Restoration for Israel and Judah

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (A)Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. (B)For behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, (C)when I will restore (D)the fortunes of my people, (E)Israel and Judah, says the Lord, (F)and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”

These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning (G)Israel and Judah:

“Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
    of terror, and no peace.
Ask now, and see,
    can a man bear a child?
(H)Why then do I see every man
    with his hands on his stomach (I)like a woman in labor?
    (J)Why has every face turned pale?
Alas! (K)That day is so great
    (L)there is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
    yet he shall be saved out of it.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will (M)break his (N)yoke from off your neck, and I will (O)burst your bonds, (P)and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.[a] But they shall serve the Lord their God and (Q)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10 (R)“Then fear not, (S)O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord,
    nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for behold, (T)I will save you from far away,
    (U)and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
(V)Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
    and none shall make him afraid.
11 (W)For I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
(X)I will make a full end of all the nations
    among whom I scattered you,
    but of you I will not make a full end.
(Y)I will (Z)discipline you in just measure,
    and I will by no means leave you unpunished.

12 “For thus says the Lord:
(AA)Your hurt is incurable,
    (AB)and your wound is grievous.
13 There is none to uphold your cause,
    no medicine for your wound,
    (AC)no healing for you.
14 (AD)All your lovers have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you;
for I have dealt you the blow of (AE)an enemy,
    the punishment (AF)of a merciless foe,
because your guilt is great,
    (AG)because your sins are flagrant.
15 (AH)Why do you cry out over your hurt?
    (AI)Your pain is incurable.
Because your guilt is great,
    (AJ)because your sins are flagrant,
    I have done these things to you.
16 (AK)Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured,
    and (AL)all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
(AM)those who plunder you shall be plundered,
    (AN)and all who prey on you I will make a prey.
17 (AO)For I will restore (AP)health to you,
    and (AQ)your wounds I will heal,
declares the Lord,
because (AR)they have called you an outcast:
    (AS)‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’

18 “Thus says the Lord:
Behold, (AT)I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
    and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city shall be rebuilt on (AU)its mound,
    and the palace shall stand where it used to be.
19 (AV)Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,
    and the voices of those who celebrate.
(AW)I will multiply them, and they shall not be few;
    I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.
20 (AX)Their children shall be as they were of old,
    and their congregation shall be established before me,
    and I will punish all who oppress them.
21 (AY)Their prince shall be one of themselves;
    (AZ)their ruler shall come out from their midst;
(BA)I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me,
    (BB)for who would dare of himself to approach me?
declares the Lord.
22 (BC)And you shall be my people,
    and I will be your God.”

23 (BD)Behold (BE)the storm of the Lord!
    Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
    it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
24 (BF)The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
    until he has executed and accomplished
    the intentions of his mind.
(BG)In the latter days you will understand this.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 30:8 Or serve him

THE SCROLL OF COMFORT

Healing and restoration for my people

30 Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: Write down in a scroll all the words I have spoken to you. The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will bring back my people Israel and Judah from captivity,[a] says the Lord. I will bring them home to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they will possess it. Here are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:

The Lord proclaims:
I[b] hear screams of panic and terror;
    no one is safe.
Ask and see:
    Can men bear children?
Then why do I see every man
    bent over in pain,[c] as if he’s in labor?
    Why have all turned pale?
That day is awful, beyond words.
    A time of unspeakable pain
        for my people Jacob.
    But they will be delivered from it.

At that time, I will break the yoke off their[d] necks and remove their[e] shackles. Foreigners will no longer enslave them, declares the Lord of heavenly forces. They will serve the Lord their God and the king whom I will raise up for them from David’s family.

10 So don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,
    declares the Lord,
        Don’t lose hope, Israel.
I will deliver you from faraway places
    and your children from the land of their exile.
        My people Jacob will again be safe and sound,
            with no one harassing them.
11 I am with you and will rescue you,
    declares the Lord.
I will put an end to all the nations
    where I have scattered you.
But I won’t put an end to you.
    I won’t let you remain unpunished:
        I will discipline you as you deserve.

12 This is what the Lord says:
Your injury is incurable;
    your illness is grave.
13 No one comes to your aid;
    no one attends to your wound;
        your disease is incurable.
14 All your lovers disregard you;
    they write you off as a lost cause,
    because I have dealt harshly with you
        as an enemy would,
    because your guilt is great
            and your sins are many.
15 Why cry out for relief from your pain?
    Your wound is incurable.
I have done these things to you,
    because your guilt is great
        and your sins are many.

16 Yet all who ravage you will be ravaged;
    all who oppress you will go into exile.
Those who rob you will be robbed,
    and all who plunder you will be plundered.
17 I will restore your health,
    and I will heal your wounds,
        declares the Lord,
    because you were labeled an outcast,
        “Zion, the lost cause.”

18 The Lord proclaims:
I will restore Jacob’s tents
    and have pity on their birthplace.
Their city will be rebuilt on its ruins
    and the palace in its rightful place.
19 There will be laughter
    and songs of thanks.
I will add to their numbers
    so they don’t dwindle away.
I will honor them
    so they aren’t humiliated.
20 Their children will thrive as they did long ago,
    and their community will be established before me.
        I will punish their oppressors.
21 They will have their own leader;
    their ruler will come from among them.
I will let him approach me,
    and he will draw near.
Who would dare approach me
    unless I let them come?
        declares the Lord.
22 You will be my people,
    and I will be your God.

23 Look! The Lord’s anger breaks out like a violent storm,
    a fierce wind that strikes the heads of the wicked.
24 The Lord’s fierce anger won’t turn back
    until God’s[f] purposes are entirely accomplished.
In the days to come,
    you will understand what this means.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 30:3 Or restore the fortunes
  2. Jeremiah 30:5 Or We
  3. Jeremiah 30:6 Or with his hands on his groin
  4. Jeremiah 30:8 Or your
  5. Jeremiah 30:8 Or your
  6. Jeremiah 30:24 Or his or its