Old/New Testament
Introduction to the Book of Consolation
30 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah.[a] 2 “The Lord God of Israel says,[b] ‘Write everything that I am about to tell you in a scroll.[c] 3 For I, the Lord, affirm[d] that the time will come when I will reverse the plight[e] of my people, Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring them back to the land I gave their ancestors[f] and they will take possession of it once again.’”[g]
Israel and Judah Will Be Delivered after a Time of Deep Distress
4 So here is what the Lord has to say about Israel and Judah.[h]
5 Yes,[i] here is what he says:
“You hear cries of panic and of terror;
there is no peace in sight.[j]
6 Ask yourselves this and consider it carefully:[k]
Have you ever seen a man give birth to a baby?
Why then do I see all these strong men
grabbing their stomachs in pain like[l] a woman giving birth?
And why do their faces
turn so deathly pale?
7 Alas, what a terrible time of trouble it is![m]
There has never been any like it.
It is a time of trouble for the descendants of Jacob,
but some of them will be rescued out of it.[n]
8 When the time for them to be rescued comes,”[o]
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[p]
“I will rescue you from foreign subjugation.[q]
I will deliver you from captivity.[r]
Foreigners will then no longer subjugate them.
9 But they will be subject to[s] the Lord their God
and to the Davidic ruler whom I will raise up as king over them.[t]
10 So I, the Lord, tell you not to be afraid,
you descendants of Jacob, my servants.[u]
Do not be terrified, people of Israel.
For I will rescue you and your descendants
from a faraway land where you are captives.[v]
The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.
They will be secure and no one will terrify them.[w]
11 For I, the Lord, affirm[x] that
I will be with you and will rescue you.
I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you.
But I will not completely destroy you.
I will indeed discipline you, but only in due measure.
I will not allow you to go entirely unpunished.”[y]
The Lord Will Heal the Wounds of Judah
12 Moreover,[z] the Lord says to the people of Zion:[aa]
“Your injuries are incurable;
your wounds are severe.[ab]
13 There is no one to plead your cause.
There are no remedies for your wounds.[ac]
There is no healing for you.
14 All your allies have abandoned you.[ad]
They no longer have any concern for you.
For I have attacked you like an enemy would.
I have chastened you cruelly.
For your wickedness is so great
and your sin is so much.[ae]
15 Why do you complain about your injuries,
that your pain is incurable?
I have done all this to you
because your wickedness is so great
and your sin is so much.
16 But[af] all who destroyed you will be destroyed.
All your enemies will go into exile.
Those who plundered you will be plundered.
I will cause those who pillaged you to be pillaged.[ag]
17 Yes,[ah] I will restore you to health.
I will heal your wounds.
I, the Lord, affirm it![ai]
For you have been called an outcast,
Zion, whom no one cares for.”
The Lord Will Restore Israel and Judah
18 The Lord says:
“I will restore the ruined houses of the descendants of Jacob.
I will show compassion on their ruined homes.[aj]
Every city will be rebuilt on its former ruins.[ak]
Every fortified dwelling will occupy its traditional site.[al]
19 Out of those places you will hear songs of thanksgiving[am]
and the sounds of laughter and merriment.
I will increase their number and they will not dwindle away.[an]
I will bring them honor and they will no longer be despised.
20 The descendants of Jacob will enjoy their former privileges.
Their community will be reestablished in my favor,[ao]
and I will punish all who try to oppress them.
21 One of their own people will be their leader.
Their ruler will come from their own number.[ap]
I will invite him to approach me, and he will do so.[aq]
For no one would dare approach me on his own.[ar]
I, the Lord, affirm it![as]
22 Then you will again be my people,
and I will be your God.[at]
23 Just watch! The wrath of the Lord
will come like a storm.
Like a raging storm it will rage down
on the heads of those who are wicked.
24 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has fully carried out his intended purposes.
In future days you will come to understand this.[au]
31 At that time I will be the God of all the clans of Israel[av]
and they will be my people.
I, the Lord, affirm it!”[aw]
Israel Will Be Restored and Join Judah in Worship
2 The Lord says:
“The people of Israel who survived
death at the hands of the enemy[ax]
will find favor in the wilderness
as they journey to find rest for themselves.
3 In a faraway land[ay] the Lord will manifest himself to them.
He will say to them, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love.
That is why I have continued to be faithful to you.[az]
4 I will rebuild you, my dear children Israel,[ba]
so that you will once again be built up.
