Jeremiah 33
English Standard Version
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:
(U)“‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,
for the Lord is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!’
(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.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 33:2 Septuagint; Hebrew it
- Jeremiah 33:5 That is, the torn-down houses
- Jeremiah 33:9 Hebrew And it
Jeremiah 33
Common English Bible
Restoration of Judah and Israel
33 While he was still confined to the prison quarters, the Lord’s word came to Jeremiah a second time: 2 The Lord proclaims, the Lord who made the earth,[a] who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: 3 Call to me and I will answer and reveal to you wondrous secrets that you haven’t known.
4 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims about the houses of this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah that were torn down to defend against the siege ramps and weapons 5 of the invading Babylonians.[b] They will be filled with the corpses of those slain in my fierce anger. I hid my face from the people of this city because of all their evil deeds, 6 but now I will heal and mend them. I will make them whole and bless them[c] with an abundance of peace and security. 7 I will bring back the captives of Judah and Israel, and I will rebuild them as they were at first. 8 I will cleanse them of all the wrongdoing they committed against me, and I will forgive them for all of their guilt and rebellion. 9 Then this city[d] will bring me great joy, praise, and renown before all nations on earth, when they hear of all the good I provide for them. They will be in total awe at all the good and prosperity I provide for them.
10 The Lord proclaims: You have said about this place, “It is a wasteland, without humans or animals.” Yet in the ravaged and uninhabited towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, 11 the sounds of joy and laughter and the voices of the bride and the bridegroom will again be heard. So will the voices of those who say, as thank offerings are brought to the Lord’s temple, “Give thanks to the Lord of heavenly forces, for the Lord is good and his kindness lasts forever.” I will bring back the captives of this land as they were before, says the Lord.
12 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims: This wasteland, without humans or animals—and all its towns—will again become pastures for shepherds to care for their flocks. 13 Shepherds will again count their flocks in the towns of the highlands, the western foothills and the arid southern plain, in the land of Benjamin, as well as in the outlying areas of Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, says the Lord.
14 The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill my gracious promise with the people of Israel and Judah. 15 In those days and at that time, I will raise up a righteous branch from David’s line, who will do what is just and right in the land. 16 In those days, Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is what he will be called: The Lord Is Our Righteousness. 17 The Lord proclaims: David will always have one of his descendants sit on the throne of the house of Israel. 18 And the levitical priests will always have someone in my presence to make entirely burned offerings and grain offerings, and to present sacrifices.
19 Then the Lord’s word came to Jeremiah: 20 This is what the Lord says: If one could break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night so that they wouldn’t come at their proper time, 21 only then could my covenant with my servant David and my covenant with the levitical priests who minister before me be broken; only then would David no longer have a descendant to rule on his throne. 22 And just as the stars in the sky can’t be numbered and the sand on the shore can’t be counted, so I will increase the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who minister before me.
23 Then the Lord’s word came to Jeremiah: 24 Aren’t you aware of what people are saying: “The Lord has rejected the two families that he had chosen”? They are insulting my people as if they no longer belong to me.[e] 25 The Lord proclaims: I would no sooner break my covenant with day and night or the laws of heaven and earth 26 than I would reject the descendants of Jacob and my servant David and his descendants as rulers for the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will restore the captives and have compassion on them.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 33:2 LXX the earth; MT it
- Jeremiah 33:5 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 33:6 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 33:9 Or it
- Jeremiah 33:24 Heb uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible