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Jeremiah 15
Lexham English Bible

Four Types of Calamity

15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me,[a] my heart would not be to this people. Send them away from my sight,[b] and let them go out. 2 And then[c] if they say to you, ‘Where shall we go?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh,

“Those who are destined for the plague, to the plague,
and those who are destined for the sword, to the sword,
and those who are destined for the famine, to the famine,
and those who are destined for the captivity, to the captivity.”’

3 “And I will summon[d] over them four types of calamity,” declares[e] Yahweh, “the sword to kill, and the dogs to drag away, and the birds[f] of the air and the wild animals[g] of the earth to devour and to destroy. 4 And I will make them a terror to all of the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, because of what he did in Jerusalem.

5 “For who will have compassion on you, O Jerusalem,
    or who will show sympathy to you,
    or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?[h]
6 You have forsaken me,” declares[i] Yahweh.
    “You go backward, so I have stretched my hand against you,
and I have destroyed you.
    I am tired of becoming remorseful.
7 And I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land.
    I am bereaved.
I have destroyed my people.
    They did not turn back from their ways.
8 Their widows[j] will be more numerous before me than the sand of the seas.
    I have brought to them, against the mothers[k] of young men,[l]
a destroyer at noon.
    I will suddenly drop on her anguish and horror.[m]
9 She who gave birth to seven has withered away.
    She gasps her breath.
Her sun set[n] while still day.
    She has been put to shame and disgraced.
And the remainder of them I will give to the sword
    before[o] their enemies,” declares[p] Yahweh.

Jeremiah’s Lament and Yahweh’s Response

10 Woe to me, O my mother, that you gave birth to me,
    a man of contention and quarreling to the whole land.[q]
I have not lent out and I have not borrowed.[r]
    All of them are cursing me.

11 Yahweh said,

“Surely[s] I will set you free to be good[t] for you,
    surely[u] I will cause the enemy to intercede with you
in a time of trouble,
    and in a time of distress.
12 Can anyone break iron,
    iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give your wealth and your treasures
    as plunder without price,
even because of all your sins,
    and throughout all your territories.
14 And I will make you serve your enemies
    in a land that you do not know,
for a fire will kindle in my anger.
    Upon you it will be kindled.”
15 You who know, O Yahweh, remember me, and attend to me,
    and take revenge for me against my persecutors in your forbearance.[v]
You must take me away.
    Know that I am carrying disgrace because of you.
16 Your words were found and I ate them,
    and your words became to me as jubilation,
even as the joy of my heart,
    for your name is called on me, O Yahweh God of hosts.
17 I sat not in the assembly of jokers,
    nor did I exult.
Because of the presence[w] of your hand I sat alone,
    for you filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain endless, and my wound incurable?
    It refuses to become healed.
Truly you are to me like a deceitful brook,
    waters that are not trustworthy.

19 Therefore thus says Yahweh,

“If you turn back, then I will take you back.
    You will stand before me.[x]
And if you utter what is precious and not what is worthless,
    you will be as my mouth.
They will turn back to you,
    and you will not turn back to them.
20 And I will make you to this people
    a wall of fortified bronze,
and they will fight against you,
    but they will not prevail over you,
for I am with you, to save you,
    and to deliver you,” declares[y] Yahweh.
21 “And I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
    and I will redeem you from the hand of the tyrant.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 15:1 Literally “to the face of me”
  2. Jeremiah 15:1 Literally “face”
  3. Jeremiah 15:2 Literally “And it will happen”
  4. Jeremiah 15:3 Or “appoint”
  5. Jeremiah 15:3 Literally “a declaration of”
  6. Jeremiah 15:3 Hebrew “bird”
  7. Jeremiah 15:3 Hebrew “wild animal”
  8. Jeremiah 15:5 Literally “to ask to the welfare of you”
  9. Jeremiah 15:6 Literally “a declaration of”
  10. Jeremiah 15:8 Hebrew “widow”
  11. Jeremiah 15:8 Hebrew “mother”
  12. Jeremiah 15:8 Hebrew “man”
  13. Jeremiah 15:8 Hebrew “horrors”
  14. Jeremiah 15:9 Literally “came”
  15. Jeremiah 15:9 Literally “to the face of”
  16. Jeremiah 15:9 Literally “a declaration of”
  17. Jeremiah 15:10 Literally “to all of the land”
  18. Jeremiah 15:10 Literally “not they have lent out for me”
  19. Jeremiah 15:11 Literally “If not”
  20. Jeremiah 15:11 Literally “for good”
  21. Jeremiah 15:11 Literally “if not”
  22. Jeremiah 15:15 Literally “in the length of your nose”
  23. Jeremiah 15:17 Literally “face”
  24. Jeremiah 15:19 Literally “to the face of me”
  25. Jeremiah 15:20 Literally “a declaration of”
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Jeremiah 15
New International Version

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! 2 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)

3 “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) 4 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.

5 “Who will have pity(P) on you, Jerusalem?
    Who will mourn for you?
    Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 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)
7 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)
8 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)
9 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
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Jeremiah 14
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