New Century Version NCV
Good News Translation GNT
1 While Jeremiah was still locked up in the courtyard of the guards, the Lord spoke his word to him a second time:
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While I was still in prison in the courtyard, the Lord's message came to me again.
2 "These are the words of the Lord, who made the earth, shaped it, and gave it order, whose name is the Lord:
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The Lord, who made the earth, who formed it and set it in place, spoke to me. He whose name is the Lord said,
3 'Judah, pray to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you important secrets you have never heard before.'
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"Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about.
4 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in Jerusalem and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used in defense of the attack by the Babylonian army:
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I, the Lord, the God of Israel, say that the houses of Jerusalem and the royal palace of Judah will be torn down as a result of the siege and the attack.
5 'Some people will come to fight against the Babylonians. They will fill these houses with the bodies of people I killed in my hot anger. I have turned away from this city because of all the evil its people have done.
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Some will fight against the Babylonians, who will fill the houses with the corpses of those whom I am going to strike down in my anger and fury. I have turned away from this city because of the evil things that its people have done.
6 "'But then I will bring health and healing to the people there. I will heal them and let them enjoy great peace and safety.
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But I will heal this city and its people and restore them to health. I will show them abundant peace and security.
7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and make them strong countries as in the past.
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I will make Judah and Israel prosperous, and I will rebuild them as they were before.
8 They sinned against me, but I will wash away that sin. They did evil and turned away from me, but I will forgive them.
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I will purify them from the sins that they have committed against me, and I will forgive their sins and their rebellion.
9 Then "Jerusalem" will be to me a name that brings joy! And people from all nations of the earth will praise it when they hear about the good things I am doing there. They will be surprised and shocked at all the good things and the peace I will bring to Jerusalem.'
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Jerusalem will be a source of joy, honor, and pride to me; and every nation in the world will fear and tremble when they hear about the good things that I do for the people of Jerusalem and about the prosperity that I bring to the city."
10 "You are saying, 'Our country is an empty desert, without people or animals.' But this is what the Lord says: It is now quiet in the streets of Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, without people or animals, but it will be noisy there soon!
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The Lord said, "People are saying that this place is like a desert, that it has no people or animals living in it. And they are right; the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are empty; no people or animals live there. But in these places you will hear again
11 There will be sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms. There will be the sounds of people bringing to the Temple of the Lord their offerings of thanks to the Lord. They will say, 'Praise the Lord All-Powerful, because the Lord is good! His love continues forever!' They will say this because I will again do good things for Judah, as I did in the beginning," says the Lord.
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the shouts of gladness and joy and the happy sounds of wedding feasts. You will hear people sing as they bring thank offerings to my Temple; they will say, "Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, because he is good and his love is eternal.' I will make this land as prosperous as it was before. I, the Lord, have spoken."
12 This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: "This place is empty now, without people or animals. But there will be shepherds in all the towns of Judah and pastures where they let their flocks rest.
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The Lord Almighty said, "In this land that is like a desert and where no people or animals live, there will once again be pastures where shepherds can take their sheep.
13 Shepherds will again count their sheep as the sheep walk in front of them. They will count them in the mountains and in the western hills, in southern Judah and the land of Benjamin, and around Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah!" says the Lord.
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In the towns in the hill country, in the foothills, and in southern Judah, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, shepherds will once again count their sheep. I, the Lord, have spoken."
14 The Lord says, "The time is coming when I will do the good thing I promised to the people of Israel and Judah.
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The Lord said, "The time is coming when I will fulfill the promise that I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
15 In those days and at that time, I will make a good branch sprout from David's family. He will do what is fair and right in the land.
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At that time I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will do what is right and just throughout the land.
16 At that time Judah will be saved, and the people of Jerusalem will live in safety. The branch will be named: The Lord Does What Is Right."
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The people of Judah and of Jerusalem will be rescued and will live in safety. The city will be called "The Lord Our Salvation.'
17 This is what the Lord says: "Someone from David's family will always sit on the throne of the family of Israel.
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I, the Lord, promise that there will always be a descendant of David to be king of Israel
18 And there will always be priests from the family of Levi. They will always stand before me to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings and sacrifices to me."
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and that there will always be priests from the tribe of Levi to serve me and to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices."
19 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah, saying:
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The Lord said to me,
20 "This is what the Lord says: I have an agreement with day and night that they will always come at the right times. If you could change that agreement,
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"I have made a covenant with the day and with the night, so that they always come at their proper times; and that covenant can never be broken.
21 only then could you change my agreement with David and Levi. Only then would my servant David not have a descendant ruling as king on David's throne. And only then would the family of Levi not be priests serving me in the Temple.
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In the same way I have made a covenant with my servant David that he would always have a descendant to be king, and I have made a covenant with the priests from the tribe of Levi that they would always serve me; and those covenants can never be broken.
22 But I will give many descendants to my servant David and to the family group of Levi who serve me in the Temple. They will be as many as the stars in the sky that no one can count. They will be as many as the grains of sand on the seashore that no one can measure."
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I will increase the number of descendants of my servant David and the number of priests from the tribe of Levi, so that it will be as impossible to count them as it is to count the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore."
23 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah, say-ing:
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The Lord said to me,
24 "Jeremiah, have you heard what the people are saying? They say: 'The Lord turned away from the two families of Israel and Judah that he chose.' Now they don't think of my people as a nation anymore!"
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"Have you noticed how people are saying that I have rejected Israel and Judah, the two families that I chose? And so they look with contempt on my people and no longer consider them a nation.
25 This is what the Lord says: "If I had not made my agreement with day and night, and if I had not made the laws for the sky and earth,
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But I, the Lord, have a covenant with day and night, and I have made the laws that control earth and sky.
26 only then would I turn away from Jacob's descendants. And only then would I not let the descendants of David my servant rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will be kind to them and cause good things to happen to them again."
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And just as surely as I have done this, so I will maintain my covenant with Jacob's descendants and with my servant David. I will choose one of David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will be merciful to my people and make them prosperous again."
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.