Font Size
Jeremiah 12-15
New King James Version
Jeremiah 12-15
New King James Version
Jeremiah’s Question
12 Righteous (A)are You, O Lord, when I plead with You;
Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments.
(B)Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?
2 You have planted them, yes, they have taken root;
They grow, yes, they bear fruit.
(C)You are near in their mouth
But far from their [a]mind.
3 But You, O Lord, (D)know me;
You have seen me,
And You have (E)tested my heart toward You.
Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter,
And prepare them for (F)the day of slaughter.
4 How long will (G)the land mourn,
And the herbs of every field wither?
(H)The beasts and birds are consumed,
(I)For the wickedness of those who dwell there,
Because they said, “He will not see our final end.”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you,
Then how can you contend with horses?
And if in the land of peace,
In which you trusted, they wearied you,
Then how will you do in (J)the [b]floodplain of the Jordan?
6 For even (K)your brothers, the house of your father,
Even they have dealt treacherously with you;
Yes, they have called [c]a multitude after you.
(L)Do not believe them,
Even though they speak [d]smooth words to you.
7 “I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage;
I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.
8 My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest;
It cries out against Me;
Therefore I have (M)hated it.
9 My [e]heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture;
The vultures all around are against her.
Come, assemble all the beasts of the field,
(N)Bring them to devour!
10 “Many (O)rulers[f] have destroyed (P)My vineyard,
They have (Q)trodden My portion underfoot;
They have made My [g]pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
11 They have made it (R)desolate;
Desolate, it mourns to Me;
The whole land is made desolate,
Because (S)no one takes it to heart.
12 The plunderers have come
On all the desolate heights in the wilderness,
For the sword of the Lord shall devour
From one end of the land to the other end of the land;
No flesh shall have peace.
13 (T)They have sown wheat but reaped thorns;
They have [h]put themselves to pain but do not profit.
But be ashamed of your harvest
Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”
14 Thus says the Lord: “Against all My evil neighbors who (U)touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit—behold, I will (V)pluck them out of their land and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. 15 (W)Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them (X)and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land. 16 And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, (Y)to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be (Z)established in the midst of My people. 17 But if they do not (AA)obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,” says the Lord.
Symbol of the Linen Sash
13 Thus the Lord said to me: “Go and get yourself a linen sash, and put it [i]around your waist, but do not put it in water.” 2 So I got a [j]sash according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist.
3 And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying, 4 “Take the [k]sash that you acquired, which is [l]around your waist, and arise, go to the [m]Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole in the rock.” 5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
6 Now it came to pass after many days that the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the sash which I commanded you to hide there.” 7 Then I went to the Euphrates and dug, and I took the [n]sash from the place where I had hidden it; and there was the sash, ruined. It was profitable for nothing.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “Thus says the Lord: ‘In this manner (AB)I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great (AC)pride of Jerusalem. 10 This evil people, who (AD)refuse to hear My words, who (AE)follow[o] the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing. 11 For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the Lord, ‘that (AF)they may become My people, (AG)for renown, for praise, and for (AH)glory; but they would (AI)not hear.’
Symbol of the Wine Bottles
12 “Therefore you shall speak to them this word: ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Every bottle shall be filled with wine.” ’
“And they will say to you, ‘Do we not certainly know that every bottle will be filled with wine?’
13 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land—even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—(AJ)with drunkenness! 14 And (AK)I will dash them [p]one against another, even the fathers and the sons together,” says the Lord. “I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but will destroy them.” ’ ”
Pride Precedes Captivity
15 Hear and give ear:
Do not be proud,
For the Lord has spoken.
16 (AL)Give glory to the Lord your God
Before He causes (AM)darkness,
And before your feet stumble
On the dark mountains,
And while you are (AN)looking for light,
He turns it into (AO)the shadow of death
And makes it dense darkness.
17 But if you will not hear it,
My soul will (AP)weep in secret for your pride;
My eyes will weep bitterly
And run down with tears,
Because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.
18 Say to (AQ)the king and to the queen mother,
“Humble yourselves;
Sit down,
For your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory.”
19 The cities of the South shall be shut up,
And no one shall open them;
Judah shall be carried away captive, all of it;
It shall be wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes and see
Those who come from the (AR)north.
Where is the flock that was given to you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He punishes you?
