1. While Jeremiah was still locked up in the courtyard of the guards, the message from the Lord came to him a second time:
2. “The Lord made the earth, and he keeps it safe. The Lord is his name. He says,
3. ‘Judah, pray to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you important secrets. You have never heard these things before.’
4. The Lord is the God of Israel. This is what he says about the houses in Jerusalem and about the palaces of the kings of Judah: ‘The enemy will pull these houses down. They will build ramps up to the top of the city walls. They will use swords and fight the people in these cities.
5. “‘The people in Jerusalem have done many bad things. I am angry with them. I have turned against them, so I will kill many people there. The Babylonian army will come to fight against Jerusalem. There will be many dead bodies in the houses in Jerusalem.
6. “‘But then I will heal the people in that city. I will let them enjoy peace and safety.
7. I will make good things happen to Judah and Israel again and make them strong as in the past.