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VI. Oracles of the Restoration of Israel and Judah

Chapter 30

The Restoration.[a] This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write down on a scroll all the words I have spoken to you.(A) For indeed, the days are coming—oracle of the Lord—when I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah—oracle of the Lord. I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their ancestors, and they shall take possession of it.(B)

These are the words the Lord spoke to Israel and to Judah: Thus says the Lord:

We hear a cry of fear:
    terror, not peace.
Inquire and see:
    does a male give birth?
Why, then, do I see all these men,
    their hands on their loins
Like women in labor,
    all their faces drained of color?(C)
Ah! How mighty is that day—
    there is none like it!
A time of distress for Jacob,
    though he shall be saved from it.(D)

On that day—oracle of the Lord of hosts—I will break his yoke off your neck and snap your bonds. Strangers shall no longer enslave them;(E) instead, they shall serve the Lord, their God, and David, their king,[b] whom I will raise up for them.(F)

10 But you, my servant Jacob, do not fear!—oracle of the Lord
    do not be dismayed, Israel!
For I will soon deliver you from places far away,
    your offspring from the land of their exile;
Jacob shall again find rest,
    secure, with none to frighten him,(G)
11     for I am with you—oracle of the Lord—to save you.
I will bring to an end all the nations
    among whom I have scattered you;
    but you I will not bring to an end.
I will chastise you as you deserve,
    I will not let you go unpunished.(H)
12     For thus says the Lord:
Incurable is your wound,
    grievous your injury;(I)
13 There is none to plead your case,
    no remedy for your running sore,
    no healing for you.
14 All your lovers have forgotten you,
    they do not seek you out.
I struck you as an enemy would strike,
    punishing you cruelly.(J)
15 Why cry out over your wound?
    There is no relief for your pain.
Because of your great guilt,
    your numerous sins,
    I have done this to you.(K)
16 Yet all who devour you shall be devoured,
    all your enemies shall go into exile.
All who plunder you shall become plunder,
    all who pillage you I will hand over to be pillaged.(L)
17 For I will restore your health;
    I will heal your injuries—oracle of the Lord.
“The outcast” they have called you,
    “whom no one looks for.”(M)
18     Thus says the Lord:
See! I will restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents,
    on his dwellings I will have compassion;
A city shall be rebuilt upon its own ruins,
    a citadel restored where it should be.(N)
19 From them will come praise,
    the sound of people rejoicing.
I will increase them, they will not decrease,
    I will glorify them, they will not be insignificant.(O)
20 His children shall be as of old,
    his assembly shall stand firm in my presence,
    I will punish all his oppressors.(P)
21 His leader[c] shall be one of his own,
    and his ruler shall emerge from his ranks.
He shall approach me when I summon him;
    Why else would he dare
    approach me?—oracle of the Lord.
22 You shall be my people,
    and I will be your God.(Q)
23 Look! The storm of the Lord!
    His wrath breaks out
In a whirling storm
    that bursts upon the heads of the wicked.(R)
24 The anger of the Lord will not abate
    until he has carried out completely
    the decisions of his heart.
In days to come
    you will fully understand it.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 30:1–31:40 These two chapters contain salvation oracles that originally expressed the double expectation that the Lord would return the exiled survivors of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and reunite Israel and Judah as one kingdom under a just Davidic king. They were probably composed early in Josiah’s reign (the reference of v. 9), when he took advantage of Assyria’s internal disintegration and asserted control over northern Israel (cf. 2 Kgs 23:15–17). With the destruction of Jerusalem, the oracles were re-worked to include Judah and their fulfillment along with the renewal of the Davidic dynasty became associated with the eschatological “day of the Lord.”
  2. 30:9 David, their king: a descendant of David (“his leader” in v. 21) who, like his ancestor, would rule a unified kingdom and “walk in the ways of the Lord,” as the Deuteronomistic historians claimed David did. Other prophets also refer to this idealized ruler as “David”; cf. Ez 34:23–24; 37:24–25; Hos 3:5.
  3. 30:21 His leader: cf. v. 9. Approach me: i.e., in the sanctuary of the Temple for worship. This new David is given a priestly function to perform on behalf of the assembly. To approach God on one’s own brings death; cf. Lv 16:1–2.

Restoration of Israel

30 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write(A) in a book all the words I have spoken to you. The days(B) are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will bring(C) my people Israel and Judah back from captivity[a] and restore(D) them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,’ says the Lord.”

These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: “This is what the Lord says:

“‘Cries of fear(E) are heard—
    terror, not peace.
Ask and see:
    Can a man bear children?
Then why do I see every strong man
    with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,(F)
    every face turned deathly pale?(G)
How awful that day(H) will be!
    No other will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble(I) for Jacob,
    but he will be saved(J) out of it.

“‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty,
    ‘I will break the yoke(K) off their necks
and will tear off their bonds;(L)
    no longer will foreigners enslave them.(M)
Instead, they will serve the Lord their God
    and David(N) their king,(O)
    whom I will raise up for them.

