Hope despite the Disaster

¹⁴ “But the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’

⁷ “In that day,” says the Lord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ ⁸ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”

¹⁵ Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you! That is why I am giving you this command.

² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

⁴ This shows that Israel will go a long time without a king or prince, and without sacrifices, sacred pillars, priests,^[a] or even idols! ⁵ But afterward the people will return and devote themselves to the Lord their God and to David’s descendant, their king.^[b] In the last days, they will tremble in awe of the Lord and of his goodness.