In the days to come the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob, will take root like a tree, and they will blossom and bud. The earth will be covered with the fruit they produce.

But once more God will send us his spirit. The wasteland will become fertile, and fields will produce rich crops.

Those in Judah who survive will flourish like plants that send roots deep into the ground and produce fruit.

There will be people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive, because the LORD Almighty is determined to make this happen.

"I will show compassion to Jerusalem, to all who live in her ruins. Though her land is a desert, I will make it a garden, like the garden I planted in Eden. Joy and gladness will be there, and songs of praise and thanks to me.

Cypress trees will grow where now there are briers; myrtle trees will come up in place of thorns. This will be a sign that will last forever, a reminder of what I, the LORD, have done."

Your people will all do what is right, And will possess the land forever. I planted them, I made them, To reveal my greatness to all.

To give to those who mourn in Zion Joy and gladness instead of grief, A song of praise instead of sorrow. They will be like trees That the LORD himself has planted. They will all do what is right, And God will be praised for what he has done.

As surely as seeds sprout and grow, The Sovereign LORD will save his people, And all the nations will praise him.

They are like trees planted in the house of the LORD, that flourish in the Temple of our God,

that still bear fruit in old age and are always green and strong.

This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "I will take the top of a tall cedar and break off a tender sprout; I will plant it on a high mountain,

All the trees in the land will know that I am the LORD. I cut down the tall trees and make small trees grow tall. I wither up the green trees and make the dry trees become green. I, the LORD, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do."

On each bank of the stream all kinds of trees will grow to provide food. Their leaves will never wither, and they will never stop bearing fruit. They will have fresh fruit every month, because they are watered by the stream that flows from the Temple. The trees will provide food, and their leaves will be used for healing people."