10 “‘So do not be afraid,(P) Jacob my servant;(Q)
    do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the Lord.
‘I will surely save(R) you out of a distant place,
    your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,(S)
    and no one will make him afraid.(T)
11 I am with you(U) and will save you,’
    declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
    among which I scatter you,
    I will not completely destroy(V) you.
I will discipline(W) you but only in due measure;
    I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’(X)

12 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘Your wound(Y) is incurable,
    your injury beyond healing.(Z)
13 There is no one to plead your cause,(AA)
    no remedy for your sore,
    no healing(AB) for you.
14 All your allies(AC) have forgotten you;
    they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy(AD) would
    and punished you as would the cruel,(AE)
because your guilt is so great
    and your sins(AF) so many.
15 Why do you cry out over your wound,
    your pain that has no cure?(AG)
Because of your great guilt and many sins
    I have done these things to you.(AH)

16 “‘But all who devour(AI) you will be devoured;
    all your enemies will go into exile.(AJ)
Those who plunder(AK) you will be plundered;
    all who make spoil of you I will despoil.
17 But I will restore you to health
    and heal(AL) your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,(AM)
    Zion for whom no one cares.’(AN)

18 “This is what the Lord says:

“‘I will restore the fortunes(AO) of Jacob’s tents(AP)
    and have compassion(AQ) on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt(AR) on her ruins,
    and the palace will stand in its proper place.
19 From them will come songs(AS) of thanksgiving(AT)
    and the sound of rejoicing.(AU)
I will add to their numbers,(AV)
    and they will not be decreased;
I will bring them honor,(AW)
    and they will not be disdained.
20 Their children(AX) will be as in days of old,
    and their community will be established(AY) before me;
    I will punish(AZ) all who oppress them.
21 Their leader(BA) will be one of their own;
    their ruler will arise from among them.(BB)
I will bring him near(BC) and he will come close to me—
    for who is he who will devote himself
    to be close to me?’
declares the Lord.
22 “‘So you will be my people,(BD)
    and I will be your God.(BE)’”

23 See, the storm(BF) of the Lord
    will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
    on the heads of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger(BG) of the Lord will not turn back(BH)
    until he fully accomplishes
    the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
    you will understand(BI) this.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 30:3 Or will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah

Restoration of Israel and Judah

30 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you. For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that (A)I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. (B)‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’ ”

Now these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah.

“For thus says the Lord:

‘We have heard a voice of trembling,
Of [a]fear, and not of peace.
Ask now, and see,
Whether a [b]man is ever in [c]labor with child?
So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins
(C)Like a woman in labor,
And all faces turned pale?
(D)Alas! For that day is great,
(E)So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.

‘For it shall come to pass in that day,’
Says the Lord of hosts,
That I will break his yoke from your neck,
And will burst your bonds;
Foreigners shall no more enslave them.
But they shall serve the Lord their God,
And (F)David their king,
Whom I will (G)raise up for them.

10 ‘Therefore (H)do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord,
‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you from afar,
And your seed (I)from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet,
And no one shall make him afraid.
11 For I am with (J)you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you;
(K)Though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you,
(L)Yet I will not make a complete end of you.
But I will correct you (M)in justice,
And will not let you go altogether unpunished.’

12 “For thus says the Lord:

(N)‘Your affliction is incurable,
Your wound is severe.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
That you may be bound up;
(O)You have no healing medicines.
14 (P)All your lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound (Q)of an enemy,
With the chastisement (R)of a cruel one,
For the multitude of your iniquities,
(S)Because your sins have increased.
15 Why (T)do you cry about your affliction?
Your sorrow is incurable.
Because of the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased,
I have done these things to you.

16 ‘Therefore all those who devour you (U)shall be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into (V)captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become (W)plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will make a (X)prey.
17 (Y)For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,
‘Because they called you an outcast saying:
“This is Zion;
No one seeks her.” ’

18 “Thus says the Lord:

‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
And (Z)have mercy on his dwelling places;
The city shall be built upon its own [d]mound,
And the palace shall remain according to its own plan.
19 Then (AA)out of them shall proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who make merry;
(AB)I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish;
I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
20 Their children also shall be (AC)as before,
And their congregation shall be established before Me;
And I will punish all who oppress them.
21 Their nobles shall be from among them,
(AD)And their governor shall come from their midst;
Then I will (AE)cause him to draw near,
And he shall approach Me;
For who is this who pledged his heart to approach Me?’ says the Lord.
22 ‘You shall be (AF)My people,
And I will be your God.’ ”

23 Behold, the (AG)whirlwind of the Lord
Goes forth with fury,
A [e]continuing whirlwind;
It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.
24 The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it,
And until He has performed the intents of His heart.

(AH)In the latter days you will consider it.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 30:5 dread
  2. Jeremiah 30:6 Lit. male can give birth
  3. Jeremiah 30:6 childbirth
  4. Jeremiah 30:18 ruins
  5. Jeremiah 30:23 Or sweeping