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Israel Will Return to the Lord

30 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. The Lord said, “I am the Lord. I am the God of Israel. I say, ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. A new day is coming,’ ” announces the Lord. “ ‘At that time I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from where they have been taken as prisoners. I will bring them back to this land. I gave it to their people of long ago to have as their own,’ ” says the Lord.

Here are the words the Lord spoke about Israel and Judah. He said, “I am the Lord. I say,

“ ‘Cries of fear are heard.
    There is terror. There isn’t any peace.
Ask and see.
    Can a man give birth to children?
Then why do I see every strong man
    with his hands on his stomach?
Each of them is acting like a woman having a baby.
    Every face is as pale as death.
How awful that day will be!
    No other day will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for the people of Jacob.
    But they will be saved out of it.

“ ‘At that time I will break the yoke off their necks,’
    announces the Lord who rules over all.
‘I will tear off the ropes that hold them.
    People from other lands will not make them slaves anymore.
Instead, they will serve me.
    And they will serve David their king.
I will raise him up for them.
    I am the Lord their God.

10 “ ‘People of Jacob, do not be afraid.
    You are my servant.
Israel, do not be terrified,’ ”
    announces the Lord.
“ ‘You can be sure that I will save you.
    I will bring you out of a place far away.
I will bring your children back
    from the land where they were taken.
Your people will have peace and security again.
    And no one will make them afraid.
11 I am with you. I will save you,’ ”
    announces the Lord.
“ ‘I will completely destroy all the nations
    among which I scatter you.
    But I will not completely destroy you.
I will correct you. But I will be fair.
    I will not let you go without any punishment.’ ”

12 The Lord says,

“Your wound can’t be cured.
    Your pain can’t be healed.
13 No one will stand up for you.
    There isn’t any medicine for your sore.
    There isn’t any healing for you.
14 All those who were going to help you have forgotten you.
    They do not care about you.
I have struck you as if I were your enemy.
    I have punished you as if I were very mean.
That is because your guilt is so great.
    You have sinned so much.
15 Why do you cry out about your wound?
    Your pain can’t be healed.
Your guilt is very great.
    And you have committed many sins.
    That is why I have done all these things to you.

16 “But everyone who destroys you will be destroyed.
    All your enemies will be forced
    to leave their countries.
Those who steal from you will be stolen from.
    I will take the belongings
    of those who take things from you.
17 But I will make you healthy again.
    I will heal your wounds,” announces the Lord.
“That’s because you have been thrown out.
    You are called Zion, the one no one cares about.”

18 The Lord says,

“I will bless Jacob’s people with great success again.
    I will show tender love to Israel.
Jerusalem will be rebuilt where it was destroyed.
    The palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From those places the songs of people giving thanks will be heard.
    The sound of great joy will come from there.
I will cause there to be more of my people.
    There will not be fewer of them.
I will bring them honor.
    People will have respect for them.
20 Things will be as they used to be for Jacob’s people.
    I will make their community firm and secure.
    I will punish everyone who treats them badly.
21 Their leader will be one of their own people.
    Their ruler will rise up from among them.
I will bring him near.
    And he will come close to me.
    He will commit himself to serve me,”
    announces the Lord.
22 “So you will be my people.
    And I will be your God.”

23 A storm will burst out
    because of the Lord’s great anger.
A strong wind will sweep down
    on the heads of evil people.
24 The Lord’s great anger won’t turn back.
    He will accomplish everything
    his heart plans to do.
In days to come
    you will understand this.

31 “At that time I will be the God of all the families of Israel,” announces the Lord. “And they will be my people.”

The Lord says,

“Some of my people will live through
    everything their enemies do to them.
They will find help in the desert.
    I will come to give peace and rest to Israel.”

The Lord appeared to us in the past. He said,

“I have loved you with a love that lasts forever.
    I have kept on loving you with a kindness that never fails.
I will build you up again.
    Nation of Israel, you will be rebuilt.
Once again you will use your tambourines to celebrate.
    You will go out and dance with joy.
Once again you will plant vineyards
    on the hills of Samaria.
Farmers will plant them.
    They will enjoy their fruit.
There will be a day when those on guard duty will cry out.
    They will stand on the hills of Ephraim.
    And they will shout,
‘Come! Let’s go up to Zion.
    Let’s go up to where the Lord our God is.’ ”

The Lord says,

“Sing for joy because the people of Jacob are blessed.
    Shout because the Lord has made them the greatest nation.
Make your praises heard.
    Say, ‘Lord, save your people.
    Save the people who are left alive in Israel.’
I will bring them from the land of the north.
    I will gather them from one end of the earth to the other.
Even those who are blind and those who can’t walk
    will be among them.
Pregnant women and women having their babies
    will be among them also.
    Many of them will return.
Their eyes will be filled with tears as they come.
    They will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead them beside streams of water.
    I will lead them on a level path
    where they will not trip or fall.
I am Israel’s father.
    And Ephraim is my oldest son.

