1 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah a second time -- and he yet detained in the court of the prison -- saying:

While Jeremiah was still shut up in the open space of the prison, the Word of the Lord came to him a second time, saying,

2 T hus said Jehovah its maker, Jehovah its former, at establishing it, Jehovah His name:

“This is what the Lord says Who made the earth. The Lord made it to last. The Lord is His name.

3 C all unto Me, and I do answer thee, yea, I declare to thee great and fenced things -- thou hast not known them.

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.’

4 F or thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, that are broken down for the mounts, and for the tool;

For this is what the Lord God of Israel says about the houses of this city and about the houses of the kings of Judah which have been torn down to make a strong wall to help in the battle against the Babylonians.

5 t hey are coming in to fight with the Chaldeans, and to fill them with the carcases of men, whom I have smitten in Mine anger, and in My fury, and whom I have hidden My face from this city, because of all their evil:

Some will come to fight with the Babylonians, and they will fill the houses with the dead bodies of men whom I have killed in My anger. I will hide My face from this city because of all their sin.

6 L o, I am increasing to it health and cure, And have healed them, and revealed to them The abundance of peace and truth.

See, I will make it well again, and I will heal them. I will let them have much peace and truth.

7 A nd I have turned back the captivity of Judah, And the captivity of Israel, And I have built them as at the first,

I will return the land to Judah and to Israel, and I will help them to become as they were before.

8 A nd cleansed them from all their iniquity, That they have sinned against Me, And I have pardoned all their iniquities, That they have sinned against Me, And that they transgressed against Me.

I will make them clean from all the sins they have done against Me. I will forgive all their sins against Me.

9 A nd it hath been to Me for a name of joy, For praise, and for beauty, to all nations of the earth, Who hear of all the good that I am doing them, And they have feared, And they have trembled for all the good, And for all the peace, that I am doing to it.

This city will make My name known. It will be to Me joy, praise and shining-greatness before all the nations of the earth that hear of all the good that I do for them. And they will fear and shake because of all the good and all the peace that I give it.’

10 T hus said Jehovah: Again heard in this place of which ye are saying, Waste it, without man and without beast, In cities of Judah, and in streets of Jerusalem, That are desolated, without man, And without inhabitant, and without beast,

“This is what the Lord says: ‘You say of this place, “It is a waste, without man or animal.” Yet in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are laid waste, with no man or animal living in them, there will again be heard

11 I s a voice of joy and a voice of gladness, Voice of bridegroom, and voice of bride, The voice of those saying, Thank Jehovah of Hosts, for Jehovah good, For His kindness to the age, Who are bringing in thanksgiving to the house of Jehovah, For I turn back the captivity of the land, As at the first, said Jehovah.

the voice of joy and the voice of happiness. In this place will be heard the voice of the man to be married and the voice of the bride, and the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to the Lord of All, for the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever.” And here will be heard the voice of those who bring a gift of thanks into the house of the Lord. For I will bring them back to the land as they were before,’ says the Lord.

12 T hus said Jehovah of Hosts: Again there is in this place -- that is waste, Without man and beast, And in all its cities -- a habitation of shepherds, Causing the flock to lie down.

“The Lord of All says, ‘This place is now a waste, without man or animal. Yet there will again be shepherds living in this place and in all its cities who can care for their sheep.

13 I n the cities of the hill-country, In the cities of the low country, And in the cities of the south, And in the land of Benjamin, And in the suburbs of Jerusalem, And in the cities of Judah, Again doth the flock pass by under the hands of the numberer, said Jehovah.

In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the valley, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the land around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who numbers them,’ says the Lord.

14 L o, days are coming, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have established the good word That I spake unto the house of Israel, And concerning the house of Judah.

‘See, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will do what I promised to the people of Israel and the people of Judah.

15 I n those days, and at that time, I cause to shoot up to David a shoot of righteousness, And he hath done judgment and righteousness in the earth.

In those days and at that time I will cause a right and good Branch of David to rise up. And He will do what is fair and right and good on the earth.

16 I n those days is Judah saved, And Jerusalem doth dwell confidently, And this he whom Jehovah proclaimeth to her: `Our Righteousness.'

In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will be safe. And this is the name it will be called: The Lord makes us right and good.’

17 F or thus said Jehovah: `Not cut off to David is one sitting on the throne of the house of Israel,

For the Lord says, ‘David will never be without a man to sit on the throne of the people of Israel.

18 A nd to the priests -- the Levites, Not cut off from before Me is one, Causing a burnt-offering to ascend, And perfuming a present, and making sacrifice -- all the days.'

And the Levite religious leaders will never be without a man before Me to give burnt gifts, to burn grain gifts, and to make gifts ready on the altar all the time.’”

19 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying,

The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

20 ` Thus said Jehovah: If ye do break My covenant of the day, And My covenant of the night, So that they are not daily and nightly in their season,

“This is what the Lord says: ‘If you can break My agreement with the day and night, so that day and night will not come at their set time,

21 A lso My covenant is broken with David My servant, So that he hath not a son reigning on his throne, And with the Levites the priests, My ministers.

then My agreement may also be broken with David My servant, that he will not have a son to rule on his throne. And then My agreement may be broken with My servants, the Levite religious leaders.

22 A s the host of the heavens is not numbered, Nor the sand of the sea measured, So I multiply the seed of David My servant, And the Levites My ministers.'

The stars of heaven cannot be numbered, and the sand of the sea cannot be weighed. In the same way I will make the children of David My servant many, as well as the Levites who serve Me.’”

23 A nd there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah, saying:

The Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

24 ` Hast thou not considered what this people have spoken, saying: The two families on which Jehovah fixed, He doth reject them, And my people they despise -- So that they are no more a people before them!

“Have you not heard what these people are saying? They say, ‘The Lord has turned away from the two families He had chosen.’ So they hate My people. They are no longer a nation in their eyes.

25 T hus said Jehovah: If My covenant not daily and nightly, The statutes of heaven and earth I have not appointed --

This is what the Lord says: ‘If I do not keep My agreement with day and night and the laws of heaven and earth,

26 A lso the seed of Jacob, and David My servant, I reject, Against taking from his seed rulers For the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, For I turn back their captivity, and have pitied them.'

then I will turn away from the children of Jacob and David My servant. Then I will not choose one of his children to rule over the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For I will bring them back to their land and will have loving-pity on them.’”