Once again you will take up the tambourine
and join in the happy throng of dancers.[bb]
5 Once again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria.
Those who plant them
will once again enjoy their fruit.[bc]
6 Yes, a time is coming
when watchmen[bd] will call out on the mountains of Ephraim,
“Come! Let us go to Zion
to worship the Lord our God!”’”[be]
7 Moreover,[bf] the Lord says:
“Sing for joy for the descendants of Jacob.
Utter glad shouts for that foremost of the nations.[bg]
Make your praises heard.[bh]
Then say, ‘Lord, rescue your people.
Deliver those of Israel who remain alive.’[bi]
8 Then I will reply,[bj] ‘I will bring them back from the land of the north.
I will gather them in from the distant parts of the earth.
Blind and lame people will come with them,
so will pregnant women and women about to give birth.
A vast throng of people will come back here.
9 They will come back shedding tears of contrition.
I will bring them back praying prayers of repentance.[bk]
I will lead them besides streams of water,
along smooth paths where they will never stumble.[bl]
I will do this because I am Israel’s father;
Ephraim[bm] is my firstborn son.’”
10 Listen to the Lord’s message, O nations.
Proclaim it in the faraway lands along the sea.
Say, “The one who scattered Israel will regather them.
He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock.”
11 For the Lord will rescue the descendants of Jacob.
He will secure their release[bn] from those who had overpowered them.[bo]
12 They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion.
They will be radiant with joy[bp] over the good things the Lord provides,
the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil,
the young sheep, and the calves he has given to them.
They will be like a well-watered garden
and will not grow faint or weary any more.
13 The Lord says,[bq] “At that time young women will dance and be glad.
Young men and old men will rejoice.[br]
I will turn their grief into gladness.
I will give them comfort and joy in place of their sorrow.
14 I will provide the priests with abundant provisions.[bs]
My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.”
15 The Lord says:
“A sound is heard in Ramah,[bt]
a sound of crying in bitter grief.
It is the sound of Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted, because her children are gone.”[bu]
16 The Lord says to her,[bv]
“Stop crying! Do not shed any more tears.[bw]
For your heartfelt repentance[bx] will be rewarded.
Your children will return from the land of the enemy.
I, the Lord, affirm it![by]
17 Indeed, there is hope for your posterity.[bz]
Your children will return to their own territory.
I, the Lord, affirm it![ca]
18 I have indeed[cb] heard the people of Israel[cc] say mournfully,
‘We were like a calf untrained to the yoke.[cd]
You disciplined us and we learned from it.[ce]
Let us come back to you and we will do so,[cf]
for you are the Lord our God.
19 For after we turned away from you we repented.
After we came to our senses[cg] we struck our thigh in sorrow.[ch]
We are ashamed and humiliated
because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’[ci]
20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.
They are the children I take delight in.[cj]
For even though I must often rebuke them,
I still remember them with fondness.
So I am deeply moved with pity for them[ck]
and will surely have compassion on them.
I, the Lord, affirm it![cl]
21 I will say,[cm] ‘My dear children of Israel,[cn] keep in mind
the road you took when you were carried off.[co]
Mark off in your minds the landmarks.
Make a mental note of telltale signs marking the way back.
Return, my dear children of Israel.
Return to these cities of yours.
22 How long will you vacillate,[cp]
you who were once like an unfaithful daughter?[cq]
For I, the Lord, promise[cr] to bring about something new[cs] on the earth,
something as unique as a woman protecting a man!’”[ct]
Judah Will Be Restored
23 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[cu] says,
“I will restore the people of Judah to their land and to their towns.
When I do, they will again say[cv] of Jerusalem,[cw]
‘May the Lord bless you, you holy mountain,
the place where righteousness dwells.’[cx]
24 The land of Judah will be inhabited by people who live in its towns,
as well as by farmers and shepherds with their flocks.[cy]
25 I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary
and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint.[cz]
26 Then they will say, ‘Under these conditions I can enjoy sweet sleep
when I wake up and look around.’[da]
Israel and Judah Will Be Repopulated
27 “Indeed, a time is coming,”[db] says the Lord,[dc] “when I will cause people and animals to sprout up in the lands of Israel and Judah.[dd] 28 In the past I saw to it that they were uprooted and torn down, that they were destroyed and demolished and brought disaster. But now I will see to it that they are built up and firmly planted.[de] I, the Lord, affirm it![df]
The Lord Will Make a New Covenant with Israel and Judah
29 “When that time comes, people will no longer say, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but the children’s teeth have grown numb.’[dg] 30 Rather, each person will die for his own sins. The teeth of the person who eats the sour grapes will themselves grow numb.[dh]
31 “Indeed, a time is coming,” says the Lord,[di] “when I will make a new covenant[dj] with the people of Israel and Judah.[dk] 32 It will not be like the old[dl] covenant that I made with their ancestors[dm] when I delivered them[dn] from Egypt. For they violated that covenant, even though I was like a faithful husband to them,”[do] says the Lord.[dp] 33 “But I will make a new covenant with the whole nation of Israel[dq] after I plant them back in the land,”[dr] says the Lord.[ds] “I will[dt] put my law within them[du] and write it on their hearts and minds.[dv] I will be their God and they will be my people.[dw]
34 “People will no longer need to teach their neighbors and relatives to know me.[dx] For all of them, from the least important to the most important, will know me,”[dy] says the Lord. “For[dz] I will forgive their sin and will no longer call to mind the wrong they have done.”
