Jeremiah 33

Moreover the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

1God spoke to Jeremiah again, a second time. Jeremiah was still shut up in the prison yard.

2Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;

2This is what the LORD says. He is the one who made the earth. He shaped it and set it firmly in place. His name is the LORD.

3Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

3"Call to me, and I will answer you. I will show you great things you do not know."

4For thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;

4This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says. He speaks about the houses in this city. He speaks about the palaces of the kings of Judah. They have been torn down because of the enemy's dirt ramps and swords.

5They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but it is to fill them with the dead bodies of men, whom I have slain in mine anger and in my fury, and for all whose wickedness I have hid my face from this city.

5The Chaldeans are coming to fight. Those places will be filled with the bodies of men. God says he struck them down because he was angry. He turned his face away from this city because of all its evil.

NoteThe Chaldeans were the people of Babylon, the army attacking the city.

6Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

6"But I will bring this city health and healing. I will make its people well. I will give them peace and truth in full."

7And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.

7"I will bring Judah and Israel back home from their captivity. I will build them up again, as they were before."

8And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.

8"I will wash them clean from all the wrong they did against me. I will forgive every sin they did when they turned away from me."

9And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.

9"Then this city will make my name known with joy and praise. All the nations will hear the good I do for them. They will shake with wonder at all the good and peace I give."

10Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,

10This is what the LORD says. "You say this place is empty, with no people and no animals. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem lie empty. But sounds will be heard here again."

11The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

11There will be sounds of joy and gladness. There will be the voices of the bride and the groom. People will bring thank offerings to the LORD's house. They will say, "Thank the LORD, for the LORD is good. His faithful love lasts forever." "I will bring the land back from captivity, as it was before," says the LORD.

12Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.

12This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says. "This place is empty now, with no people and no animals. But here, and in all its towns, shepherds will rest their flocks again."

13In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the LORD.

13"Sheep will pass again under the hand of the man who counts them. This will happen in the hill towns and the low valley towns. It will happen in the dry south, in Benjamin's land, and around Jerusalem. It will happen in all the towns of Judah," says the LORD.

14Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.

14"Listen. The days are coming," says the LORD. "I will do the good thing I promised to Israel and to Judah."

15In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

15"In those days and at that time, I will make a new branch grow for David. He will be a good and fair king. He will do what is right and just in the land."

16In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

16"In those days Judah will be saved. Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name she will be given: The LORD Our Righteousness."

17For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;

17This is what the LORD says. "David will always have a man from his family to sit on Israel's throne."

NoteThe old wording says David will never "want" a man for the throne. In 1611 English, "want" meant lack. It does not mean wish for.

18Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.

18"And the priests, who come from the family of Levi, will always have a man to serve me. He will burn offerings, burn grain gifts, and bring sacrifices."

NoteThe old wording says "meat offerings." In 1611 English, "meat" meant any kind of food. This offering was made of grain, not animals.

19And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying,

19Then God spoke to Jeremiah again and said:

20Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;

20This is what the LORD says. "I made a promise with the day and a promise with the night. See if you can break it, so day and night no longer come at their set times."

21Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.

21"Only then could my promise to my servant David be broken, so he has no son to rule on his throne. Only then could my promise to my helpers, the Levite priests, be broken."

22As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.

22"No one can count the stars in the sky. No one can measure the sand by the sea. In the same way, I will give my servant David many, many children. I will do the same for the Levites who serve me."

23Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

23Then God spoke to Jeremiah again and said:

24Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

24"Have you noticed what these people are saying? They say, 'The LORD chose two families, and now he has thrown them away.' So they look down on my people. They do not think of them as a real nation anymore."

25Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;

25This is what the LORD says. "I made my promise with the day and the night. I set the fixed order for the sky and the earth."

26Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

26"If I had not done that, then I would throw away Jacob's family and my servant David's family. I would not choose one of David's children to rule over the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will bring my people back from captivity. I will show them kindness."