Restoration for Israel and Judah
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: eWrite in a book all the words that I have spoken to you. 3 fFor behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, gwhen I will restore hthe fortunes of my people, iIsrael and Judah, says the Lord, jand I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall take possession of it.”
4 These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning iIsrael and Judah:
5 “Thus says the Lord:
We have heard a cry of panic,
of terror, and no peace.
6 Ask now, and see,
can a man bear a child?
kWhy then do I see every man
with his hands on his stomach klike a woman in labor?
lWhy has every face turned pale?
7 Alas! mThat day is so great
nthere is none like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
yet he shall be saved out of it.
8 “And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will obreak his pyoke from off your neck, and I will oburst your bonds, qand foreigners shall no more make a servant of him.1 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and rDavid their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10 s“Then fear not, tO Jacob my servant, declares the Lord,
nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for behold, sI will save you from far away,
uand your offspring from the land of their captivity.
sJacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
11 vFor I am with you to save you,
declares the Lord;
vI will make a full end of all the nations
among whom I scattered you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
vI will wdiscipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.
12 “For thus says the Lord:
xYour hurt is incurable,
yand your wound is grievous.
13 There is none to uphold your cause,
no medicine for your wound,
zno healing for you.
14 aAll your lovers have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you;
for I have dealt you the blow of ban enemy,
the punishment cof a merciless foe,
because your guilt is great,
dbecause your sins are flagrant.
15 xWhy do you cry out over your hurt?
xYour pain is incurable.
Because your guilt is great,
dbecause your sins are flagrant,
I have done these things to you.
16 eTherefore all who devour you shall be devoured,
and fall your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
gthose who plunder you shall be plundered,
hand all who prey on you I will make a prey.
17 iFor I will restore jhealth to you,
and kyour wounds I will heal,
declares the Lord,
because lthey have called you an outcast:
l‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’
18 “Thus says the Lord:
Behold, mI will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city shall be rebuilt on nits mound,
and the palace shall stand where it used to be.
19 oOut of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,
and the voices of those who celebrate.
pI will multiply them, and they shall not be few;
I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.
20 qTheir children shall be as they were of old,
and their congregation shall be established before me,
and I will punish all who oppress them.
21 rTheir prince shall be one of themselves;
rtheir ruler shall come out from their midst;
sI will make him draw near, and he shall approach me,
tfor who would dare of himself to approach me?
declares the Lord.
22 uAnd you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.”
23 vBehold wthe storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
24 xThe fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intentions of his mind.
yIn the latter days you will understand this.
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
1 You then, wmy child, xbe strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and ywhat you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses zentrust to faithful men,1 awho will be able to teach others also. 3 bShare in suffering as ca good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier dgets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 eAn athlete is not fcrowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is gthe hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, hrisen from the dead, the ioffspring of David, jas preached in my gospel, 9 kfor which I am suffering, lbound with chains as a criminal. But mthe word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore nI endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain othe salvation that is in Christ Jesus with peternal glory. 11 The saying is qtrustworthy, for:
rIf we have died with him, we will also slive with him;
12 tif we endure, we will also reign with him;
uif we deny him, he also will deny us;
for xhe cannot deny himself.
A Worker Approved by God
14 Remind them of these things, and ycharge them before God2 znot to quarrel about words, awhich does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,3 a worker bwho has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But cavoid dirreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are eHymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, fsaying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: g“The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone hwho names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
20 Now in ia great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, jsome for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, kif anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable,4 he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, lready for every good work.
22 So mflee nyouthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with othose who call on the Lord pfrom a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant qcontroversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And rthe Lord’s servant5 must not be quarrelsome but skind to everyone, table to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents uwith gentleness. God vmay perhaps grant them repentance wleading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from xthe snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
