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1 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias the second time, when he was yet bound in the court of the prison, saying, 2 Thus says the Lord, who made the earth and formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; 3 Cry to me, and I will answer you, and I will declare to you great and mighty things, which you know not. 4 For thus says the Lord concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the king of Juda, which have been pulled down for mounds and fortifications, 5 to fight against the Chaldeans, and to fill it with the corpses of men, whom I struck in mine anger and my wrath, and turned away my face from them, for all their wickedness: 6 Behold, I bring upon her healing and cure, and I will show myself to them, and will heal her, and make both peace and security. 7 And I will turn the captivity of Juda, and the captivity of Israel, and will build them, even as before. 8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned against me, and will not remember their sins, whereby they have sinned against me, and revolted from me. 9 And it shall be for joy and praise, and for glory to all the people of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I will do: and they shall fear and be provoked for all the good things and for all the peace which I will bring upon them. 10 Thus says the Lord; There shall yet be heard in this place, of which you° say, it is destitute of men and cattle, in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, the places that have been made desolate for lack of men and cattle, 11 the voice of gladness, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of men saying, Give thanks to the Lord Almighty: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endures fore ever: and they shall bring gifts into the house of the Lord; for I will turn all the captivity of that land as before, said the Lord. 12 Thus says the Lord of hosts; There shall yet be in this place, that is desert for lack of man and beast, in all the cities thereof, resting-places for shepherds causing their flocks to lie down. 13 In the cities of the hill country, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the cities round about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Juda, flocks shall yet pass under the hand of him that numbers them, says the Lord.