The Lord Promises Peace

33 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still ^(A)shut up in the court of the guard: ² “Thus says ^(B)the Lord who made the earth,^[a] the Lord who formed it to establish it—^(C)the Lord is his name: ^3 (D)Call to me and I will answer you, ^(E)and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. ⁴ For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to make a defense against ^(F)the siege mounds and against the sword: ⁵ They are coming in ^(G)to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them^[b] with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down ^(H)in my anger and my wrath, ^(I)for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil. ^6 (J)Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. ^7 (K)I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, ^(L)and rebuild them as they were ^(M)at first. ^8 (N)I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, ^(O)and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. ^9 (P)And this city^[c] shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall ^(Q)fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

¹⁰ “Thus says the Lord: In this place ^(R)of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast,’ in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again ^11 (S)the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring ^(T)thank offerings to the house of the Lord:

^(V)For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.

¹² “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(W)In this place that is waste, without man or beast, and in all of its cities, there shall again be ^(X)habitations of shepherds ^(Y)resting their flocks. ^13 (Z)In the cities of the hill country, ^(AA)in the cities of the Shephelah, ^(AB)and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin, ^(AC)the places about Jerusalem, ^(AD)and in the cities of Judah, ^(AE)flocks shall again pass under the hands ^(AF)of the one who counts them, says the Lord.

The Lord's Eternal Covenant with David

^14 (AG)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when ^(AH)I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous ^(AI)Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved, ^(AJ)and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ^(AK)‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

¹⁷ “For thus says the Lord: ^(AL)David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, ^18 (AM)and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever.”

¹⁹ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ^20 (AN)“Thus says the Lord: ^(AO)If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, ^(AP)so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, ^21 (AQ)then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. ²² As ^(AR)the host of heaven cannot be numbered and ^(AS)the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.”

²³ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴ “Have you not observed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two clans that he chose’? Thus they have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight. ²⁵ Thus says the Lord: ^(AT)If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, ²⁶ then I will reject the offspring of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ^(AU)For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

Christ's Sacrifice Once for All

10 For since the law has but ^(A)a shadow ^(B)of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, ^(C)it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. ² Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But ^(D)in these sacrifices ^(E)there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴ For ^(F)it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Consequently, ^(G)when Christ^[a] came into the world, he said,

⁸ When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in ^(I)sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), ⁹ then he added, ^(J)“Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will ^(K)we have been sanctified through the offering of ^(L)the body of Jesus Christ ^(M)once for all.

¹¹ And every priest stands ^(N)daily at his service, ^(O)offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, ^(P)which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ^[b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he ^(Q)sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time ^(R)until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering ^(S)he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁷ then he adds,

¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

The Full Assurance of Faith

^19 (V)Therefore, brothers,^[c] since we have confidence to enter ^(W)the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by ^(X)the new and living way that he opened for us through ^(Y)the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have ^(Z)a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts ^(AA)sprinkled clean ^(AB)from an evil conscience and our bodies ^(AC)washed with pure water. ^23 (AD)Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for ^(AE)he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And ^(AF)let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ^25 (AG)not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ^(AH)all the more as you see ^(AI)the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For ^(AJ)if we go on sinning deliberately ^(AK)after receiving the knowledge of the truth, ^(AL)there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ^27 (AM)but a fearful expectation of judgment, and ^(AN)a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ^28 (AO)Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy ^(AP)on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one ^(AQ)who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned ^(AR)the blood of the covenant ^(AS)by which he was sanctified, and has ^(AT)outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, ^(AU)“Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, ^(AV)“The Lord will judge his people.” ^31 (AW)It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after ^(AX)you were enlightened, you endured ^(AY)a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being ^(AZ)publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For ^(BA)you had compassion on those in prison, and ^(BB)you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had ^(BC)a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has ^(BD)a great reward. ³⁶ For ^(BE)you have need of endurance, so that ^(BF)when you have done the will of God you may ^(BG)receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

By Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of ^(BK)things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by ^(BL)the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of ^(BM)things that are visible.

⁴ By faith ^(BN)Abel offered to God ^(BO)a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And ^(BP)through his faith, though he died, he ^(BQ)still speaks. ⁵ By faith ^(BR)Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God ^(BS)must believe that he exists and ^(BT)that he rewards those who seek him. ⁷ By faith ^(BU)Noah, being warned by God concerning ^(BV)events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of ^(BW)the righteousness that comes by faith.

⁸ By faith ^(BX)Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place ^(BY)that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he went to live in ^(BZ)the land of promise, as in a foreign land, ^(CA)living in tents ^(CB)with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to ^(CC)the city that has ^(CD)foundations, ^(CE)whose designer and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith ^(CF)Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered ^(CG)him faithful who had promised. ¹² Therefore from one man, and ^(CH)him as good as dead, were born descendants ^(CI)as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

¹³ These all died in faith, ^(CJ)not having received the things promised, but ^(CK)having seen them and greeted them from afar, and ^(CL)having acknowledged that they were ^(CM)strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, ^(CN)they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed ^(CO)to be called their God, for ^(CP)he has prepared for them a city.

¹⁷ By faith ^(CQ)Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, ^(CR)“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” ^19 (CS)He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. ²⁰ By faith ^(CT)Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. ²¹ By faith ^(CU)Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ^(CV)bowing in worship over the head of his staff. ²² By faith ^(CW)Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

²³ By faith ^(CX)Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of ^(CY)the king's edict. ²⁴ By faith Moses, when he was grown up, ^(CZ)refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, ^25 (DA)choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy ^(DB)the fleeting pleasures of sin. ^26 (DC)He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to ^(DD)the reward. ²⁷ By faith he ^(DE)left Egypt, ^(DF)not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured ^(DG)as seeing him who is invisible. ²⁸ By faith ^(DH)he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

²⁹ By faith ^(DI)the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. ³⁰ By faith ^(DJ)the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. ³¹ By faith ^(DK)Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she ^(DL)had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of ^(DM)Gideon, ^(DN)Barak, ^(DO)Samson, ^(DP)Jephthah, of ^(DQ)David and ^(DR)Samuel and the prophets— ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, ^(DS)stopped the mouths of lions, ^34 (DT)quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, ^(DU)became mighty in war, ^(DV)put foreign armies to flight. ^35 (DW)Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even ^(DX)chains and imprisonment. ^37 (DY)They were stoned, they were sawn in two,^{[d] (DZ)}they were killed with the sword. ^(EA)They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy—^(EB)wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹ And all these, ^(EC)though commended through their faith, ^(ED)did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, ^(EE)that apart from us they should not be made perfect.