The Lord Guarantees Israel’s Continuance
35 The Lord has made a promise to Israel.
He promises it as the one who fixed the sun to give light by day
and the moon and stars to give light by night.
He promises it as the one who stirs up the sea so that its waves roll.
His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.[ea]
36 The Lord affirms,[eb] “The descendants of Israel will not
cease forever to be a nation in my sight.
That could only happen if the fixed ordering of the heavenly lights
were to cease to operate before me.”[ec]
37 The Lord says, “I will not reject all the descendants of Israel
because of all that they have done.[ed]
That could only happen if the heavens above could be measured
or the foundations of the earth below could all be explored,”[ee]
says the Lord.[ef]
Jerusalem Will Be Enlarged
38 “Indeed a time is coming,”[eg] says the Lord,[eh] “when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as my special city.[ei] It will be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate.[ej] 39 The boundary line will extend beyond that, straight west from there to the Hill of Gareb and then turn southward to Goah.[ek] 40 The whole valley where dead bodies and sacrificial ashes are thrown,[el] and all the terraced fields[em] out to the Kidron Valley[en] on the east as far north[eo] as the corner of the Horse Gate,[ep] will be included within this city that is sacred to the Lord.[eq] The city will never again be torn down or destroyed.”
Salutation
1 From Paul,[a] a prisoner of Christ Jesus,[b] and Timothy our[c] brother, to Philemon, our dear friend[d] and colaborer, 2 to Apphia[e] our sister,[f] to Archippus our[g] fellow soldier, and to the church that meets in your house. 3 Grace and peace to you[h] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Thanks for Philemon’s Love and Faith
4 I always thank my God[i] as I remember you in my prayers,[j] 5 because I hear[k] of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[l] for all the saints.[m] 6 I pray[n] that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing[o] that belongs to you[p] in Christ.[q] 7 I[r] have had great joy and encouragement because[s] of your love, for the hearts[t] of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
Paul’s Request for Onesimus
8 So, although I have quite a lot of confidence in Christ and could command you to do what is proper, 9 I would rather appeal[u] to you on the basis of love—I, Paul, an old man[v] and even now a prisoner for the sake of Christ Jesus[w]— 10 I am appealing[x] to you concerning my child, whose spiritual father I have become[y] during my imprisonment,[z] that is, Onesimus, 11 who was formerly useless to you, but is now useful to you[aa] and me. 12 I have sent[ab] him (who is my very heart)[ac] back to you. 13 I wanted to keep him with me so that he could serve me in your place[ad] during[ae] my imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.[af] 14 However,[ag] without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your good deed would not be out of compulsion, but from your own willingness. 15 For perhaps it was for this reason that he was separated from you for a little while, so that you would have him back eternally,[ah] 16 no longer as a slave,[ai] but more than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially so to me, and even more so to you now, both humanly speaking[aj] and in the Lord. 17 Therefore if you regard me as a partner, accept him as you would me. 18 Now if he has defrauded you of anything or owes you anything, charge what he owes[ak] to me. 19 I, Paul, have written[al] this letter[am] with my own hand:[an] I will repay it. I could also mention that you owe[ao] me your very self. 20 Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.[ap] 21 Since I was confident that you would obey, I wrote to you, because I knew that you would do even more than[aq] what I am asking you to do. 22 At the same time also, prepare a place for me to stay, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you.
Concluding Greetings
23 Epaphras,[ar] my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you. 24 Mark, Aristarchus,[as] Demas,[at] and Luke, my colaborers, greet you too. 25 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be[au] with your spirit.[av]
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