31:1: "At that time, says Yahweh, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." 2: Thus says Yahweh: "The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness; when Israel sought for rest, 3: Yahweh appeared to him from afar. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. 4: Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with timbrels, and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. 5: Again you shall plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit. 6: For there shall be a day when watchmen will call in the hill country of Ephraim: 'Arise, and let us go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God.'" 7: For thus says Yahweh: "Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, 'Yahweh has saved his people, the remnant of Israel.' 8: Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her who is in travail, together; a great company, they shall return here. 9: With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born. 10: "Hear the word of Yahweh, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands afar off; say, 'He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.' 11: For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. 12: They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of Yahweh, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall be like a watered garden, and they shall languish no more. 13: Then shall the maidens rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. 14: I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says Yahweh." 15: Thus says Yahweh: "A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not." 16: Thus says Yahweh: "Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says Yahweh, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. 17: There is hope for your future, says Yahweh, and your children shall come back to their own country. 18: I have heard Ephraim bemoaning, 'you hast chastened me, and I was chastened, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you art Yahweh my God. 19: For after I had turned away I repented; and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.' 20: Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says Yahweh. 21: "Set up waymarks for yourself, make yourself guideposts; consider well the highway, the road by which you went. Return, O virgin Israel, return to these your cities. 22: How long will you waver, O faithless daughter? For Yahweh has created a new thing on the earth: a woman protects a man." 23: Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: "Once more they shall use these words in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes: 'Yahweh bless you, O habitation of righteousness, O holy hill!' 24: And Judah and all its cities shall dwell there together, and the farmers and those who wander with their flocks. 25: For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish." 26: Thereupon I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me. 27: "Behold, the days are coming, says Yahweh, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28: And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says Yahweh. 29: In those days they shall no longer say: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' 30: But every one shall die for his own sin; each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge. 31: "Behold, the days are coming, says Yahweh, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32: not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, yough I was their husband, says Yahweh. 33: But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34: And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says Yahweh; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." 35: Thus says Yahweh, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—Yahweh of hosts is his name: 36: "If this fixed order departs from before me, says Yahweh, then shall the descendants of Israel cease from being a nation before me for ever." 37: Thus says Yahweh: "If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be explored, then I will cast off all the descendants of Israel for all that they have done, says Yahweh." 38: "Behold, the days are coming, says Yahweh, when the city shall be rebuilt for Yahweh from the tower of Han'anel to the Corner Gate. 39: And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40: The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to Yahweh. It shall not be uprooted or overthrown any more for ever."
32:1: The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2: At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard which was in the palace of the king of Judah. 3: For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 4: Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye; 5: and he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I visit him, says Yahweh; though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed'?" 6: Jeremiah said, "The word of Yahweh came to me: 7: Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, 'Buy my field which is at An'athoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.' 8: Then Han'amel my cousin came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of Yahweh, and said to me, 'Buy my field which is at An'athoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of Yahweh. 9: "And I bought the field at An'athoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10: I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. 11: Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; 12: and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my cousin, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13: I charged Baruch in their presence, saying, 14: 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time. 15: For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.' 16: "After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neri'ah, I prayed to Yahweh, saying: 17: Ah Lord Yahweh! It is you who hast made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you, 18: who shows steadfast love to thousands, but requites the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is Yahweh of hosts, 19: great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of men, rewarding every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings; 20: who hast shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and hast made you a name, as at this day. 21: you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22: and you gavest them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; 23: and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or walk in your law; they did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you hast made all this evil come upon them. 24: Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chalde'ans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you seest it. 25: Yet you, O Lord GOD, hast said to me, "Buy the field for money and get witnesses" -- yough the city is given into the hands of the Chalde'ans.'" 26: The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah: 27: "Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me? 28: Therefore, thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am giving this city into the hands of the Chalde'ans and into the hand of Nebuchadrez'zar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. 29: The Chalde'ans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs incense has been offered to Ba'al and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger. 30: For the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; the sons of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their hands, says Yahweh. 31: This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, so that I will remove it from my sight 32: because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they did to provoke me to anger -- their kings and their princes, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 33: They have turned to me their back and not their face; and yough I have taught them persistently they have not listened to receive instruction. 34: They set up their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it. 35: They built the high places of Ba'al in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, yough I did not command them, nor did it enter into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. 36: "Now therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, 'It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence': 37: Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. 38: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39: I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40: I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them; and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. 41: I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. 42: "For thus says Yahweh: Just as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. 43: Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hands of the Chalde'ans. 44: Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephe'lah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, says Yahweh."
33:
1: The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still
shut up in the court of the guard: 2: "Thus says Yahweh who made
the earth, Yahweh who formed it to establish it—Yahweh is his name:
3: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden
things which you have not known. 4: For thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel,
concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah
which were torn down to make a defense against the siege mounds and before
the sword: 5: The Chaldeans are coming in to fight and to fill them with
the dead bodies of men whom I shall smite in my anger and my wrath, for
I have hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness.
6: Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them
and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. 7: I will restore
the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as
they were at first. 8: I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their
sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion
against me. 9: And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and
a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the
good that I do for them; they shall fear and tremble because of all the
good and all the prosperity I provide for it. 10: "Thus says Yahweh:
In this place of which you say, 'It is a waste without man or beast,'
in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate,
without man or inhabitant or beast, there shall be heard again 11: the
voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom
and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring
thank offerings to the house of Yahweh: 'Give thanks to Yahweh of hosts,
for Yahweh is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever!' For I will
restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says Yahweh. 12: "Thus
says Yahweh of hosts: In this place which is waste, without man or beast,
and in all of its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds
resting their flocks. 13: In the cities of the hill country, in the cities
of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb, in the land of Benjamin,
the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, flocks shall again
pass under the hands of the one who counts them, says Yahweh. 14: "Behold,
the days are coming, says Yahweh, when I will fulfil the promise I made
to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15: In those days and at
that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and
he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16: In those days
Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the
name by which it will be called: 'Yahweh is our righteousness.' 17: "For
thus says Yahweh: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of
the house of Israel, 18: and the Levitical priests shall never lack a
man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn cereal offerings,
and to make sacrifices for ever." 19: The word of Yahweh came to
Jeremiah: 20: "Thus says Yahweh: If you can break my covenant with
the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not
come at their appointed time, 21: then also my covenant with David my
servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his
throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. 22: As
the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot
be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David my servant, and
the Levitical priests who minister to me." 23: The word of Yahweh
came to Jeremiah: 24: "Have you not observed what these people are
saying, 'Yahweh has rejected the two families which he chose'? Thus they
have despised my people so that they are no longer a nation in their sight.
25: Thus says Yahweh: "If I have not established my covenant with
day and night and the ordinances of heaven and earth, 26: then I will
reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose
one of his descendants to rule over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
For I will restore their fortunes, and will have mercy upon them."
Questions
1. What is the historical context in which the prophet Jeremiah delivers the prophecies in Jer 31-33?
2. What is Jeremiah's negative message to his generation?
3. What is Jeremiah's positive message to a future generation?
4. What is Jeremiah's symbolic act in Jer 32:6-25?
5. What is the new covenant in Jer 31:31-34?
6. What is the everlasting covenant in Jer 32:37-41?
7. Who is the righteous Branch and what is he to do in Jer 33:14-18?
