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āāJeremiah 33:1-26 MSGā¬ā¬
[1] While Jeremiah was still locked up in jail, a second Message from God was given to him: [2-3] āThis is Godās Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: āCall to me and I will answer you. Iāll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.ā [4-5] āThis is what God, the God of Israel, has to say about whatās going on in this city, about the homes of both people and kings that have been demolished, about all the ravages of war and the killing by the Chaldeans, and about the streets littered with the dead bodies of those killed because of my raging angerāabout all thatās happened because the evil actions in this city have turned my stomach in disgust. [6-9] āBut now take another look. Iām going to give this city a thorough renovation, working a true healing inside and out. Iām going to show them life whole, life brimming with blessings. Iāll restore everything that was lost to Judah and Jerusalem. Iāll build everything back as good as new. Iāll scrub them clean from the dirt theyāve done against me. Iāll forgive everything theyāve done wrong, forgive all their rebellions. And Jerusalem will be a center of joy and praise and glory for all the countries on earth. Theyāll get reports on all the good Iām doing for her. Theyāll be in awe of the blessings I am pouring on her. [10-11] āYes, Godās Message: āYouāre going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, āA wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here.ā But the time is coming when youāre going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, āThank God-of-the-Angel-Armies. Heās so good! His love never quits,ā as they bring thank offerings into Godās Temple. Iāll restore everything that was lost in this land. Iāll make everything as good as new.ā I, God, say so. [12-13] āGod-of-the-Angel-Armies says: āThis coming desolation, unfit for even a stray dog, is once again going to become a pasture for shepherds who care for their flocks. Youāll see flocks everywhereāin the mountains around the towns of the Shephelah and Negev, all over the territory of Benjamin, around Jerusalem and the towns of Judahāflocks under the care of shepherds who keep track of each sheep.ā God says so. [14-18] āāWatch for this: The time is comingāāGodās Decreeāāwhen I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this country honestly and fairly. He will set things right. Thatās when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem live in safety. The motto for the city will be, āGod Has Set Things Right for Us.ā God has made it clear that there will always be a descendant of David ruling the people of Israel and that there will always be Levitical priests on hand to offer burnt offerings, present grain offerings, and carry on the sacrificial worship in my honor.āā * * * [19-22] Godās Message to Jeremiah: āGod says, āIf my covenant with day and my covenant with night ever fell apart so that day and night became haphazard and you never knew which was coming and when, then and only then would my covenant with my servant David fall apart and his descendants no longer rule. The same goes for the Levitical priests who serve me. Just as you canāt number the stars in the sky nor measure the sand on the seashore, neither will you be able to account for the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who serve me.āā * * * [23-24] Godās Message to Jeremiah: āHave you heard the saying thatās making the rounds: āThe two families God chose, Israel and Judah, he disownedā? And have you noticed that my people are treated with contempt, with rumors afoot that thereās nothing to them anymore? [25-26] āWell, hereās Godās response: āIf my covenant with day and night wasnāt in working order, if sky and earth werenāt functioning the way I set them going, then, but only then, you might think I had disowned the descendants of Jacob and of my servant David, and that I wouldnāt set up any of Davidās descendants over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But as it is, I will give them back everything theyāve lost. The last word is, I will have mercy on them.āā

