Excellence of the Restored Nation

33 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still (A)shut up in the court of the prison, saying, “Thus says the Lord (B)who made it, the Lord who formed it to establish it (C)(the[a] Lord is His name): (D)‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and [b]mighty things, which you do not know.’

“For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been pulled down to fortify against (E)the siege mounds and the sword: ‘They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but only to (F)fill their places with the dead bodies of men whom I will slay in My anger and My fury, all for whose wickedness I have hidden My face from this city. Behold, (G)I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. And (H)I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places (I)as at the first. I will (J)cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. (K)Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall (L)fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.’

10 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—(M)of which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 11 the (N)voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say:

(O)“Praise the Lord of hosts,
For the Lord is good,
For His mercy endures forever”—

and of those who will bring (P)the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,’ says the Lord.

12 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: (Q)‘In this place which is desolate, without man and without beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be a dwelling place of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13 (R)In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the South, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks shall again (S)pass under the hands of him who counts them,’ says the Lord.

14 (T)‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that (U)I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah:

15 ‘In those days and at that time
I will cause to grow up to David
A (V)Branch of righteousness;
He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
And Jerusalem will dwell safely.
And this is the name by which she will be called:

[c]THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’

17 “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never (W)lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 nor shall the (X)priests, the Levites, lack a man to (Y)offer burnt offerings before Me, to [d]kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’ ”

The Permanence of God’s Covenant

19 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 20 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If you can break My covenant with the day and My covenant with the night, so that there will not be day and night in their season, 21 then (Z)My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levites, the priests, My ministers. 22 As (AA)the host of heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea measured, so will I (AB)multiply the descendants of David My servant and the (AC)Levites who minister to Me.’ ”

23 Moreover the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not considered what these people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord has chosen, He has also cast them off’? Thus they have (AD)despised My people, as if they should no more be a nation before them.

25 “Thus says the Lord: ‘If (AE)My covenant is not with day and night, and if I have not (AF)appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26 (AG)then I will (AH)cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will not take any of his descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will cause their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 33:2 Heb. YHWH
  2. Jeremiah 33:3 inaccessible
  3. Jeremiah 33:16 Heb. YHWH Tsidkenu; cf. Jer. 23:5, 6
  4. Jeremiah 33:18 burn

Israel’s Restoration

33 While he was still confined in the guard’s courtyard,(A) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time: ‘The Lord who made the earth,[a] the Lord who forms it to establish it,(B) the Lord is his name,(C) says this: Call to me and I will answer you(D) and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.(E) For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city and the palaces of Judah’s kings, the ones torn down for defence against the assault ramps and the sword:(F) The people coming to fight the Chaldeans will fill the houses with the corpses of their own men that I strike down in my wrath and fury. I have hidden my face(G) from this city because of all their evil. Yet I will certainly bring health(H) and healing to it and will indeed heal them. I will let them experience the abundance[b] of true peace.(I) I will restore the fortunes[c] of Judah and of Israel and will rebuild them as in former times.(J) I will purify them from all the iniquity they have committed against me,(K) and I will forgive all the iniquities they have committed against me, rebelling against me. This city will bear on my behalf a name of joy, praise, and glory(L) before all the nations of the earth, who will hear of all the prosperity I will give them. They will tremble with awe because of all the good and all the peace(M) I will bring about for them.

10 ‘This is what the Lord says: In this place, which you say is a ruin,(N) without people or animals – that is, in Judah’s cities and Jerusalem’s streets that are a desolation without people, without inhabitants, and without animals – there will be heard again 11 a sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the bride,(O) and the voice of those saying,

Give thanks to the Lord of Armies,
for the Lord is good;
his faithful love endures for ever

as they bring thanksgiving sacrifices to the temple of the Lord. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as in former times, says the Lord.

12 ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: In this desolate place – without people or animals – and in all its cities there will once more be a grazing land where shepherds may rest flocks.(P) 13 The flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them(Q) in the cities of the hill country,(R) the cities of the Judean foothills, the cities of the Negev, the land of Benjamin – the areas around Jerusalem and in Judah’s cities, says the Lord.

God’s Covenant with David

14 ‘Look, the days are coming’ –
this is the Lord’s declaration –
‘when I will fulfil the good promise
that I have spoken
concerning the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.(S)
15 In those days and at that time
I will cause a Righteous Branch(T)
to sprout up for David,
and he will administer justice
and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will dwell securely,(U)
and this is what she will be named:
The Lord Is Our Righteousness.[d]

17 ‘For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel.(V) 18 The Levitical priests will never fail to have a man always before me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices.’(W)

19 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 ‘This is what the Lord says: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night so that day and night cease to come at their regular time,(X) 21 then also my covenant with my servant David(Y) may be broken. If that could happen, then he would not have a son reigning on his throne and the Levitical priests would not be my ministers.(Z) 22 Even as the stars of heaven cannot be counted, and the sand of the sea cannot be measured,(AA) so too I will make innumerable the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who minister to me.’

