Study Desk

"At that time"—this is the Lord 's declaration—"I will be the God of all the families of Israel,^(a) and they will be My people."

This is what the Lord says: They found favor in the wilderness^(b)— the people who survived the sword. When Israel went to find rest,

the Lord appeared to him^[a] from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.^(c)

Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt, Virgin Israel. You will take up your tambourines again^(d) and go out in joyful dancing.

You will plant vineyards again on the mountains of Samaria; the planters will plant and will enjoy the fruit.^(e)

For there will be a day when watchmen will call out in the hill country of Ephraim, "Get up, let's go up to Zion,^(f) to Yahweh our God!"

For this is what the Lord says: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the chief of the nations! Proclaim, praise, and say, " Lord , save Your people,^(g) the remnant of Israel!"

Watch! I am going to bring them from the northern land. I will gather them from remote regions of the earth^(h)— the blind and the lame will be with them, along with those who are pregnant and those about to give birth. They will return here as a great assembly!⁽ⁱ⁾

They will come weeping, but I will bring them back with consolation.^[b](j) I will lead them to wadis filled with water by a smooth way where they will not stumble,^(k) for I am Israel's Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.

Nations, hear the word of the Lord , and tell it among the far off coastlands!^(l) Say: The One who scattered Israel will gather him. He will watch over him as a shepherd guards his flock,

for the Lord has ransomed Jacob and redeemed him from the power of one stronger than he.^(m)

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will be radiant with joy⁽ⁿ⁾ because of^(o) the Lord 's goodness, because of the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil,^(p) and because of the young of the flocks and herds. Their life will be like an irrigated garden, and they will no longer grow weak from hunger.

Then the young woman will rejoice with dancing, while young and old men rejoice together. I will turn their mourning into joy,^(q) give them consolation, and bring happiness out of grief.

I will refresh the priests with an abundance,^[c](r) and My people will be satisfied with My goodness. This is the Lord 's declaration.

This is what the Lord says: A voice was heard in Ramah, a lament with bitter weeping— Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children because they are no more.^(s)

This is what the Lord says: Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come— this is the Lord 's declaration— and your children will return from the enemy's land.

There is hope for your future^(t)— this is the Lord 's declaration— and your children will return to their own territory.

I have heard Ephraim moaning, "You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined like an untrained calf. Restore me, and I will return, for you, Lord , are my God.^(u)

After I returned, I repented; After I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief.^(v) I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth."

Isn't Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Whenever I speak against him, I certainly still think about him. Therefore, My inner being yearns for him; I will truly have compassion on him. This is the Lord 's declaration.

Set up road markers^(w) for yourself; establish signposts! Keep the highway in mind, the way you have traveled. Return, Virgin Israel! Return to these cities of yours.

How long will you turn here and there, faithless daughter?^(x) For the Lord creates something new in the land^[d]— a female^[e] will shelter^[f] a man.

This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: "When I restore their fortunes,^[g] they will once again speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, ‘May the Lord bless you, righteous settlement,^(y) holy mountain.'^(z)

Judah and all its cities will live in it together—also farmers and those who move^[h] with the flocks—

for I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak."

At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been most pleasant to me.

"The days are coming"—this is the Lord 's declaration—"when I will sow the house of Israel^(aa) and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast.

Just as I watched over them to uproot and to tear them down, to demolish and to destroy, and to cause disaster, so will I be attentive to build and to plant them,"^(ab) says the Lord .

"In those days, it will never again be said: The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.^(ac)

Rather, each will die for his own wrongdoing.^(ad) Anyone who eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge.

"Look, the days are coming"—this is the Lord 's declaration—"when I will make a new covenant^(ae) with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

This one will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke even though I had married them"^(af)—the Lord 's declaration.

"Instead, this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days"—the Lord 's declaration. "I will put My teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people.

No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord ,'^(ag) for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them"—this is the Lord 's declaration. "For I will forgive their wrongdoing^(ah) and never again remember their sin."^(ai)

This is what the Lord says: The One who gives the sun for light by day, the fixed order of moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea and makes its waves roar^(aj)— Yahweh of Hosts is His name:

If this fixed order departs from My presence— this is the Lord 's declaration— then also Israel's descendants will cease to be a nation before Me forever.^(ak)

This is what the Lord says: If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below explored, I will reject all of Israel's descendants because of all they have done— this is the Lord 's declaration.

"Look, the days are coming"—the Lord 's declaration—"when the city^[i] from the Tower of Hananel^(al) to the Corner Gate^(am) will be rebuilt for the Lord .

A measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb^(an) and then turn toward Goah.

The whole valley—the corpses, the ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley^(ao) to the corner of the Horse Gate^(ap) to the east—will be holy to the Lord . It will never be uprooted or demolished again."

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah^(a) king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.^(b)

At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the guard's courtyard^(c) in the palace of the king of Judah.

Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying: "Why are you prophesying, ‘This is what the Lord says: Look, I am about to hand this city over to Babylon's king, and he will capture it.

Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the Chaldeans; indeed, he will certainly be handed over to Babylon's king. They will speak face to face^[a] and meet eye to eye.^(d)

He will take Zedekiah to Babylon where he will stay until I attend to him'—this is the Lord 's declaration. ‘You will fight the Chaldeans, but you will not succeed'?"^(e)

Jeremiah replied, "The word of the Lord came to me:

Watch! Hanamel, the son of your uncle Shallum, is coming to you to say, ‘Buy my field in Anathoth^(f) for yourself, for you own the right of redemption^(g) to buy it.'

"Then my cousin Hanamel came to the guard's courtyard as the Lord had said and urged me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for you own the right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord .

So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out to him the money^(h)—17 shekels^[b] of silver.

I recorded it on a scroll,⁽ⁱ⁾ sealed it, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver in the scales.

I took the purchase agreement—the sealed copy with its terms and conditions and the open copy—

and gave the purchase agreement to Baruch^(j) son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah. I did this in the sight of my cousin^[c] Hanamel, the witnesses who were signing the purchase agreement, and all the Judeans sitting in the guard's courtyard.

"I instructed Baruch in their sight,

‘This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Take these scrolls—this purchase agreement with the sealed copy and this open copy—and put them in an earthen storage jar so they will last a long time.

For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.'^(k)

"After I had given the purchase agreement to Baruch, son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord :

Oh, Lord God ! You Yourself made the heavens and earth^(l) by Your great power^(m) and with Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!

You show faithful love to thousands but lay the fathers' sins on their sons' laps after them,⁽ⁿ⁾ great and mighty God^(o) whose name is Yahweh of Hosts,

the One great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men in order to give to each person according to his ways and the result of his deeds.^(p)

You performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt^(q) and do so to this very day both in Israel and among mankind. You made a name^(r) for Yourself, as is the case today.

You brought Your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror.^(s)

You gave them this land You swore to give to their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.^(t)

They entered and possessed it, but they did not obey Your voice or live according to Your instructions.^(u) They failed to perform all You commanded them to do,^(v) and so You have brought all this disaster on them.

Look! Siege ramps^(w) have come against the city to capture it, and the city, as a result of the sword, famine, and plague, has been handed over to the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened. Look, You can see it!

Yet You, Lord God , have said to me: Buy the field with silver and call in witnesses—even though the city has been handed over to the Chaldeans!"

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:

"Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh.^(x) Is anything too difficult for Me?

Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the Chaldeans,^(y) to Babylon's king Nebuchadnezzar, and he will capture it.

The Chaldeans who are going to fight against this city will come, set this city on fire, and burn it along with the houses where incense has been burned to Baal on their rooftops and where drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to provoke Me to anger.^(z)

From their youth, the Israelites and Judeans have done nothing but what is evil in My sight! They have done nothing but provoke Me to anger by the work of their hands"^(aa)—this is the Lord 's declaration—

"for this city has caused My wrath and fury from the day it was built until now. I will therefore remove it from My presence,^(ab)

because of all the evil the Israelites and Judeans have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings,^(ac) their officials, their priests, and their prophets, the men of Judah, and the residents of Jerusalem.

They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Though I taught them time and time again,^[d](ad) they do not listen and receive discipline.

They have placed their detestable things^(ae) in the house that is called by My name and have defiled it.

They have built the high places of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom to make their sons and daughters pass through the fire to Molech^(af)—something I had not commanded them. I had never entertained the thought^[e] that they do this detestable act causing Judah to sin!

"Now therefore, this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says to this city about which you said, ‘It has been handed over to Babylon's king through sword, famine, and plague':

I am about to gather them from all the lands where I have banished them in My anger, rage and great wrath, and I will return them to this place and make them live in safety.^(ag)

They will be My people, and I will be their God.

I will give them one heart^(ah) and one way so that for their good and for the good of their descendants after them, they will fear Me always.

"I will make an everlasting covenant with them:^(ai) I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put fear of Me in their hearts so they will never again turn away from Me.

I will take delight in them to do what is good for them, and with all My heart and mind I will faithfully plant them in this land.^(aj)

"For this is what the Lord says: Just as I have brought all this great disaster on these people,^(ak) so am I about to bring on them all the good I am promising them.

Fields will be bought in this land about which you are saying,^(al) ‘It's a desolation^(am) without man or beast; it has been handed over to the Chaldeans!'

Fields will be purchased with silver, the transaction written on a scroll and sealed,^(an) and witnesses will be called on in the land of Benjamin,^(ao) in the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and in Judah's cities—the cities of the hill country, the cities of the Judean foothills, and the cities of the Negev—because I will restore their fortunes."^[f] This is the Lord 's declaration.