Aa
Liberation from Captivity Promised
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.
3For behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall take possession of it.’ ”
4Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
5“For this is what the Lord says:
Lit WeI have heard a sound of terror,
Of fear, and there is no peace.
6Ask now, and see
If a male can give birth.
Why do I see every man
With his hands on his waist, as a woman in childbirth?
And why have all faces turned pale?
7Woe, for that day is great,
There is none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,
Yet he will be saved from it.
8‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘that I will break his yoke from As in LXX; MT your necktheir necks and will tear to pieces As in LXX; MT yourtheir restraints; and strangers will no longer make Lit him their slavethem their slaves.
9But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10And do not fear, Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,
‘And do not be dismayed, Israel;
For behold, I am going to save you from far away,
And your Lit seeddescendants from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return and be at peace, without anxiety,
And no one will make him afraid.
11For I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;
For I will completely destroy all the nations where I have scattered you,
Only I will not destroy you completely.
But I will discipline you fairly
And will by no means leave you unpunished.’
12“For this is what the Lord says:
‘Your broken limb is irreparable,
And your wound is incurable.
13There is no one to plead your cause;
No healing for your sore,
No recovery for you.
14All your lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the punishment of a cruel one,
Because your wrongdoing is great,
And your sins are numerous.
15Why do you cry out over your injury?
Your pain is incurable.
Because your wrongdoing is great
And your sins are numerous,
I have done these things to you.
16Therefore all who devour you will be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity;
And those who plunder you will become plunder,
And all who plunder you I will turn into plunder.
17For I will Lit cause to go uprestore you to Or healinghealth
And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord,
‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying:
“It is Zion; no one Lit is seekingcares for her.” ’
Restoration of Jacob
18“This is what the Lord says:
‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And have compassion on his dwellings;
And the city will be rebuilt on its ruins,
And the palace will stand on its rightful place.
19From them will come a song of thanksgiving
And the voices of those who Or dancecelebrate;
And I will multiply them and they will not decrease;
I will honor them and they will not be insignificant.
20 Lit His Their children also will be as before,
And Lit histheir congregation will be established before Me;
And I will punish all Lit histheir oppressors.
21 Lit his Their leader shall be one of them,
And Lit histheir ruler will come out from Lit histheir midst;
And I will bring him near and he shall approach Me;
For Lit who is he that gives his heart in pledgewho would dare to risk his life to approach Me?’ declares the Lord.
22‘You shall be My people,
And I will be your God.’ ”
23Behold, the tempest of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
A Or ragingsweeping tempest;
It will whirl upon the head of the wicked.
24The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has performed and accomplished
The intent of His heart.
In the latter days you will understand this.