24Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite youe shall say: 25Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Because you sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to the rest of the priests, as follows, 26“The LORD appointed you priest in place of the priest Jehoiada, f-to exercise authority -f in the House of the LORD over every madman who wants to play the prophet, to put him into the stocksg and into the pillory.g 27Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, who plays the prophet among you? 28For he has actually sent a message to us in Babylon to this effect: It will be a long time. Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and enjoy their fruit.”—
29When the priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah, 30the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: 31Send a message to the entire exile community: “Thus said the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you false promises, 32assuredly, thus said the LORD: I am going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There shall be no man of his line dwelling among this people or seeing the good things I am going to do for My people—declares the LORD—for he has urged disloyalty toward the LORD.”
30 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2Thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: Write down in a scroll all the words that I have spoken to you. 3For days are coming—declares the LORD—when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah, said the LORD; and I will bring them back to the land that I gave their fathers, and they shall possess it. 4And these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and Judah:
5Thus said the LORD:
We have heard cries of panic,
Terror without relief.
6Ask and see:
Surely males do not bear young!
Why then do I see every man
With his hands on his loins
Like a woman in labor?
Why have all faces turned pale?
7Ah, that day is awesome;
There is none like it!
It is a time of trouble for Jacob,
But he shall be delivered from it.
8In that day—declares the LORD of Hosts—I will break the yoke from off your neck and I will rip off your bonds. Strangers shall no longer make slaves of them; 9instead, they shall serve the LORD their God and David, the king whom I will raise up for them.
10But you,
Have no fear, My servant Jacob
—declares the LORD—
Be not dismayed, O Israel!
I will deliver you from far away,
Your folk from their land of captivity.
And Jacob shall again have calm
And quiet with none to trouble him;
11For I am with you to deliver you
—declares the LORD.
I will make an end of all the nations
Among which I have dispersed you;
But I will not make an end of you!
I will not leave you unpunished,
But will chastise you in measure.
12For thus said the LORD:
Your injury is incurable,
Your wound severe;
13a-No one pleads for the healing of your sickness,-a
There is no remedy, no recovery for you.
14All your lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you out;
For I have struck you as an enemy strikes,
With cruel chastisement,
Because your iniquity was so great
And your sins so many.
15Why cry out over your injury,
That your wound is incurable?
I did these things to you
Because your iniquity was so great
And your sins so many.
16Assuredly,
All who wanted to devour you shall be devoured,
And every one of your foes shall go into captivity;
Those who despoiled you shall be despoiled,
And all who pillaged you I will give up to pillage.
17But I will bring healing to you
And cure you of your wounds
—declares the LORD.
Though they called you “Outcast,
That Zion whom no one seeks out,”
18Thus said the LORD:
I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents
And have compassion upon his dwellings.
The city shall be rebuilt on its mound,b
And the fortress in its proper place.
19From them shall issue thanksgiving
And the sound of dancers.
I will multiply them,
And they shall not be few;
I will make them honored,
And they shall not be humbled.
20His children shall be as of old,
And his community shall be established by My grace;
And I will deal with all his oppressors.
21His chieftain shall be one of his own,
His ruler shall come from his midst;
I will bring him near, that he may approach Me
—declares the LORD—
For who would otherwise dare approach Me?
22You shall be My people,
And I will be your God.
23Lo, the storm of the LORD goes forth in fury,
A raging tempest;
It shall whirl down upon the head of the wicked.
24The anger of the LORD shall not turn back
Till it has fulfilled and completed His purposes.
In the days to come
You shall perceive it.
[31]1cAt that time—declares the LORD—I will be God to all the clans of Israel, and they shall be My people.
31 2Thus said the LORD:
The people escaped from the sword,
Found favor in the wilderness;
When Israel was marching homeward
3The LORD revealed Himself to mea of old.
Eternal love I conceived for you then;
Therefore I continue My grace to you.
