Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still 1aconfined in the court of the guard, saying, 2 “Thus says aYahweh who made 1the earth, Yahweh who formed it to establish it; bYahweh is His name, 3 ‘aCall to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you bgreat and mighty things, cwhich you do not know.’ 4 For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the ahouses of this city and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which are torn down to make a defense against the bsiege ramps and against the sword, 5 ‘While they are coming to afight with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have struck down in My anger and in My wrath, and I have bhidden My face from this city because of all their evil: 6 Behold, I will bring to it ahealth and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an babundance of peace and truth. 7 I will 1areturn the 2fortunes of Judah and the 2fortunes of Israel and will brebuild them as they were at first. 8 And I will acleanse 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 And 1it will be to Me a aname of joy, praise, and beauty before ball the nations of the earth which will hear of all the cgood that I do for them, and they will dbe in dread and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’ 10 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a awaste, without man and without beast,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are bdesolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 11 the voice of ajoy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,
“bGive thanks to Yahweh of hosts,
For Yahweh is good,
For His lovingkindness endures forever”;
and of those who bring a cthank offering into the house of Yahweh. For I will 1return the 2fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says Yahweh. 12 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, awithout man or beast, and in all its cities, 1an abode of shepherds who cause their bflocks to lie down. 13 In the acities of the hill country, in the cities of the 1Shephelah, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the surroundings of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again bpass under the hands of the one who numbers them,’ says Yahweh.
The Righteous Branch of David
14 ‘Behold, adays are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘when I will bestablish the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a arighteous Branch of David to branch forth; and He shall do bjustice and righteousness on the earth. 16 In those days aJudah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell in security; and this is the name by which she will be called: bYahweh is our righteousness.’ 17 For thus says Yahweh, ‘1David shall anot have a man cut off from sitting on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 1and the aLevitical priests shall not have a man cut off from before Me who is to offer burnt offerings, to offer up grain offerings in smoke, and to bperform sacrifices 2continually.’” 19 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “Thus says Yahweh, ‘If you can abreak My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, 21 then aMy covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. 22 As the ahost of heaven cannot be counted and the bsand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will cmultiply the seed of David My servant and the dLevites who minister to Me.’” 23 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not seen what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The atwo families which Yahweh chose, He has brejected them’? Thus they have cspurned My people from being a nation any longer 1in their sight. 25 Thus says Yahweh, ‘If My acovenant for day and night stand not, and the statutes for heaven and earth I have bnot established, 26 then I would areject the seed of Jacob and David My servant, 1not taking from his seed brulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will 2creturn their 3fortunes and will have dcompassion on them.’”