THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH

 

Jeremiah Chapter 33

1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

2 The LORD who made the world, who formed it, and set it in place; whose name is Jahweh, says this;

3 Call to me, and I will answer you, and reveal to you great and wondrous things, that you do not know.

4 For the LORD, the God of Israel says this, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the palaces of the kings of Judah, that were torn down in defense against siege mounds, and swords;

5 Those who come to fight against the Chaldeans, will fill the houses with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in my anger and in my fury, for because of their wickedness I have hidden my face from this city.

6 Know that I am going to restore and heal them, and when I heal them, I will show to them the abundance of peace and truth.

7 And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will build them up, as at the first.

8 And I will cleanse them from all their wrongdoing, by which they have sinned against me; and I will pardon their iniquity, by which they have sinned, and rebelled against me.

9 And this city will be a delight to me, a reason for praise and a thing of beauty before all the nations of the earth, who will hear all the good that I do to them: and they will fear and tremble on account of all the good things and all the prosperity that I will provide for Jerusalem.

10 ¶ The LORD says; There will again be heard in this place, which you say is a ruin without man or beast, that is in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are empty, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,

11 The sound of joy, and the sound of gladness, the sound of the bridegroom, the sound of the bride, and the voice of those who say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endures for ever: as they bring thank offerings into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the land, to what it was before, says the LORD.

12 The LORD of hosts says; In this country, which is desolate without man or beast, and in all its cities, there will again be pastures for shepherds to let their flocks lie down in.

13 In the cities of the hills, the cities of the valleys, the cities of the south, in the land of Benjamin, in the area around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hands of him who counts them, says the LORD.

14 Behold, the time is coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise of good things that I have made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause a righteous Branch to grow out of David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely: and the city will be called, The LORD is our righteousness.

17 ¶ For the LORD says; David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel;

18 Nor will the priests descended from the Levi fail to have a man before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn food offerings, and bring sacrifices continually.

19 And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

20 The LORD says; If you can break my covenant with the day, and my covenant with the night, so that day and night do not come at their appointed time;

21 Then my covenant with David my servant can also be broken, so that he does not have a son to reign upon his throne; and the Levitical priests will not be my ministers.

22 Just as the stars of heaven cannot be numbered, or the sand of the sea counted: I will multiply the descendants of David my servant, and the priests who minister to me.

23 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, asking,

24 Haven’t you heard these people saying, The LORD has cast off the two families which he chose, he has rejected them? so that my people are despised in their own eyes, and are no longer a nation in their own sight.

25 The LORD says; If I made no covenant with day and night, and have not determined the laws of heaven and earth;

26 Then I will reject the descendants of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of David’s line to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No I will cause them to return from captivity, and have mercy on them.