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The Lord Will Not Relent

15 Then the Lord said to me: Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, yet My heart would not be with this people. Cast them out of My sight and let them go! It shall come to pass if they say to you, “Where should we go?” then you shall tell them: Thus says the Lord:

Those destined for death, to death;
and those destined for the sword, to the sword;
and those destined for the famine, to the famine;
and those destined for the captivity, to the captivity.

I will appoint over them four kinds of disaster, says the Lord: the sword to slay, the dogs to tear, the birds of the heaven, the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.

For who shall have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
    Or who shall bemoan you?
    Or who shall go aside to ask how you are doing?
You who have forsaken Me, says the Lord,
    you keep going backward.
Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you.
    I am weary of relenting!
I will winnow them with a winnowing fork
    in the gates of the land;
I will bereave them of children. I will destroy My people,
    since they did not repent from their ways.
Their widows will increase before Me
    more than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
    a destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
    sorrow and terrors.
She who has borne seven sons languishes;
    she has given up the spirit;
her sun has gone down while it was yet day;
    she has been ashamed and humiliated.
And the rest of them I will deliver to the sword
    before their enemies,
    says the Lord.

Jeremiah’s Sorrow

10 Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me
    as a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have not lent with usury, nor have men lent to me on usury,
    yet every one of them curses me!

11 The Lord said:

Truly I will set you free for good purposes.
    Truly I will cause the enemy to entreat you
    in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.

12 Can anyone break the northern iron
    or the bronze?

13 Your wealth and your treasures
    I will give to the destroyer without price,
and that for all your sins,
    even within all your borders.
14 I will make you to pass with your enemies
    into a land which you do not know;
for a fire is kindled in My anger,
    which shall burn upon you.

15 O Lord, You who know, remember me,
    and take notice of me,
    and take vengeance on my persecutors.
Because of your longsuffering, do not take me away.
    Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Your words were found and I ate them.
    And Your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
    O Lord God of Hosts.
17 I did not sit in the assembly of mockers,
    nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
    for You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain perpetual
    and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?
Shall You be altogether to me as a deceptive stream
    and as waters that fail?

The Lord Reassures Jeremiah

19 Therefore thus says the Lord:

If you return, then I will bring you back,
    and you shall stand before Me;
and if you take out the precious from the worthless,
    you will be My spokesman.
Let them return to you,
    but do not return to them.
20 I will make you to this people
    a fortified bronze wall;
and they shall fight against you,
    but they shall not prevail against you;
for I am with you
    to save you and to deliver you,
    says the Lord.
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
    and I will redeem you out of the hand of the violent.

15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(A) and Samuel(B) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(C) Send them away from my presence!(D) Let them go! And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;(E)
those for starvation, to starvation;(F)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(G)

“I will send four kinds of destroyers(H) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(I) to kill and the dogs(J) to drag away and the birds(K) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(L) I will make them abhorrent(M) to all the kingdoms of the earth(N) because of what Manasseh(O) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.

“Who will have pity(P) on you, Jerusalem?
    Who will mourn for you?
    Who will stop to ask how you are?
You have rejected(Q) me,” declares the Lord.
    “You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(R) and destroy you;
    I am tired of holding back.(S)
I will winnow(T) them with a winnowing fork
    at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(U) and destruction on my people,(V)
    for they have not changed their ways.(W)
I will make their widows(X) more numerous
    than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(Y)
    against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
    anguish and terror.(Z)
The mother of seven will grow faint(AA)
    and breathe her last.(AB)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
    she will be disgraced(AC) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(AD)
    before their enemies,”(AE)
declares the Lord.

10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(AF)
    a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(AG)
I have neither lent(AH) nor borrowed,
    yet everyone curses(AI) me.

11 The Lord said,

“Surely I will deliver you(AJ) for a good purpose;
    surely I will make your enemies plead(AK) with you
    in times of disaster and times of distress.

12 “Can a man break iron—
    iron from the north(AL)—or bronze?

13 “Your wealth(AM) and your treasures
    I will give as plunder,(AN) without charge,(AO)
because of all your sins
    throughout your country.(AP)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
    in[a] a land you do not know,(AQ)
for my anger will kindle a fire(AR)
    that will burn against you.”

15 Lord, you understand;
    remember me and care for me.
    Avenge me on my persecutors.(AS)
You are long-suffering(AT)—do not take me away;
    think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(AU)
16 When your words came, I ate(AV) them;
    they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(AW)
for I bear your name,(AX)
    Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(AY) in the company of revelers,
    never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(AZ) was on me
    and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
    and my wound grievous and incurable?(BA)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
    like a spring that fails.(BB)

19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:

“If you repent, I will restore you
    that you may serve(BC) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
    you will be my spokesman.(BD)
Let this people turn to you,
    but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(BE) to this people,
    a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
    but will not overcome(BF) you,
for I am with you
    to rescue and save you,”(BG)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(BH) you from the hands of the wicked(BI)
    and deliver(BJ) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(BK)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 17:4); most Hebrew manuscripts I will cause your enemies to bring you / into