4I will build you firmly again,
O Maiden Israel!
Again you shall take up your timbrels
And go forth to the rhythm of the dancers.
5Again you shall plant vineyards
On the hills of Samaria;
Men shall plant and live to enjoy them.
6For the day is coming when watchmen
Shall proclaim on the heights of Ephraim:
Come, let us go up to Zion,
To the LORD our God!
7For thus said the LORD:
Cry out in joy for Jacob,
Shout at the crossroadsb of the nations!
Sing aloud in praise, and say:
c-Save, O LORD, Your people,-c
The remnant of Israel.
8I will bring them in from the northland,
Gather them from the ends of the earth—
The blind and the lame among them,
Those with child and those in labor—
In a vast throng they shall return here.
9They shall come with weeping,
And with compassiond will I guide them.
I will lead them to streams of water,
By a level road where they will not stumble.
For I am ever a Father to Israel,
Ephraim is My first-born.
10Hear the word of the LORD, O nations,
And tell it in the isles afar.
Say:
He who scattered Israel will gather them,
And will guard them as a shepherd his flock.
11For the LORD will ransom Jacob,
Redeem him from one too strong for him.
12They shall come and shout on the heights of Zion,
Radiant over the bounty of the LORD—
Over new grain and wine and oil,
And over sheep and cattle.
They shall fare like a watered garden,
They shall never languish again.
13Then shall maidens dance gaily,
Young men and old alike.
I will turn their mourning to joy,
I will comfort them and cheer them in their grief.
14I will give the priests their fill of fatness,
And My people shall enjoy My full bounty
—declares the LORD.
15Thus said the LORD:
A cry is heard e-in Ramah-e—
Wailing, bitter weeping—
Rachel weeping for her children.
She refuses to be comforted
For her children, who are gone.
16Thus said the LORD:
Restrain your voice from weeping,
Your eyes from shedding tears;
For there is a reward for your labor
—declares the LORD:
They shall return from the enemy’s land.
17And there is hope for your future
—declares the LORD:
Your children shall return to their country.
18I can hear Ephraim lamenting:
You have chastised me, and I am chastised
Like a calf that has not been broken.
Receive me back, let me return,
For You, O LORD, are my God.
19Now that I have turned back, I am filled with remorse;
Now that I am made aware, I strike my thigh.f
I am ashamed and humiliated,
For I bear the disgrace of my youth.
20Truly, Ephraim is a dear son to Me,
A child that is dandled!
Whenever I have turnedg against him,
My thoughts would dwell on him still.
That is why My heart yearns for him;
I will receive him back in love
—declares the LORD.
21Erect markers,
Set up signposts;h
Keep in mind the highway,
The road that you traveled.
Return, Maiden Israel!
Return to these towns of yours!
22How long will you waver,
O rebellious daughter?
(For the LORD has created something new on earth:
A woman courtsh a man.)
23Thus said the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: They shall again say this in the land of Judah and in its towns, when I restore their fortunes:
“The LORD bless you,
Abode of righteousness,
O holy mountain!”
24Judah and all its towns alike shall be inhabited by the farmers and i-such as move about-i with the flocks. 25For I will give the thirsty abundant drink, and satisfy all who languish.
26At this I awoke and looked about, and my sleepj had been pleasant to me.
27See, a time is coming—declares the LORD—when I will sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah with seed of men and seed of cattle; 28and just as I was watchful over them to uproot and to pull down, to overthrow and to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will be watchful over them to build and to plant—declares the LORD. 29In those days, they shall no longer say, “Parents have eaten sour grapes and children’s teeth are blunted.”k 30But every one shall die for his own sins: whosoever eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be blunted.
31See, a time is coming—declares the LORD—when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, a covenant which they broke, though I espousedl them—declares the LORD. 33But such is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel after these days—declares the LORD: I will put My Teaching into their inmost being and inscribe it upon their hearts. Then I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34No longer will they need to teach one another and say
