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¶ THE word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
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Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Write all the words that I have spoken to you in a book.
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For behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will bring back the captives of my people Israel and Judah, says the LORD;
and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers and they shall possess it.
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And these are the words that the LORD spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah.
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Thus says the LORD: We have heard a sound of trembling and of fear;
and there is no peace.
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Ask now and see: Can a male bear a child?
Wherefore do I observe every man with his hands on his loins, like a woman in travail, and all faces turned into paleness?
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Alas!
for that day is great, so that none is like it;
it is a time of distress for Jacob;
but he shall be saved out of it.
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For it shall come to pass in that day, says the LORD of hosts, that I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon from off your neck, and I will cut off your bonds, and strangers shall no more enslave them;
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But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king whom I will raise up for them.
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Therefore fear not, O my servant Jacob, says the LORD;
neither be dismayed, O Israel;
for, lo, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity;
and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall hurt him.
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Fear not, O my servant Jacob, says the LORD, for I am with you to save you, says the LORD;
for I will make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered you, yet I will not make a full end of you;
but I will correct you justly, and will not declare you innocent.
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For thus says the LORD: Your wound is grievous, and your affliction is severe.
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There is none to plead your cause or to succor you and heal you.
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All your friends have forgotten you;
they seek your life;
for I have smitten you with the wound of an enemy, with a severe chastisement because of the multitude of your iniquities, and because your sins were increased and you would not repent.
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Why do you lament over your wound?
Your wound is painful because of the multitude of your iniquities;
and because your sins were increased, I have done these things to you.
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Therefore, all who devour you shall be devoured;
and all your enemies, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
and those who trample over you shall be trampled over, and all those who plunder you I will give for a prey.
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For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says the LORD;
because they have called you an outcast, saying, This is Zion who had no avenger.
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Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and I will do to him as of old, and have mercy on his dwelling places;
the city shall be built upon its own hill, and the temple shall be established after the former manner thereof.
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And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who sing;
and I will multiply them, and they shall not decrease;
I will also make them mighty, and they shall not be weak.
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Their children also shall be as of old, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all who oppress them.
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And their king shall be one of themselves, and their governors shall come forth from among themselves;
and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach to me;
for I will turn his heart towards me, says the LORD.
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And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
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Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goes forth with fury, a tornado;
it shall rest upon the head of the wicked.
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The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed his orders and until he has performed the intents of his heart;
in the latter days you shall understand this.