| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: | 1The LORD spoke to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse. |
| 2“Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it—the LORD is his name: | 2"I, the LORD, do these things. I, the LORD, form the plan to bring them about. I am known as the LORD. I say to you, |
| 3Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. | 3Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.' |
| 4For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against the siege mounds and against the sword: | 4For I, the LORD God of Israel, have something more to say about the houses in this city and the royal buildings which have been torn down for defenses against the siege ramps and military incursions of the Babylonians: |
| 5They are coming in to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil. | 5The defenders of the city will go out and fight with the Babylonians. But they will only fill those houses and buildings with the dead bodies of the people that I will kill in my anger and my wrath. That will happen because I have decided to turn my back on this city on account of the wicked things they have done. |
| 6Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. | 6But I will most surely heal the wounds of this city and restore it and its people to health. I will show them abundant peace and security. |
| 7I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. | 7I will restore Judah and Israel and will rebuild them as they were in days of old. |
| 8I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. | 8I will purify them from all the sin that they committed against me. I will forgive all their sins which they committed in rebelling against me. |
| 9And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it. | 9All the nations will hear about all the good things which I will do to them. This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I will provide for it.' |
| 10“Thus says the LORD: In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again | 10"I, the LORD, say: 'You and your people are saying about this place, "It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it." That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places. |
| 11the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD: “‘Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD. | 11Once again there will be sounds of joy and gladness and the glad celebrations of brides and grooms. Once again people will bring their thank offerings to the temple of the LORD and will say, "Give thanks to the LORD who rules over all. For the LORD is good and his unfailing love lasts forever." For I, the LORD, affirm that I will restore the land to what it was in days of old.' |
| 12“Thus says the LORD of hosts: In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks. | 12"I, the LORD who rules over all, say: 'This place will indeed lie in ruins. There will be no people or animals in it. But there will again be in it and in its towns sheepfolds where shepherds can rest their sheep. |
| 13In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says the LORD. | 13I, the LORD, say that shepherds will once again count their sheep as they pass into the fold. They will do this in all the towns in the southern hill country, the western foothills, the southern hill country, the territory of Benjamin, the villages surrounding Jerusalem, and the towns of Judah.' |
| 14“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. | 14"I, the LORD, affirm: 'The time will certainly come when I will fulfill my gracious promise concerning the nations of Israel and Judah. |
| 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. | 15In those days and at that time I will raise up for them a righteous descendant of David. "'He will do what is just and right in the land. |
| 16In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’ | 16Under his rule Judah will enjoy safety and Jerusalem will live in security. At that time Jerusalem will be called "The LORD has provided us with justice." |
| 17“For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, | 17For I, the LORD, promise: "David will never lack a successor to occupy the throne over the nation of Israel. |
| 18and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.” | 18Nor will the Levitical priests ever lack someone to stand before me and continually offer up burnt offerings, sacrifice cereal offerings, and offer the other sacrifices."'" |
| 19The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: | 19The LORD spoke further to Jeremiah. |
| 20“Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, | 20"I, LORD, make the following promise: 'I have made a covenant with the day and with the night that they will always come at their proper times. Only if you people could break that covenant |
| 21then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. | 21could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the Levites ever be broken. So David will by all means always have a descendant to occupy his throne as king and the Levites will by all means always have priests who will minister before me. |
| 22As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.” | 22I will make the children who follow one another in the line of my servant David very numerous. I will also make the Levites who minister before me very numerous. I will make them all as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sands which are on the seashore.'" |
| 23The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: | 23The LORD spoke still further to Jeremiah. |
| 24“Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. | 24"You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven't you? They are saying, 'The LORD has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah that he chose.' So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation. |
| 25Thus says the LORD: If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, | 25But I, the LORD, make the following promise: I have made a covenant governing the coming of day and night. I have established the fixed laws governing heaven and earth. |
| 26then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.” | 26Just as surely as I have done this, so surely will I never reject the descendants of Jacob. Nor will I ever refuse to choose one of my servant David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I will restore them and show mercy to them." |
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