Jeremiah 33:3-34:17

English Standard Version

³^(A)Call to me and I will answer you, ^(B)and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. ⁴For 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 ^(C)the siege mounds and against the sword: ⁵They are coming in ^(D)to fight against the Chaldeans and to fill them^[a] with the dead bodies of men whom I shall strike down ^(E)in my anger and my wrath, ^(F)for I have hidden my face from this city because of all their evil. ⁶^(G)Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. ⁷^(H)I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, ^(I)and rebuild them as they were ^(J)at first. ⁸^(K)I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, ^(L)and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. ⁹^(M)And this city^[b] 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 ^(N)fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.

¹⁰“Thus says the Lord: In this place ^(O)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^(P)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 ^(Q)thank offerings to the house of the Lord:

^(R)“‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,
for the Lord is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!’

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

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

The Lord's Eternal Covenant with David

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

¹⁷“For thus says the Lord: ^(AI)David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, ¹⁸^(AJ)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.”

¹⁹The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁰^(AK)“Thus says the Lord: ^(AL)If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, ^(AM)so that day and night will not come at their appointed time, ²¹^(AN)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. ²²As ^(AO)the host of heaven cannot be numbered and ^(AP)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.”

²³The 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. ²⁵Thus says the Lord: ^(AQ)If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and earth, ²⁶then 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. ^(AR)For I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.”

Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

34 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when ^(AS)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army ^(AT)and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: ²“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to ^(AU)Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(AV)Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. ³^(AW)You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. ^(AX)You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.’ ⁴Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! ^(AY)Thus says the Lord concerning you: ^(AZ)‘You shall not die by the sword. ⁵You shall die in peace. ^(BA)And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall ^(BB)burn spices for you ^(BC)and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.”

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, ^(BD)Lachish and ^(BE)Azekah, ^(BF)for these were the only ^(BG)fortified cities of Judah that remained.

⁸The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah ^(BH)had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem ^(BI)to make a proclamation of liberty to them, ⁹^(BJ)that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, ^(BK)so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. ¹⁰And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. ¹¹But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves ^(BL)they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. ¹²The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ¹³“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when ^(BM)I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, ¹⁴^(BN)‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; ^(BO)you must set him free from your service.’ But ^(BP)your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. ¹⁵You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes ^(BQ)by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and ^(BR)you made a covenant before me in the ^(BS)house that is called by my name, ¹⁶but then you turned around ^(BT)and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, ^(BU)whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

¹⁷“Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me ^(BV)by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; ^(BW)behold, I proclaim to you liberty ^(BX)to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. ^(BY)I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 33:5 That is, the torn-down houses
Jeremiah 33:9 Hebrew And it

Jeremiah 33:3-34:17

New International Version

³‘Call^(A) to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable^(B) things you do not know.’ ⁴For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege^(C) ramps^(D) and the sword ⁵in the fight with the Babylonians^[a]: ‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath.^(E) I will hide my face^(F) from this city because of all its wickedness.

⁶“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal^(G) my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace^(H) and security. ⁷I will bring Judah^(I) and Israel back from captivity^[b]^(J) and will rebuild^(K) them as they were before.^(L) ⁸I will cleanse^(M) them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive^(N) all their sins of rebellion against me. ⁹Then this city will bring me renown,^(O) joy, praise^(P) and honor^(Q) before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble^(R) at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’

¹⁰“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say about this place, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals.”^(S) Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted,^(T) inhabited by neither people nor animals, there will be heard once more ¹¹the sounds of joy and gladness,^(U) the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings^(V) to the house of the Lord, saying,

“Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
for the Lord is good;^(W)
his love endures forever.”^(X)

For I will restore the fortunes^(Y) of the land as they were before,^(Z)’ says the Lord.

¹²“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In this place, desolate^(AA) and without people or animals^(AB)—in all its towns there will again be pastures for shepherds to rest their flocks.^(AC) ¹³In the towns of the hill^(AD) country, of the western foothills and of the Negev,^(AE) in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand^(AF) of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.

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

¹⁵“‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous^(AH) Branch^(AI) sprout from David’s line;^(AJ)
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
¹⁶In those days Judah will be saved^(AK)
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.^(AL)
This is the name by which it^[c] will be called:^(AM)
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’^(AN)

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

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

²³The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁴“Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The Lord has rejected the two kingdoms^[d]^(AY) he chose’? So they despise^(AZ) my people and no longer regard them as a nation.^(BA) ²⁵This is what the Lord says: ‘If I have not made my covenant with day and night^(BB) and established the laws^(BC) of heaven and earth,^(BD) ²⁶then I will reject^(BE) the descendants of Jacob^(BF) 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^[e]^(BG) and have compassion^(BH) on them.’”

Warning to Zedekiah

34 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples^(BI) in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem^(BJ) and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah^(BK) king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.^(BL) ³You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.^(BM) You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

⁴“‘Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;^(BN) ⁵you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire^(BO) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,^(BP) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, ⁷while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish^(BQ) and Azekah.^(BR) These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.

Freedom for Slaves

⁸The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people^(BS) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom^(BT) for the slaves. ⁹Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.^(BU) ¹⁰So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. ¹¹But afterward they changed their minds^(BV) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

¹²Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ¹³“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors^(BW) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(BX) I said, ¹⁴‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’^[f]^(BY) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention^(BZ) to me. ¹⁵Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.^(CA) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.^(CB) ¹⁶But now you have turned around^(CC) and profaned^(CD) my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.

¹⁷“Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,^(CE) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague^(CF) and famine.^(CG) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.^(CH)

Footnotes

Jeremiah 33:5 Or Chaldeans
Jeremiah 33:7 Or will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel
Jeremiah 33:16 Or he
Jeremiah 33:24 Or families
Jeremiah 33:26 Or will bring them back from captivity
Jeremiah 34:14 Deut. 15:12

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)

Jeremiah 33:3-34:17

English Standard Version

The Lord's Eternal Covenant with David

Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

Footnotes

Cross references

Jeremiah 33:3-34:17

New International Version

Warning to Zedekiah

Freedom for Slaves

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Jeremiah 33:3-34:17 English Standard Version

The Lord's Eternal Covenant with David

Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

Footnotes

Cross references

Jeremiah 33:3-34:17 New International Version

Warning to Zedekiah

Freedom for Slaves

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

Jeremiah 33:3-34:17

English Standard Version

Jeremiah 33:3-34:17

New International Version