Thus (I saye) spake the Lorde God of Israel, concernyng the houses of this cytie, and the houses of the kynges of Iuda: that they shalbe broken thorowe the ordinaunce and weapens / when the Caldees come to besege them: and they shalbe fylled with the deed karcases of men / whom I wyll steye in my wrath and dyspleasure: when I turne my face from thys cytie, because of all her wyckednes. Beholde, (sayeth the Lorde) I wyl heale theyr woundes and make them whole: I wyll open thē the treasure of peace and trueth. And I wyll returne the cap∣tyuyte of Iuda and Israell: and wyll set them vp agayne: as they were afore. Frō all mysdedes (wherin they haue offended a∣gaynste me) I wyll clense thē: And al theyr blasphemies which they haue done against me, when they regarded me nat, I wyll for∣geue [unspec B] them. And thys shall get me a name, a prayse and honoure, amonge all people of the earth, whiche shall heare all the good / that I wyll shewe vnto them: yee, they shall be afrayed and a stonnyed at all the good dedes and benefytes / that I wyl do for thē. Moreouer, thus sayeth the Lorde: In thys place, wherof ye saye that it shall be a wyldernesse / wherin neyther people nor ca∣tell shall dwell: in lyke maner in the cyties of Iuda and without Ierusalem (whiche also shalbe so voyde / that nether people nor catell shall dwell there) Shall the voyce of gladnesse be harde agayne, the voyce of the Brydegrome and of the bryde, the voyce of thē that shal synge (: Prayse y• Lorde of Hostes / for he is louynge and his mercy en∣dureth for euer) and the voyce of them that shall offer vp gyftes in the house of the Lorde. For I wyll restore the captyuyte of thys lande, as it was afore / sayeth the Lorde. Thus sayeth the Lorde of Hostes It shall come yet therto / that in thys lāde, whiche is voyde from men and catell / and in all the cyties of the lande, there shall be sette vp shepherdes cotages: in the cyties vpon the mountaynes: and in the cyties that lye vpon the playne / and in the cyties of the southe. In the lande of Ben Ia∣min / in the feldes of Ierusalem / and in the cyties of Iuda shall the shepe be nombred agayne / vnder the hande of hym / that tel∣leth [unspec C] them / sayeth the Lorde. Beholde, the tyme commeth / sayeth the Lorde / that I wyll perfourme that good thynge / which I haue promysed vnto the house of Israell & to y• house of Iuda. In those dayes & at the same tyme, I wyll brīge forth vnto Dauid, the braunche of ryghtuousnes, and he shall do equyte & ryghtuousnesse in the lande. In those dayes shal Iuda be helped and Ie∣rusalem shal dwell safe, and he that shal cal her is euen God our ryghtuousnesse. For thus the Lorde promeseth: Dauid shall neuer want one, to syt vpon the stole of the house of Israel: neyther shall the prestes and Leuytes want one to offre all waye be∣fore me burnt offeringes, to kyndle y• meat∣offerynges, and to prepare the sacrifyces.
And the worde of the Lorde came vnto [unspec D] Ieremy after this maner: Thus sayeth the Lorde: maye the couenaūt whiche I haue made with daye and nyght be broken, that there shulde nat be daye and nyght in due season? Then maye my couenaunt also be broken, which I made with Dauid my ser∣uaunt, & so he nat to haue a sonne to reygne in his Trone, so shall also the prestes and Leuytes neuer fayle, but serue me. For lyke as the starres of heauen maye nat be nombred, neyther the sande of the see measu¦red: so wyll I multiplye the sede of Dauid my seruaūt, & the Leuites my mynisters.
Moreouer, the worde of the Lorde came to Ieremy, sayenge: Consydrest thou nat what this people speaketh? Two kynred∣des (saye they) had the Lorde chosen, and those same two hathe he cast awaye. For so farre is my people come, that they haue no hope to come together any more / and to be one people agayne. Therfore thus sayeth the Lorde: If I haue made no couenaunte with daye and nyght, and geue no statute vnto heauen and earth: thē wyll I also cast awaye the sede of Dauid my seruaunte: so that I wyll take no prynce out of his sede, to rule the posterite of Abraham, Isaac and Iacob. But yet I wyll turne agayne theyr captyuite, and be mercyfull vnto them.