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Yahweh Will Return the Fortunes of His People

30 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘(A)Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. For behold, (B)days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘when I will [a](C)return the [b]fortunes of My people (D)Israel and Judah.’ Yahweh says, ‘I will also (E)cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’”

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

“For thus says Yahweh,

‘We have heard a sound of (F)trembling,
Of dread, 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 loins, (G)as a woman in childbirth?
And why have all faces turned pale?
Alas! For that (H)day is great,
There is (I)none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s (J)distress,
But he will be (K)saved from it.

‘And it will be in that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘that I will (L)break his yoke from off your neck and will tear off your (M)bonds; and strangers will no longer (N)make [c]them their slaves. But they shall be a slave to Yahweh their God and (O)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

10 (P)Fear not, O Jacob My [d]servant,’ declares Yahweh,
‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you (Q)from afar
And your seed from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return and will be (R)quiet and at ease,
And (S)no one will make him tremble.
11 For (T)I am with you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘to save you;
For I will (U)make a complete destruction of all the nations where I have scattered you,
Only I will (V)not make a complete destruction of you.
But I will (W)chasten you justly
And will by no means leave you unpunished.’

12 “For thus says Yahweh,

‘Your injury is incurable,
And your (X)wound is desperately sick.
13 There is no one to plead your cause;
No healing for your sore,
(Y)No recovery for you.
14 All your (Z)lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have [e](AA)wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the (AB)punishment of a (AC)cruel one,
Because your (AD)iniquity is numerous
And your (AE)sins are mighty.
15 Why do you cry out over your injury?
Your pain is incurable.
Because your iniquity is numerous
And your sins are mighty,
I have done these things to you.
16 Therefore all who (AF)devour you will be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, (AG)will go into captivity;
And those who take you as spoil will be spoil,
And all who plunder you I will give as plunder.
17 For I will [f]restore you to [g](AH)health,
And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares Yahweh,
‘Because they have called you a (AI)banished one, saying:
“It is Zion; no one is seeking her.”’

18 “Thus says Yahweh,

‘Behold, I will [h](AJ)return the [i]fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And (AK)have compassion on his dwelling places;
And the (AL)city will be rebuilt on its ruin,
And the (AM)palace will sit on its just place.
19 From them will come forth (AN)thanksgiving
And the voice of those who [j](AO)celebrate;
And I will (AP)multiply them, and they will not decrease;
I will also (AQ)honor them, and they will not be insignificant.
20 [k]Their children also will be as formerly,
And [l]their congregation shall be (AR)established before Me;
And I will punish all [m]their oppressors.
21 And [n]their (AS)mighty one shall be one of them,
And [o]their ruler shall come forth from [p]their midst;
And I will (AT)bring Him near, and He shall approach Me;
For who would dare to give his heart as security to (AU)approach Me?’ declares Yahweh.
22 ‘You shall be (AV)My people,
And I will be your God.’”

23 Behold, the (AW)storm of Yahweh!
Wrath has gone forth,
A [q]sweeping storm;
It will burst on the head of the wicked.
24 The (AX)burning anger of Yahweh will not turn back
Until He has done and until He has established
The intent of His heart;
In the (AY)last days you will understand this.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 30:3 Or restore
  2. Jeremiah 30:3 Or captivity
  3. Jeremiah 30:8 Lit him their slave
  4. Jeremiah 30:10 Or slave, cf. 30:8, 9; see Foreword, “The Terminology of Slave”
  5. Jeremiah 30:14 Lit struck
  6. Jeremiah 30:17 Lit cause to go up
  7. Jeremiah 30:17 Or healing
  8. Jeremiah 30:18 Or restore
  9. Jeremiah 30:18 Or captivity
  10. Jeremiah 30:19 Or dance
  11. Jeremiah 30:20 Lit His
  12. Jeremiah 30:20 Lit his
  13. Jeremiah 30:20 Lit his
  14. Jeremiah 30:21 Lit his
  15. Jeremiah 30:21 Lit his
  16. Jeremiah 30:21 Lit his
  17. Jeremiah 30:23 Or raging

Promises of Hope

30 These are the words that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. The Lord, the God of Israel, said: “Jeremiah, write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days will come when I will make everything as good as it was before,” says the Lord. “I will bring Israel and Judah back from captivity,” says the Lord. “I will return them to the land I gave their ancestors. Then my people will own that land again!”

The Lord spoke this message about the people of Israel and Judah: This is what the Lord said:

“We hear people crying from fear.
    They are afraid. There is no peace.
Ask this question, and consider it:
    A man cannot have a baby.
So why do I see every strong man
    holding his stomach in pain like a woman having a baby?
    Why is everyone’s face turning white like a dead man’s face?
This will be a terrible day!
    There will never be another time like this.
This is a time of great trouble for the people of Jacob.
    But they will be saved from it.”

The Lord of heaven’s armies says, “At that time
    I will break the yoke from their necks.
And I will break the ropes holding them.
    Foreign people will never again make my people slaves!
They will serve the Lord their God.
    And they will serve David their king.
    I will send that king to them.

10 “So people of Jacob, my servants, don’t be afraid!
    Israel, don’t be frightened,” says the Lord.
“I will save you from that faraway place where you are captives.
    I will save your family from that land.
The people of Jacob will be safe and have peace again.
    There will be no enemy to frighten them.
11 I am with you and will save you,”
    says the Lord.
“I scattered you among those nations.
    Even if I completely destroy all those nations,
    I will not destroy you.
You will be punished fairly.
    But I will punish you.”

12 This is what the Lord said:

“You people have a wound that cannot be cured.
    Your injury will not heal.
13 There is no one to argue your case.
    There is no cure for your sores.
    So you will not be healed.
14 All those nations who were your friends have forgotten you.
    They don’t care about you.
I hurt you as an enemy would.
    I punished you very hard.
I did this because your guilt was so great.
    I did this because your sins were so many.
15 Why are you crying about your injury?
    There is no cure for your pain.
I, the Lord, did these things to you because of your great guilt.
    I did these things because of your many sins.
16 But those nations that destroyed you will now be destroyed.
    Your enemies will become captives.
Those who stole from you will have their own things stolen.
    Those who took things from you in war will have their own things taken.
17 I will bring back your health.
    And I will heal your injuries,” says the Lord.
“This is because other people forced you out from among them.
    Those people said about you, ‘No one cares about Jerusalem!’”

18 This is what the Lord said:

“I will make the tents of Jacob’s people as they used to be.
    And I will have pity on Israel’s houses.
The city will be rebuilt on its hill of ruins.
    And the king’s palace will stand in its proper place.
19 People in those places will sing songs of praise.
    There will also be the sound of laughter.
I will give them many children.
    They will not be small.
I will bring honor to them.
    No one will look down on them.
20 Their descendants will be like they were in the old days.
    I will make their people strong before me.
And I will punish the nations who have hurt them.
21 One of their own people will lead them.
    Their ruler will come from among them.
He will come near to me when I invite him.
    Who would dare to come uninvited?” says the Lord.
22 “So you will be my people,
    and I will be your God.”

23 The Lord was very angry.
    He punished the people.
And the punishment came like a storm.
    It came like a hurricane against the evil people.
24 The Lord will stay angry
    until he finishes punishing the people.
He will stay angry
    until he finishes the punishment he planned.
When that day comes,
    you will understand this.