For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah - the restoration not merely of the Jews (treated of in this Jeremiah 30:1-24), but also of the ten tribes ("Israel," treated of in Jeremiah 31:1-40), together forming the whole nation (Jeremiah 30:18; Jeremiah 32:44; Ezekiel 39:25; Amos 9:14-15). "Israel" is mentioned first, because its exile was longer than that of Judah. Some captives of the Israelite ten tribes returned with those of Judah (Luke 2:36, "Aser" is mentioned). But these are only a pledge of the full restoration hereafter (Romans 11:26, "All Israel"). Compare Jeremiah 16:15. This 3rd verse is a brief statement of the subject before the prophecy itself is given.