So, now the Lord says, ‘You have not listened to me. But you have made me angry by the things that you have done. Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’

“Therefore, the Lord who rules over all says, ‘You have not listened to what I said.

Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders. Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks. They are wailing because the Lord is about to destroy their lands.

The Lord told me, “Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck.

“The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.

“The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem,

They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’

‘So pay attention to what I, the Lord, have said, all you exiles whom I have sent to Babylon from Jerusalem.’

So here is what the Lord has to say about Israel and Judah.

Yes, here is what he says: “You hear cries of panic and of terror; there is no peace in sight.

But they will be subject to the Lord their God and to the Davidic ruler whom I will raise up as king over them.

Just watch! The wrath of the Lord will come like a storm. Like a raging storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked.

The Lord says, “The people of Israel who survived death at the hands of the enemy will find favor in the wilderness as they journey to find rest for themselves.

In a far-off land the Lord will manifest himself to them. He will say to them, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love. That is why I have continued to be faithful to you.

For the Lord will rescue the descendants of Jacob. He will secure their release from those who had overpowered them.

I will provide the priests with abundant provisions. My people will be filled to the full with the good things I provide.”

“Indeed a time is coming,” says the Lord, “when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt as my special city. It will be built from the Tower of Hananel westward to the Corner Gate.

“I am the Lord, the God of all humankind. There is, indeed, nothing too difficult for me.

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse.

Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go into the Lord’s temple.