Jeremiah 30

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

1This is the message the LORD gave to Jeremiah, a man who spoke God's words to people.

2Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.

2The LORD, the God of Israel, said this: Write down in a book every word I have told you.

3For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.

3The LORD says a time is coming. I will bring my people Israel and Judah back home. They had been taken away to a faraway land. I will bring them back to the land I gave their families long ago. The land will be theirs again.

4And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah.

4These are the words the LORD spoke about Israel and about Judah.

5For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.

5The LORD says: We hear people crying out. It is a cry of fear, not a sound of peace.

6Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?

6Ask yourself this: can a man have a baby? Then why does every man hold his stomach? They look like women having babies. Every face has turned white.

7Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.

7That day will be terrible. No other day will be like it. It is a time of trouble for Jacob, the people of Israel. But they will be saved out of it.

8For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:

8On that day, says the LORD who leads heaven's armies, I will break the heavy wooden bar off your neck. I will snap the ropes that tie you. Strangers will not make you their slaves anymore.

NoteA yoke was a heavy wooden bar put on animals to make them pull a load. Here it stands for being ruled by someone else.

9But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.

9Instead they will serve the LORD their God. They will also serve David their king. I will bring him up for them.

10Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.

10So do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, says the LORD. Do not lose hope, Israel. I will save you from that faraway place. I will bring your children back from the land where they were held. Jacob will come home. He will live in peace and quiet. No one will make him afraid.

11For I am with thee, saith the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.

11I am with you to save you, says the LORD. I will completely destroy all the nations where I scattered you. But I will not completely destroy you. I will correct you in a fair way. I will not leave you unpunished.

12For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is incurable, and thy wound is grievous.

12The LORD says this: Your hurt cannot be healed. Your wound is very bad.

13There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.

13No one will speak up for you. There is no bandage for your sore. There is no medicine to make you well.

14All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity; because thy sins were increased.

14All your lovers have forgotten you. They do not look for you anymore. I hurt you the way an enemy would. I punished you like someone cruel. You did so much wrong. Your sins kept growing.

Note"Lovers" here means the other nations Israel had trusted to help her.

15Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy sorrow is incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee.

15Why do you cry about your hurt? Your pain cannot be cured. You did so much wrong, and your sins kept growing. That is why I did these things to you.

16Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey.

16But everyone who eats you up will be eaten up. All your enemies will be taken away as prisoners. People who robbed you will be robbed. People who took from you will have things taken away.

17For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

17I will make you healthy again. I will heal your wounds, says the LORD. People called you the one nobody wants. They said, This is Zion, the city of Jerusalem, and no one cares about her.

18Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof.

18The LORD says this: I will bring Jacob's people back to their tents. I will be kind to the places where they live. The city will be built again on its own pile of broken stones. The palace will stand where it belongs.

19And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

19Songs of thanks will come from them. Happy voices will be heard. I will make them many, not few. I will give them honor, and no one will look down on them.

20Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them.

20Their children will be like they were long ago. Their people will be safe and strong before me. I will punish everyone who treats them badly.

21And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the LORD.

21Their leader will be one of their own people. Their ruler will come from among them. I will bring him close to me, and he will come near. Who else would dare to come near me? says the LORD.

22And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

22You will be my people, and I will be your God.

23Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.

23Look, the LORD's storm goes out with great anger. It is a spinning wind that keeps going. It comes down hard on people who do wrong.

24The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

24The LORD's strong anger will not turn back. It will keep going until he finishes what he planned. In days to come, you will understand this.