Jeremiah
Chapter 33
1 Again, God spoke to Jeremiah while he was still locked up in the prison yard, saying,
2 God, who made it and shaped it to set it firm, has this to say; God is his name.
3 Ask me, and I will respond to you, and tell you about great and powerful things you do not know.
4 God, the God of Israel, says this about the houses of this city and about the houses of the kings of Judah that are torn down by attackers and by weapons:
5 They come to battle the Chaldeans, only to be filled with the bodies of those I have killed in my anger and fury, and because of all the evil, I have turned away from this city.
6 Look, I will bring them health and healing, and I will heal them and show them a lot of peace and truth.
7 I will bring back the people of Judah and Israel from captivity and rebuild them as before.
8 I will clean them from all their wrongs which made them sin against me; and I will forgive all their sins and offenses against me.
9 It will be known to me as a joyful name, praised and honored by all the nations of the earth. They will hear of all the good I do for them. They will be in awe and shake with fear because of all the goodness and success I bring to it.
10 God says: In this place you think will be empty, with no people or animals, and in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are empty, with no people or animals living there, you will hear noise again.
11 The sounds of happiness and joy, the sounds of the groom and the bride, the sounds of people saying, “Praise God, for He is good; His kindness lasts forever,” and the sounds of those bringing thank-you gifts to God’s house. I will bring back the people to their land as before, says God.
12 God says: Once more in this empty place, where no people or animals are, and in all its cities, shepherds will live and have their sheep rest.
13 In the mountain cities, valley cities, southern cities, Benjamin’s land, near Jerusalem, and in Judah’s cities, flocks will again pass under the hands of the one counting them, says God.
14 Look, the time is coming, says God, when I will do the good thing I promised to the people of Israel and Judah.
15 In those days and at that time, I will make a Righteous Branch sprout for David; he will carry out fair judgment and justice in the land.
16 In those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: God our righteousness.
17 God says David will always have someone from his family to be king of Israel.
18 The priest Levites will always have someone to offer burnt offerings, prepare grain offerings, and make sacrifices to God.
19 God’s message came to Jeremiah, saying,
20 God says, if you can end my agreement with the day and night so they don’t happen at the right times;
21 If that happens, my agreement with my servant David might also break, so he won’t have a son to rule on his throne, along with the Levite priests, who serve me.
22 Just as you can’t count the stars or measure the sand on the beach, I will greatly increase the descendants of my servant David and the priests who serve me.
23 God’s message came to Jeremiah, saying,
24 Do you not see what these people are saying? They say, “God has rejected the two families he chose,” so they look down on my people as if they aren’t a nation anymore.
25 God says, “If my agreement is not with day and night, and if I haven’t set the laws of heaven and earth;
26 Then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant, so I won’t choose any of his descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will bring back their captives and show them mercy.