33 ⇔Then while Yirmiyah (Jeremiah) was still locked in the guards’ courtyard, Yahweh gave him a second message, saying, 2 Yahweh, the maker of the earth, who formed and established it and who’s known by his name Yahweh, says: 3 Call out to me, and I’ll answer you. I’ll tell you amazing things that you haven’t previously known or understood. 4 Yes, Yisrael’s (Israel’s) god, Yahweh, says this about the houses in this city and the palaces of Yehudah’s (Judah’s) king that were torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the attackers: 5 The Babylonians are coming to fight, and to fill the houses with the corpses of the people that I’ll kill in my rage and fury when I turn my back on this city because of all their wickedness. 6 Listen, I’m about to bring a cure and healing, because I’ll heal them and will bring bountiful peace and prosperity to them, and justice. 7 I’ll bring back the fortunes of Yehudah and Yisrael—I’ll build them up as they were before. 8 Then I’ll purify them from all the evil that they’ve committed against me—I’ll pardon all the times that they disobeyed me, and all the ways that they rebelled against me. 9 Then this city will become an object of joy for me—a song of praise and honour for all the nations of the earth who’ll hear about all the good things that I’m going to do for it. Then the people in the city will be respectful and tremble because of all the good things and the peace and prosperity that I’ll give to it.

10 Yahweh says this: In this place that you’re all talking about, saying, “It’s desolate—a place where neither people or animals live,” in Yehudah’s cities including Yerushalem’s (Jerusalem’s) streets that are indeed desolate with no people or animals around, there’ll be heard again 11 the sounds of happiness and celebration. You’ll all hear the sounds of the bride and groom, and those who bring thank offerings to Yahweh’s temple will be heard saying,

“Give thanks to Commander-in-chief Yahweh,

because Yahweh is good,

and his loyal commitment lasts forever!”[ref]

Yes, I’ll restore the fortunes of the land to what they were before, says Yahweh.

12 Commander-in-chief Yahweh says: ‘In this desolate place where no people or animals are living, around all its cities there’ll again be pastures where shepherds can rest their flocks. 13 In the cities in the hill country, the lowlands, and the Negev, in the Benyamin region, and all around Yerushalem and in Yehudah’s other cities, the flocks will again pass be counted by their shepherds,’ says Yahweh.

14 Yahweh declares: Listen, the time is coming when I’ll do what I’ve promised for the people of Yisrael (Israel) and Yehudah. 15 In those days and at that time, I’ll make a righteous branch grow for David, and he’ll do what’s fair and right throughout the land. 16 Yehudah will be rescued in those days, and Yerushalem will live in security, because it’ll be called, ‘Yahweh is the one who does what’s right for us,’ 17 because Yahweh says this: ‘There’ll always be one of David’s descendants reigning over Yisrael,[ref] 18 and there’ll always be a Levitical priest to stand in front of me to sacrifice burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to offer other sacrifices.’[ref]

19 Then Yahweh gave Yirmiyah (Jeremiah) this message: 20 Yahweh says this: ‘If you all can break my contract with day and night so that there’ll no longer be day or night at their proper times, 21 then my agreement with my servant David my servant could also be broken, so that he would no longer have a descendant to sit on his throne. The same is true for my agreement with my servants, the priests from Levi tribe. 22 As the stars in the skies can’t be counted, and as the sand grains on the seashores can’t be measured, so I’ll increase the descendants of my servant David, as well as the Levites who work for me.’

23 Yahweh gave Yirmiyah this message: 24 Haven’t you noticed what this people group has declared when they said, ‘The two clans that Yahweh chose, now he’s rejected them’? In that way they despise my people, saying that they no longer deserve to be a nation as far as they’re concerned. 25 But I, Yahweh say this: Didn’t I establish the permanent contract with day and night, and determine the laws of the universe and this planet? 26 In the same way, would I now reject Ya’akov’s (Jacob’s) descendants and not bring a ruler for the descendants of Avraham, Yitshak (Isaac), and Ya’akov out of them. No, because I’ll restore their fortunes and show mercy towards them.