10 “Listen to my message, you nations.
    Announce it on shores far away.
Say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them.
    He will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11 I will set the people of Jacob free.
    I will save them from those who are stronger than they are.
12 They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion.
    They will be joyful because of everything I give them.
I give them grain, olive oil and fresh wine.
    I give them the young animals in their flocks and herds.
Israel will be like a garden that has plenty of water.
    And they will not be sad anymore.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad.
    And so will the men, young and old alike.
I will turn their mourning into gladness.
    I will comfort them.
    And I will give them joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests. I will give them more than enough.
    And my people will be filled with the good things I give them,”
    announces the Lord.

15 The Lord says,

“A voice is heard in Ramah.
    It is the sound of weeping and deep sadness.
Rachel is weeping for her children.
    She refuses to be comforted,
    because they are gone.”

16 The Lord says,

“Do not weep anymore.
    Do not let tears fall from your eyes.
I will reward you for your work,”
    announces the Lord.
    “Your children will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your children,”
    announces the Lord.
    “Your children will return to their own land.

18 “I have heard the groans of Ephraim’s people. They say,
    ‘You corrected us like a calf you were training.
    And we have been trained.
Bring us back to you, and we will come back.
    You are the Lord our God.
19 After we wandered away from you,
    we turned away from our sins.
After we learned our lesson,
    we beat our chests in sorrow.
We were full of shame.
    What we did when we were young brought dishonor on us.’
20 Aren’t the people of Ephraim my dear children?
    Aren’t they the children I take delight in?
I often speak against them.
    But I still remember them.
So my heart longs for them.
    I love them with a tender love,”
    announces the Lord.

21 The Lord says, “Put up road signs.
    Set up stones to show the way.
Look carefully for the highway.
    Look for the road you will take.
Return, people of Israel.
    Return to your towns.
22 How long will you wander,
    my people Israel, who are not faithful to me?
I will create a new thing on earth.
    The woman will return to the man.”

23 The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “I will bring them back from the place where they were taken. Here is what the people in Judah and its towns will say once again. ‘May the Lord bless you, you successful city. Sacred mountain, may he bless you.’ 24 People will live together in Judah and all its towns. Farmers and shepherds will live there. 25 I will give rest to those who are tired. I will satisfy those who are weak.”

26 When I heard this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

27 Here is what the Lord announces. “The days are coming when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah again. I will plant them with children and young animals. 28 I watched over Israel and Judah to pull them up by the roots. I tore them down. I crushed them. I destroyed them. I brought horrible trouble on them. But now I will watch over them to build them up and plant them,” announces the Lord. 29 “In those days people will no longer say,

“ ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes.
    But the children have a bitter taste in their mouths.’

30 Instead, everyone will die for their own sin. The one who eats sour grapes will taste how bitter they are.

31 “The days are coming,” announces the Lord.
    “I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel.
    I will also make it with the people of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their people of long ago.
That was when I took them by the hand.
    I led them out of Egypt.
But they broke my covenant.
    They did it even though I was like a husband to them,”
    announces the Lord.
33 “This is the covenant I will make with Israel
    after that time,” announces the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds.
    I will write it on their hearts.
I will be their God.
    And they will be my people.
34 They will not need to teach their neighbor anymore.
    And they will not need to teach one another anymore.
    They will not need to say, ‘Know the Lord.’
That’s because everyone will know me.
    From the least important of them to the most important,
    all of them will know me,”
    announces the Lord.
“I will forgive their evil ways.
    I will not remember their sins anymore.”

35 The Lord speaks.

He makes the sun
    shine by day.
He orders the moon and stars
    to shine at night.
He stirs up the ocean.
    He makes its waves roar.
    His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
36 “Suppose my orders for creation disappear from my sight,”
    announces the Lord.
“Only then will the people of Israel stop being
    a nation in my sight.”

37 The Lord says,

“Suppose the sky above could be measured.
    Suppose the foundations of the earth below could be completely discovered.
Only then would I turn away the people of Israel.
    Even though they have committed many sins,
    I will still accept them,”
    announces the Lord.

38 “The days are coming,” announces the Lord. “At that time Jerusalem will be rebuilt for me. It will be rebuilt from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will reach out from there. It will go straight to the hill of Gareb. Then it will turn and reach as far as Goah. 40 There is a valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown. That whole valley will be holy to me. The side of the Kidron Valley east of the city will be holy to me. It will be holy all the way to the corner of the Horse Gate. The city will never again be pulled up by the roots. It will never be destroyed.”

Jeremiah Buys a Field

32 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It came in the 10th year that Zedekiah was king of Judah. It was in the 18th year of the rule of Nebuchadnezzar. The armies of the king of Babylon were getting ready to attack Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was being held as a prisoner. He was kept in the courtyard of the guard. It was part of Judah’s royal palace.

Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had made Jeremiah a prisoner there. Zedekiah had said to him, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘The Lord says, “I am about to hand over this city to the king of Babylon. He will capture it. Zedekiah, the king of Judah, will not escape from the powerful hands of the armies of Babylon. He will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon. Zedekiah will speak with him face to face. He will see him with his own eyes. Nebuchadnezzar will take Zedekiah to Babylon. Zedekiah will remain there until I deal with him,” announces the Lord. “Suppose you fight against the armies of Babylon. If you do, you will not succeed.” ’ ”

Jeremiah said, “A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, ‘Hanamel is going to come to you. He is the son of your uncle Shallum. Hanamel will say, “Buy my field at Anathoth. You are my closest relative. So it’s your right and duty to buy it.” ’

“Then my cousin Hanamel came to me. I was in the courtyard of the guard. It happened just as the Lord had said it would. Hanamel said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. It is in the territory of Benjamin. It is your right to buy it and own it. So buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the Lord’s message. So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver for him. 10 I signed and sealed the deed of purchase. I had some people witness everything. And I weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 There were two copies of the deed. One was sealed and the other wasn’t. The deed included the terms and conditions of the sale. 12 I gave Baruch the copies of the deed. My cousin Hanamel saw me do this. The witnesses who had signed the deed were there too. So were all the Jews who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard. Baruch was the son of Neriah. Neriah was the son of Mahseiah.

13 “I gave Baruch directions in front of all of them. I said, 14 ‘The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Take this deed of purchase. Take the sealed and unsealed copies. Put them in a clay jar. Then they will last a long time.” 15 The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” ’

16 “I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch, the son of Neriah. Then I prayed to the Lord. I said,

17 “ ‘Lord and King, you have reached out your great and powerful arm. You have made the heavens and the earth. Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show your love to thousands of people. But you cause the sins of parents to affect even their children. Great and powerful God, your name is the Lord Who Rules Over All. 19 Your purposes are great. Your acts are mighty. Your eyes see everything people do. You reward each one of them in keeping with their conduct. You do this based on what they have done. 20 You performed signs and wonders in Egypt. And you have continued to do them to this day. You have done them in Israel and among all people. You are still known for doing them. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt. You did it with signs and wonders. You reached out your mighty hand and powerful arm. You did great and wonderful things. 22 You gave Israel this land that you promised to their people of long ago. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey. 23 Israel came in and took it over. But they did not obey you. They didn’t follow your law. They didn’t do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this trouble on them.

24 “ ‘See how ramps are built up against Jerusalem’s walls to attack it. The city will be handed over to the armies of Babylon. They are attacking it. It will fall because of war, hunger and plague. What you said would happen is now happening, as you can see. 25 Lord and King, the city will be handed over to the armies of Babylon. In spite of that, you tell me to buy a field. You say, “Pay for it with silver. And have the sale witnessed.” ’ ”

26 Then a message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. The Lord said, 27 “I am the Lord. I am the God of all people. Is anything too hard for me?” 28 So the Lord says, “I am about to hand this city over to the armies of Babylon. I will give it to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He will capture it. 29 The armies of Babylon are now attacking this city. They will come in and set it on fire. They will burn it down. They will burn down the houses where the people made me very angry. They burned incense on their roofs to the god named Baal. And they poured out drink offerings to other gods.

30 “The people of Israel and Judah have done nothing but evil in my eyes. They have done it since the nation was young. In fact, they have done nothing but make me very angry. They have worshiped statues of gods their own hands have made,” announces the Lord. 31 “This city has always stirred up my great anger. It has done it since the day it was built. Now I must remove it from my sight. 32 The people of Israel and Judah have made me very angry. They have done many evil things. They, their kings and officials have sinned. So have their priests and prophets. And the people of Judah and Jerusalem have also sinned. 33 They turned their backs to me. They would not face me. I taught them again and again. But they would not listen or pay attention when they were corrected. 34 They set up the hateful statues of their gods. They did it in the house where I have put my Name. They made my house ‘unclean.’ 35 The people built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. That is where they sacrifice their children to Molek in the fire. That is something I did not command. It did not even enter my mind. They did something I hate. They made Judah sin.”

36 Here is what you people of Judah are saying about this city. “By war, hunger and plague it will be handed over to the king of Babylon.” But here is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says. 37 “You can be sure that I will gather my people again. I will send them away when my burning anger blazes out against them. But I will bring them back to this place. And I will let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people. And I will be their God. 39 I will give them a single purpose in life. Then, they will always have respect for me. Then all will go well for them. And it will also go well for their children after them. 40 I will make a covenant with them that will last forever. I promise that I will never stop doing good to them. I will cause them to respect me. Then they will never turn away from me again. 41 I will take pleasure in doing good things for them. I will certainly plant them in this land. I will do these things with all my heart and soul.”

42 The Lord says, “I have brought all this horrible trouble on these people. But now I will give them all the good things I have promised them. 43 Once more fields will be bought in this land. It is the land about which you now say, ‘It is a dry and empty desert. It doesn’t have any people or animals in it. It has been handed over to the armies of Babylon.’ 44 Fields will be bought with silver. Deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed. That will be done in the territory of Benjamin. It will be done in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah. It will also be done in the towns of the central hill country. And it will be done in the towns of the western hills and the Negev Desert. I will bless their people with great success again,” announces the Lord.

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