The Righteous Branch

23 “Woe to the shepherds^(A) who are destroying and scattering^(B) the sheep of my pasture!”^(C) declares the Lord. ² Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds^(D) who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock^(E) and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil^(F) you have done,” declares the Lord. ³ “I myself will gather the remnant^(G) of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture,^(H) where they will be fruitful and increase in number. ⁴ I will place shepherds^(I) over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid^(J) or terrified, nor will any be missing,^(K)” declares the Lord.

⁷ “So then, the days are coming,”^(S) declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’^{(T) 8} but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”^(U)

¹⁴ “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise^(A) I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

¹⁷ For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail^(I) to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, ¹⁸ nor will the Levitical^(J) priests^(K) ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.^(L)’”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰ “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day^(M) and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time,^{(N) 21} then my covenant^(O) with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites^(P) who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.^{(Q) 22} I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless^(R) as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”

²³ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴ “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms^[b](S) he chose’? So they despise^(T) my people and no longer regard them as a nation.^{(U) 25} This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night^(V) and established the laws^(W) of heaven and earth,^{(X) 26} then I will reject^(Y) the descendants of Jacob^(Z) and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes^[c](AA) and have compassion^(AB) on them.’”

²⁷ “The days are coming,”^(A) declares the Lord, “when I will plant^(B) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸ Just as I watched^(C) over them to uproot^(D) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,^(E) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”^(F) declares the Lord. ²⁹ “In those days people will no longer say,

³⁰ Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;^(I) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

³⁵ This is what the Lord says,

³⁷ This is what the Lord says:

³⁸ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt^(AE) for me from the Tower of Hananel^(AF) to the Corner Gate.^{(AG) 39} The measuring line^(AH) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. ⁴⁰ The whole valley^(AI) where dead bodies^(AJ) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley^(AK) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,^(AL) will be holy^(AM) to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”