"Thussaysthe LORDGodof Israel,'Like thesegoodfigs,soI will regardas goodthe captivesof Judah,whomI have sentout of thisplace[into] the landof the Chaldeans.
"And I will bringthe thirdpartthrough the fire,Refinethem as silveris refined,And testthem as goldis tested.They will callon My name,And I will answerthem; I will say,They are My people,'And they will say,'The LORDis my God.'"
The LORDis good,A strongholdin the dayof trouble,And He knowsthose who takerefugein Him.
Those whomI love,I reproveand discipline;thereforebe zealousand repent.
Nevertheless,the firmfoundationof Godstands,havingthisseal,"The Lordknowsthosewho are His," and, "Everyonewho namesthe nameof the Lordis to abstainfrom wickedness."
But nowthat you have come to knowGod,orratherto be knownby God,howis it that you turn backagainto the weakand worthlesselemental things,to whichyou desireto be enslavedall overagain?
but ifanyonelovesGod,he is knownby Him.
And we knowthat Godcausesall thingsto work togetherfor goodto thosewho loveGod,to thosewho are calledaccordingto [His] purpose.
"My sheephearMy voice,and I knowthem, and they followMe;
"But he answered,'TrulyI sayto you, I do not knowyou.'
It is goodfor me that I was afflicted,That I may learnYour statutes.
BeforeI was afflictedI wentastray,But nowI keepYour word.
"In the wildernessHe fedyou mannawhichyour fathersdid not know,that He might humbleyou and that He might testyou, to dogoodfor you in the end.
Then the wordof the LORDcameto me, saying,
"Thussaysthe LORDof hosts,the Godof Israel,to allthe exileswhomI have sentinto exilefrom Jerusalemto Babylon,
"You, therefore, hearthe wordof the LORD,allyou exiles,whomI have sentawayfrom Jerusalemto Babylon.
"Thereforesay,'Thussaysthe LordGOD,"I will gatheryou from the peoplesand assembleyou out of the countriesamong whichyou have been scattered,and I will giveyou the landof Israel."'
Yet in spiteof this,when they are in the landof their enemies,I will not rejectthem, norwill I so abhorthem as to destroythem, breakingMy covenantwith them; for I am the LORDtheir God.
For I knowthe plansthat I havefor you,' declaresthe LORD,'plansfor welfareand not for calamityto giveyou a futureand a hope.
that they may walkin My statutesand keepMy ordinancesand dothem. Then they will be My people,and I shall be their God.
