Jeremiah
Chapter 30
1 God gave a message to Jeremiah, saying,
2 God of Israel says, “Write down all the words I have told you in a book.”
3 Look, the time is coming, says God, when I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah, says God. I will bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors, and they will own it.
4 Here are the words that God said about Israel and Judah.
5 God says, “We have heard a voice shaking, scared, and not peaceful.”
6 Ask now, can a man have a baby? Why do I see every man with his hands on his hips like a woman in labor, with every face turned pale?
7 Oh no! That day will be terrible; there’s no other day like it. It’s going to be a time of great trouble for Jacob, but he will be rescued from it.
8 On that day, God says, I will remove the yoke from your neck and break your chains, so that strangers will no longer use you for their own gain.
9 But they will serve their God, and their king David, whom I will bring to them.
10 So don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob, says God; nor be scared, Israel. Look, I will rescue you from far away, and your descendants from the land where they are captives. Jacob will come back, be at peace, be calm, and no one will frighten him.
11 I am with you, says God, to save you. Even if I completely destroy all the nations where I dispersed you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you fairly but will not let you go unpunished.
12 God says your injury has no cure, and your wound is very serious.
13 No one is there to argue for you so you can be healed; you have no medicine to make you better.
14 All your friends have forgotten you; they don’t look for you; because I have hurt you like an enemy, with harsh punishment, due to your many sins, which grew too much.
15 Why are you crying about your pain? Your sadness can’t be healed because you’ve done so many wrong things: since you kept sinning, I let this happen to you.
16 So, everyone who eats you up will be eaten; and all your enemies will be captured; those who rob you will be robbed, and all who attack you, I will give as victims.
17 I will make you healthy again and heal your injuries, God says, because they called you an Outcast, saying, “This is Zion, whom no one cares for.”
18 God says, “Look, I will bring back the people to Jacob’s tents and be kind to their homes. The city will be rebuilt on its ruins, and the palace will stand as it used to.”
19 From them will come thanksgiving and joyful voices. I will increase their number, they won’t be few; I will honor them, and they won’t be unimportant.
20 Their children will be like before, and their community will be secure with me. I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their leaders will come from among them, and their ruler will rise from their midst; I will bring him close, and he will come to me. Who is the one who devoted himself to come to me? says God.
22 You will be my people, and I will be your God.
23 Look, God’s strong wind blows with anger, never stopping; it will come down harshly on the wicked.
24 God’s intense anger will not stop until he has finished his work and carried out the plans of his heart. In the future, you will think about this.