Jeremiah 29:14
And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
Study Note
Study Note
The sequel promise 'I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations' anchors the exiles' hope not in their circumstances but in divine initiative — God will be found precisely when they seek whole-heartedly. The gathering from 'all the nations' and 'all the places whither I have driven you' anticipates the broader restoration vision of Deuteronomy 30:3-5 and Ezekiel 36-37, suggesting that the exile was always provisional within a larger covenantal purpose. The phrase 'I will turn away your captivity' (shavti eth-shevutkhem) plays on the root 'shub' (return, restore), implying that God's act of gathering is itself a return to covenant fidelity. This verse has been deployed in diaspora theology across both Jewish and Christian traditions.
Other Translations
And I will be found of you, saith Jehovah, and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith Jehovah; and I will bring you again unto the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
And I have been found of you--an affirmation of Jehovah; and I have turned back <FI>to<Fi> your captivity, and have gathered you out of all the nations, and out of all the places whither I have driven you--an affirmation of Jehovah--and I have brought you back unto the place whence I removed you.
I will be near you again, says the Lord, and your fate will be changed, and I will get you together from all the nations and from all the places where I had sent you away, says the Lord; and I will take you back again to the place from which I sent you away prisoners.
Cross References
For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is …
That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather …
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and …
And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with …
And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their …
For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely …
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south.
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of …