1 The word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard:

2 »Jehovah is the maker of the earth. Jehovah is the one who formed and established it. Jehovah is His name.

3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I will tell you grand and impressive things, things you do not know.’«

4 »The houses in this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah have been torn down. They are used against the dirt ramps and weapons of the Babylonians. This is what Jehovah the God of Israel says about this:

5 »The people of Israel fought the Babylonians. Now their houses are filled with the bodies of their own people I killed in my anger and my fury. I will hide my face from this city because of its wickedness.

6 »However I will heal this city and restore it to health. I will heal its people, and I will give them peace and security.

7 »I will restore Judah and Israel and rebuild them as they were before.

8 »I will cleanse them from all the sins that they have committed against me. I will forgive them for all the sins that they have committed against me and for rebelling against me.

9 »Jerusalem will be my source of joy, praise, and honor. All the nations on earth will hear about all the blessings that I will give to Jerusalem. They will be afraid and tremble because of all the prosperity that I will provide for it.’«

10 »This is what Jehovah says: ‘You have said that this place is ruined and that no people or animals live in it. It is true! The cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted. No people or animals live there. But once again you will hear,

11 »Yes, you will hear the sounds of joy and happiness and the sounds of brides and grooms. You will hear those who bring thank offerings to Jehovah’s Temple.« ’ »‘They will say: Give thanks to Jehovah of Hosts because Jehovah is good, because his mercy endures forever. I will restore the prosperity of the land to what they were before,« ’ says Jehovah.

12 »Jehovah of Hosts 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 »‘In mountain towns, 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 Jehovah have spoken.«

14 »‘Jehovah said: ‘The time is coming when I will fulfill the promise that I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

15 »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 »The people of Judah and of Jerusalem will be rescued and will live in safety. The city will be called Jehovah is Our Righteousness.’«

17 »I Jehovah promise that there will always be a descendant of David to be king of Israel

18 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 Jehovah continued to speak to me:

20 »If you break my covenant of the day and my covenant of the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time,

21 then my covenant may also be broken with David my servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, with the Levitical priests as my ministers.

22 »‘I will increase the descendants of my servant David and the Levites who serve me in the same way as the stars of heaven that cannot be counted and the sand on the seashore that cannot be measured.’«

23 The word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah:

24 »Have you not observed what this people have said. They say, ‘The two families Jehovah chose, he has rejected?’ Thus they despise my people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight.

25 »Jehovah says: ‘If My covenant for day and night do not stand and I have not established the fixed patterns of heaven and earth,

26 then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant. And I would not take from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their prosperity and will show them love and compassion.’«