For you have taught them
To be chieftains, to be head over you.
Will not (AS)pangs seize you,
Like a woman in [q]labor?
22 And if you say in your heart,
(AT)“Why have these things come upon me?”
For the greatness of your iniquity
(AU)Your skirts have been uncovered,
Your heels [r]made bare.
23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?
Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.
24 “Therefore I will (AV)scatter them (AW)like stubble
That passes away by the wind of the wilderness.
25 (AX)This is your lot,
The portion of your measures from Me,” says the Lord,
“Because you have forgotten Me
And trusted in (AY)falsehood.
26 Therefore (AZ)I will uncover your skirts over your face,
That your shame may appear.
27 I have seen your adulteries
And your lustful (BA)neighings,
The lewdness of your harlotry,
Your abominations (BB)on the hills in the fields.
Woe to you, O Jerusalem!
Will you still not be made clean?”
Sword, Famine, and Pestilence
14 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the droughts.
2 “Judah mourns,
And (BC)her gates languish;
They (BD)mourn for the land,
And (BE)the cry of Jerusalem has gone up.
3 Their nobles have sent their lads for water;
They went to the cisterns and found no water.
They returned with their vessels empty;
They were (BF)ashamed and confounded
(BG)And covered their heads.
4 Because the ground is parched,
For there was (BH)no rain in the land,
The plowmen were ashamed;
They covered their heads.
5 Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field,
But [s]left because there was no grass.
6 And (BI)the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights;
They sniffed at the wind like jackals;
Their eyes failed because there was no grass.”
7 O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us,
Do it (BJ)for Your name’s sake;
For our backslidings are many,
We have sinned against You.
8 (BK)O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble,
Why should You be like a stranger in the land,
And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
9 Why should You be like a man astonished,
Like a mighty one (BL)who cannot save?
Yet You, O Lord, (BM)are in our midst,
And we are called by Your name;
Do not leave us!
10 Thus says the Lord to this people:
(BN)“Thus they have loved to wander;
They have not restrained their feet.
Therefore the Lord does not accept them;
(BO)He will remember their iniquity now,
And punish their sins.”
11 Then the Lord said to me, (BP)“Do not pray for this people, for their good. 12 (BQ)When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and (BR)when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But (BS)I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.”
13 (BT)Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you [t]assured (BU)peace in this place.’ ”
14 And the Lord said to me, (BV)“The prophets prophesy lies in My name. (BW)I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, [u]divination, a worthless thing, and the (BX)deceit of their heart. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, (BY)and who say, ‘Sword and famine shall not be in this land’—‘By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed! 16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; (BZ)they will have no one to bury them—them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters—for I will pour their wickedness on them.’
17 “Therefore you shall say this word to them:
(CA)‘Let my eyes flow with tears night and day,
And let them not cease;
(CB)For the virgin daughter of my people
Has been broken with a mighty stroke, with a very severe blow.
18 If I go out to (CC)the field,
Then behold, those slain with the sword!
And if I enter the city,
Then behold, those sick from famine!
Yes, both prophet and (CD)priest go about in a land they do not know.’ ”
The People Plead for Mercy
19 (CE)Have You utterly rejected Judah?
Has Your soul loathed Zion?
Why have You stricken us so that (CF)there is no healing for us?
(CG)We looked for peace, but there was no good;
And for the time of healing, and there was trouble.
20 We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness
And the iniquity of our (CH)fathers,
For (CI)we have sinned against You.
21 Do not abhor us, for Your name’s sake;
Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory.
(CJ)Remember, do not break Your covenant with us.
22 (CK)Are there any among (CL)the idols of the nations that can cause (CM)rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
(CN)Are You not He, O Lord our God?
Therefore we will wait for You,
Since You have made all these.
The Lord Will Not Relent
15 Then the Lord said to me, (CO)“Even if (CP)Moses and (CQ)Samuel stood before Me, My [v]mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. 2 And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
(CR)“Such as are for death, to death;
And such as are for the sword, to the sword;
And such as are for the famine, to the famine;
And such as are for the (CS)captivity, to the captivity.” ’
3 “And I will (CT)appoint over them four forms of destruction,” says the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, (CU)the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will hand them over to (CV)trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of (CW)Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
Or who will bemoan you?
Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?