23 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 ‘Have you not noticed what these people have said? They say, “The Lord has rejected the two families he had chosen.”(AB) My people are treated with contempt and no longer regarded as a nation among them. 25 This is what the Lord says: If I do not keep my covenant with the day and with the night, and if I fail to establish the fixed order of heaven and earth,(AC) 26 then I might also reject the descendants of Jacob and of my servant David. That is, I would not take rulers from his descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But in fact, I will restore their fortunes[e] and have compassion on them.’(AD)

Footnotes

  1. 33:2 LXX; MT reads made it
  2. 33:6 Or fragrance; Hb obscure
  3. 33:7 Or will end the captivity, also in v. 11
  4. 33:16 = Yahweh-zidkenu
  5. 33:26 Or I will end their captivity

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: “Thus says (B)the Lord who made the earth,[a] the Lord who formed it to establish it—(C)the Lord is his name: (D)Call to me and I will answer you, (E)and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. 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: 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. (J)Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. (K)I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, (L)and rebuild them as they were (M)at first. (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. (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

  1. Jeremiah 33:2 Septuagint; Hebrew it
  2. Jeremiah 33:5 That is, the torn-down houses
  3. Jeremiah 33:9 Hebrew And it

33 1 The Prophet is monished of the Lord to pray for the deliverance of the people which the Lord promised. 8 God forgiveth sins for his own glory. 15 Of the birth of Christ. 20 The kingdom of Christ in the Church shall never be ended.

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time (while he was yet shut up in the [a]court of prison) saying,

Thus saith the Lord, the [b]maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, and established it, the Lord is his Name.

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the Kings of Judah, which are destroyed by the [c]mounts, and by the sword,

They come to [d]fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill themselves with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my wrath: for I have hid my [e]face from this city, because of all their wickedness.

¶ Behold, I [f]will give it health and amendment: for I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace, and truth.

And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them as at the first.

And I will [g]cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me: yea, I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned against me, and whereby they have rebelled against me.

And it shall be to me a name, a [h]joy, a praise, and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness, and for all the wealth, that I show unto this city.

10 Thus saith the Lord, Again there shall be heard in this place (which ye say shall be desolate, without man, and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast)

11 The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, [i]Praise the Lord of hosts, because the Lord is good: for his mercy endureth forever, and of them that offer the sacrifice of praise in the house of the Lord, for I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the Lord.

12 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Again in this place, which is desolate, without man, and without beast, and in all the cities thereof there shall be dwelling for shepherds to rest their flocks.

13 In the cities of the [j]mountains, in the cities in the plain, and in the cities of the South, and in the land of Benjamin and about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah shall the sheep pass again, under the hand of him that telleth them, saith the Lord.

14 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing, which I have promised unto the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah.

15 In those days, and at that time will I cause [k]the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely, and he that shall call [l]her, is the Lord our [m]righteousness.

17 For thus saith the Lord, David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.

18 Neither shall the Priests and Levites want a man before me to offer [n]burnt offerings, and to offer meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

19 ¶ And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying,

20 Thus saith the Lord, If you can break my covenant of the [o]day, and my covenant of the night, that there should not be day and night in their season,

21 Then may my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne, and with the Levites, and Priests my ministers.

22 As the army of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites, that minister unto me.

23 ¶ Moreover, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

24 Considerest thou not what [p]this people have spoken, saying, The two families, which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

25 Thus saith the Lord, If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the order of heaven and earth,

26 Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob and David my servant, and not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have compassion on them.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 33:1 Which was in the king’s house at Jerusalem, as Jer. 32:1, 2.
  2. Jeremiah 33:2 To wit, of Jerusalem, who as he made it, so will he preserve it, read Isa. 37:26.
  3. Jeremiah 33:4 Read Jer. 32:24.
  4. Jeremiah 33:5 The Jews think to overcome the Chaldeans, but they seek their own destruction.
  5. Jeremiah 33:5 He showeth that God’s favor is cause of all prosperity, as his anger is of all adversity.
  6. Jeremiah 33:6 In the midst of his threatenings God remembereth his, and comforteth them.
  7. Jeremiah 33:8 Declaring that there is no deliverance nor joy, but whereas we feel remission of sins.
  8. Jeremiah 33:9 Whereby he showeth that the Church wherein is remission of sins, is God’s honor and glory, so that whosoever is enemy to it, laboreth to dishonor God.
  9. Jeremiah 33:11 Which was a song appointed for the Levites to praise God by, 1 Chron. 16:8; Ps. 105:1; Isa. 12:4; Ps. 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; 136:1.
  10. Jeremiah 33:13 Meaning, that all the country of Judah shall be inhabited again.
  11. Jeremiah 33:15 That is, I will send the Messiah, which shall come of the house of David, of whom this prophecy is meant, as testify all the Jews, and that which is written, Jer. 23:5.
  12. Jeremiah 33:16 To wit, Christ that shall call his Church.
  13. Jeremiah 33:16 That is, Christ is our Lord God, our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, 1 Cor. 1:30.
  14. Jeremiah 33:18 That is chiefly meant of the spiritual sacrifice of thanksgiving, which is left to the Church in the time of Christ, who was the everlasting Priest, and the everlasting sacrifice figured by the sacrifices of the Law.
  15. Jeremiah 33:20 Read Jer. 31:35.
  16. Jeremiah 33:24 Meaning, the Chaldeans and other infidels which thought God had utterly cast off Judah and Israel or Benjamin, because he did correct them for a time for their amendment.