1 Moreover Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard, saying,
2 “Thus says Yahweh who does it, Yahweh who forms it to establish it; Yahweh is his name:
3 ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great and difficult things, which you don’t know.’
4 For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defense against the mounds and against the sword;
5 while men come to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have killed in my anger and in my wrath, and for all whose wickedness I have hidden my face from this city:
6 ‘Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them; and I will reveal to them abundance of peace and truth.
7 I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.
8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, by which they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, by which they have sinned against me, and by which they have transgressed against me.
9 This city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise, and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them, and shall fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I procure to it.’
10 Thus says Yahweh: ‘Yet again there shall be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is waste, without man and without animal,” even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,
11 the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to Yahweh of Armies, for Yahweh is good, for his loving kindness endures forever;” and of those who bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into Yahweh’s house. For I will cause the captivity of the land to return as at the first,’ says Yahweh.
12 Thus says Yahweh of Armies: ‘Yet again in this place, which is waste, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, there shall be a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.
13 In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks again pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says Yahweh.
14 ‘Behold, the days come,’ says Yahweh, ‘that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah.
15 In those days, and at that time, I will cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up to David. He shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days Judah shall be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. This is the name by which she shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.’
17 For thus says Yahweh: ‘David shall never want a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;
18 neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to burn meal offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.’”
19 Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
20 “Thus says Yahweh: ‘If you can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there should not be day and night in their season;
21 then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
22 As the army of the sky can’t be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured, so will I multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levites who minister to me.’”
23 Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,
24 “Don’t consider what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which Yahweh did choose, he has cast them off;’ thus they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.
25 Thus says Yahweh: ‘If my covenant of day and night doesn’t stand, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;
26 then will I also cast away the offspring of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his offspring to be rulers over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them.’”
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