields will be bought in this land yof which you say, “It is desolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” 44 Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in zthe land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the 7lowland, and in the cities of the 8South; for aI will cause their captives to return,’ says the Lord.”

Excellence of the Restored Nation

33 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still ashut up in the court of the prison, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord bwho made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it c(the 1Lord is His name): 3 d‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and 2mighty things, which you do not know.’

4 “For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been pulled down to fortify against ethe siege mounds and the sword: 5 ‘They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but only to ffill their places with the dead bodies of men whom I will slay in My anger and My fury, all for whose wickedness I have hidden My face from this city. 6 Behold, gI will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. 7 And hI will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places ias at the first. 8 I will jcleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. 9 kThen it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall lfear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’

10 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—mof which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 11 the nvoice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say:

o“Praise the Lord of hosts,

For the Lord is good,

For His mercy endures forever”—

and of those who will bring pthe sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord.

12 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: q‘In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13 rIn the cities of the mountains, 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 shall again spass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 t‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that uI will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:

15 ‘In those days and at that time

I will cause to grow up to David

A vBranch of righteousness;

He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

16 In those days Judah will be saved,

And Jerusalem will dwell safely.

And this is the name by which she will be called:

3THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS’

17 “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never wlack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 nor shall the xpriests, the Levites, lack a man to yoffer burnt offerings before Me, to 4kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’ ”

The Permanence of God’s Covenant

19 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21 then zMy covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. 22 As athe host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I bmultiply the descendants of David My servant and the cLevites who minister to Me.’ ”

23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not considered what these people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord has chosen, He has also cast them off’? Thus they have ddespised My people, as if they should no more be a nation before them.

25 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If eMy covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not fappointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26 gthen I will hcast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’ ”