And I have pursued after them with sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and have given them for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them,
Jeremiah 29:16 Surely thus said Jehovah concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people that is dwelling in this city, your brethren who went not forth with you in the removal;
Jeremiah 29:17 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, Lo, I am sending among them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I have given them up as figs that <FI>are<Fi> vile, that are not eaten for badness.
Jeremiah 29:18 And I have pursued after them with sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and have given them for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them,
Jeremiah 29:19 Because that they have not hearkened unto My words--an affirmation of Jehovah--that I sent unto them by My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, and ye hearkened not--an affirmation of Jehovah.
Jeremiah 29:20 `And ye, hear ye a word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity that I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon,
The verse centers on "pursued", "after", "sword", "famine", "pestilence", "given", "trembling", and "kingdoms". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pursued" and "after", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Thus said Jehovah of Hosts Lo I..." into verse 19's "Because that they have not hearkened unto...", so "pursued" and "after" belong inside that flow. In Jeremiah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pursued" and "after" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.