23. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: “The Lord bless you, you prosperous city, you sacred mountain.”
24. People will live together in Judah and all its towns – farmers and those who move about with their flocks.
25. I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.’
26. At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.
27. ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals.
28. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,’ declares the Lord.
29. ‘In those days people will no longer say,“The parents have eaten sour grapes,and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”
30. Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes – their own teeth will be set on edge.
31. ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,‘when I will make a new covenantwith the people of Israeland with the people of Judah.
32. It will not be like the covenantI made with their ancestorswhen I took them by the handto lead them out of Egypt,because they broke my covenant,though I was a husband to them,’declares the Lord.
33. ‘This is the covenant that I will make with the people of Israelafter that time,’ declares the Lord.‘I will put my law in their mindsand write it on their hearts.I will be their God,and they will be my people.
34. No longer will they teach their neighbour,or say to one another, “Know the Lord,”because they will all know me,from the least of them to the greatest,’declares the Lord.‘For I will forgive their wickednessand will remember their sins no more.’
35. This is what the Lord says,he who appoints the sunto shine by day,who decrees the moon and starsto shine by night,who stirs up the seaso that its waves roar –the Lord Almighty is his name:
36. ‘Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,’declares the Lord,‘will Israel ever ceasebeing a nation before me.’
37. This is what the Lord says:‘Only if the heavens above can be measuredand the foundations of the earth below be searched outwill I reject all the descendants of Israelbecause of all they have done,’declares the Lord.