Jeremiah 33
33
Promises of Peace and Prosperity
1While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Lord gave him this second message: 2“This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: 3Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. 4For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: You have torn down the houses of this city and even the king’s palace to get materials to strengthen the walls against the siege ramps and swords of the enemy. 5You expect to fight the Babylonians,#33:5 Or Chaldeans. but the men of this city are already as good as dead, for I have determined to destroy them in my terrible anger. I have abandoned them because of all their wickedness.
6“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. 7I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. 8I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. 9Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.
10“This is what the Lord says: You have said, ‘This is a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ Yet in the empty streets of Jerusalem and Judah’s other towns, there will be heard once more 11the sounds of joy and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing,
‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
for the Lord is good.
His faithful love endures forever!’
For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says the Lord.
12“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: This land—though it is now desolate and has no people and animals—will once more have pastures where shepherds can lead their flocks. 13Once again shepherds will count their flocks in the towns of the hill country, the foothills of Judah,#33:13 Hebrew the Shephelah. the Negev, the land of Benjamin, the vicinity of Jerusalem, and all the towns of Judah. I, the Lord, have spoken!
14“The day will come, says the Lord, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them.
15“In those days and at that time
I will raise up a righteous descendant#33:15 Hebrew a righteous branch. from King David’s line.
He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
16In that day Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will live in safety.
And this will be its name:
‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’#33:16 Hebrew Yahweh Tsidqenu.
17For this is what the Lord says: David will have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel forever. 18And there will always be Levitical priests to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings and sacrifices to me.”
19Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 20“This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and the night so that one does not follow the other, 21only then will my covenant with my servant David be broken. Only then will he no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. The same is true for my covenant with the Levitical priests who minister before me. 22And as the stars of the sky cannot be counted and the sand on the seashore cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who minister before me.”
23The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, 24“Have you noticed what people are saying?—‘The Lord chose Judah and Israel and then abandoned them!’ They are sneering and saying that Israel is not worthy to be counted as a nation. 25But this is what the Lord says: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky. 26I will never abandon the descendants of Jacob or David, my servant, or change the plan that David’s descendants will rule the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore them to their land and have mercy on them.”
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Jeremiah 33: NLT
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Jeremiah 33
33
The Lord Promises To Give the Land Back to His People
1-2I was still being held prisoner in the courtyard of the palace guards when the Lord told me:
I am the Lord, and I created the whole world.#33.1,2 the whole world: One ancient translation; Hebrew “it.” 3Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don't know and can't find out.
4-5Many of the houses in Jerusalem and some of the buildings at the royal palace have been torn down to be used in repairing the walls to keep out the Babylonian attackers.#33.4,5 have been torn down … Babylonian attackers: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Now there are empty spaces where the buildings once stood. But I am furious, and these spaces will be filled with the bodies of the people I kill. The people of Jerusalem will cry out to me for help, but they are evil, and I will ignore their prayers.
6Then someday, I will heal this place and my people as well, and let them enjoy unending peace.#33.6 let them enjoy unending peace: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. 7I will give this land to Israel and Judah once again, and I will make them as strong as they were before. 8They sinned and rebelled against me, but I will forgive them and take away their guilt. 9When that happens, all nations on earth will see the good things I have done for Jerusalem, and how I have given it complete peace. The nations will celebrate and praise and honor me, but they will also tremble with fear because of the powerful things I have done.
10Jeremiah, you say that this land is a desert without people or animals, and for now, you are right. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted, and people and animals are nowhere to be seen. But someday you will hear 11#1 Ch 16.34; 2 Ch 5.11-13; 7.3; Ezra 3.11; Ps 100.5; 106.1; 107.1; 118.1; 136.1. happy voices and the sounds of parties and wedding celebrations. And when people come to my temple to offer sacrifices to thank me, you will hear them say:
“We praise you,
Lord All-Powerful!
You are good to us,
and your love never fails.”
The land will once again be productive. 12-13Now it is empty, without people or animals. But when that time comes, shepherds will take care of their flocks in pastures near every town in the hill country, in the foothills to the west, in the Southern Desert, in the land of the Benjamin tribe, and around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord's Wonderful Promise
14 #
Jr 23.5,6. The Lord said:
I made a wonderful promise to Israel and Judah,#33.14 Israel and Judah: See the note at 2.4. and the days are coming when I will keep it.
15I promise that the time will come
when I will appoint a king
from the family of David,
a king who will be honest
and rule with justice.
16In those days,
Judah will be safe;
Jerusalem will have peace
and will be named,
“The Lord Gives Justice.”
17 #
2 S 7.12-16; 1 K 2.4; 1 Ch 17.11-14. The king of Israel will be one of David's descendants, 18#Nu 3.5-10. and there will always be priests from the Levi tribe serving at my altar and offering sacrifices to please me and to give thanks.#33.18 sacrifices to please me and to give thanks: See the notes at 14.12.
19Then the Lord told me:
20I, the Lord, have an agreement with day and night, so they always come at the right time. You can't break the agreement I made with them, 21and you can't break the agreements I have made with David's family and with the priests from the Levi tribe who serve at my altar. A descendant of David will always rule as king of Israel, 22and there will be more descendants of David and of the priests from the Levi tribe than stars in the sky or grains of sand on the beach.
23The Lord also said:
24You've heard foreigners insult my people by saying, “The Lord chose Israel and Judah, but now he has rejected them, and they are no longer a nation.”
25Jeremiah, I will never break my agreement with the day and the night or let the sky and the earth stop obeying my commands. 26In the same way, I will never reject the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or break my promise that they will always have a descendant of David as their king. I will be kind to my people Israel, and they will be successful again.
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