Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah:

“For this is what the Lord says:

[a]I have heard a sound of (A)terror,
Of fear, and there is no peace.
Ask now, and see
If a male can give birth.
Why do I see every man
With his hands on his waist, (B)as a woman in childbirth?
And why have all faces turned pale?
Woe, for that (C)day is great,
There is (D)none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s (E)distress,
Yet he will be (F)saved from it.

‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of armies, ‘that I will (G)break his yoke from [b]their necks and will tear to pieces [c]their (H)restraints; and strangers will no longer (I)make [d]them their slaves. But they shall serve the Lord their God and (J)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10 And (K)do not fear, Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,
‘And do not be dismayed, Israel;
For behold, I am going to save you (L)from far away,
And your [e]descendants from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return and be (M)at peace, without anxiety,
And (N)no one will make him afraid.
11 For (O)I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;
For I will completely (P)destroy all the nations where I have scattered you,
Only I will (Q)not destroy you completely.
But I will (R)discipline you fairly
And will by no means leave you unpunished.’

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 30:5 Lit We
  2. Jeremiah 30:8 As in LXX; MT your neck
  3. Jeremiah 30:8 As in LXX; MT your
  4. Jeremiah 30:8 Lit him their slave
  5. Jeremiah 30:10 Lit seed

This is the message the Lord gave concerning Israel and Judah. This is what the Lord says:

“I hear cries of fear;
    there is terror and no peace.
Now let me ask you a question:
    Do men give birth to babies?
Then why do they stand there, ashen-faced,
    hands pressed against their sides
    like a woman in labor?
In all history there has never been such a time of terror.
    It will be a time of trouble for my people Israel.[a]
    Yet in the end they will be saved!
For in that day,”
    says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
“I will break the yoke from their necks
    and snap their chains.
Foreigners will no longer be their masters.
    For my people will serve the Lord their God
and their king descended from David—
    the king I will raise up for them.

10 “So do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant;
    do not be dismayed, Israel,”
    says the Lord.
“For I will bring you home again from distant lands,
    and your children will return from their exile.
Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet,
    and no one will terrorize them.
11 For I am with you and will save you,”
    says the Lord.
“I will completely destroy the nations where I have scattered you,
    but I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you, but with justice;
    I cannot let you go unpunished.”

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Footnotes

  1. 30:7 Hebrew Jacob; also in 30:10b, 18. See note on 5:20.