6 (CX)You have forsaken Me,” says the Lord,
“You have (CY)gone backward.
Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
(CZ)I am [w]weary of relenting!
7 And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan in the gates of the land;
I will (DA)bereave them of children;
I will destroy My people,
Since they (DB)do not return from their ways.
8 Their widows will be increased to Me more than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them,
Against the mother of the young men,
A plunderer at noonday;
I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them (DC)suddenly.
9 “She(DD) languishes who has borne seven;
She has breathed her last;
(DE)Her sun has gone down
While it was yet day;
She has been ashamed and confounded.
And the remnant of them I will deliver to the sword
Before their enemies,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Dejection
10 (DF)Woe is me, my mother,
That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole [x]earth!
I have neither lent for interest,
Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.
11 The Lord said:
“Surely it will be well with your remnant;
Surely I will cause (DG)the enemy to intercede with you
In the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.
12 Can anyone break iron,
The northern iron and the bronze?
13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will give as (DH)plunder without price,
Because of all your sins,
Throughout your territories.
14 And I will [y]make you cross over with your enemies
(DI)Into a land which you do not know;
For a (DJ)fire is kindled in My anger,
Which shall burn upon you.”
15 O Lord, (DK)You know;
Remember me and [z]visit me,
And (DL)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In Your enduring patience, do not take me away.
Know that (DM)for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Your words were found, and I (DN)ate them,
And (DO)Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
17 (DP)I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers,
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
For You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my (DQ)pain perpetual
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me (DR)like an unreliable stream,
As waters that [aa]fail?
The Lord Reassures Jeremiah
19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
(DS)“If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall (DT)stand before Me;
If you (DU)take out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze (DV)wall;
And they will fight against you,
But (DW)they shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:2 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or thicket
- Jeremiah 12:6 Or abundantly
- Jeremiah 12:6 Lit. good
- Jeremiah 12:9 inheritance
- Jeremiah 12:10 Lit. shepherds or pastors
- Jeremiah 12:10 desired portion of land
- Jeremiah 12:13 Or strained
- Jeremiah 13:1 Lit. upon your loins
- Jeremiah 13:2 waistband
- Jeremiah 13:4 waistband
- Jeremiah 13:4 Lit. upon your loins
- Jeremiah 13:4 Heb. Perath
- Jeremiah 13:7 waistband
- Jeremiah 13:10 walk in the stubbornness or imagination
- Jeremiah 13:14 Lit. a man against his brother
- Jeremiah 13:21 childbirth
- Jeremiah 13:22 Lit. suffer violence
- Jeremiah 14:5 abandoned her young
- Jeremiah 14:13 true
- Jeremiah 14:14 Telling the future by signs and omens
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit. soul was not toward
- Jeremiah 15:6 tired
- Jeremiah 15:10 Or land
- Jeremiah 15:14 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr., Tg. cause you to serve (cf. 17:4)
- Jeremiah 15:15 attend to
- Jeremiah 15:18 Or cannot be trusted
Jeremiah 12-15
New International Version
Jeremiah 12-15
New International Version
Jeremiah’s Complaint
12 You are always righteous,(A) Lord,
when I bring a case(B) before you.
Yet I would speak with you about your justice:(C)
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?(D)
Why do all the faithless live at ease?
2 You have planted(E) them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear fruit.(F)
You are always on their lips
but far from their hearts.(G)
3 Yet you know me, Lord;
you see me and test(H) my thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep(I) to be butchered!
Set them apart for the day of slaughter!(J)
4 How long will the land lie parched(K)
and the grass in every field be withered?(L)
Because those who live in it are wicked,
the animals and birds have perished.(M)
Moreover, the people are saying,
“He will not see what happens to us.”
God’s Answer
5 “If you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble[a] in safe country,
how will you manage in the thickets(N) by[b] the Jordan?
6 Your relatives, members of your own family—
even they have betrayed you;
they have raised a loud cry against you.(O)
Do not trust them,
though they speak well of you.(P)
7 “I will forsake(Q) my house,
abandon(R) my inheritance;
I will give the one I love(S)
into the hands of her enemies.(T)
8 My inheritance has become to me
like a lion(U) in the forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.(V)
9 Has not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of prey
that other birds of prey surround and attack?
Go and gather all the wild beasts;
bring them to devour.(W)
10 Many shepherds(X) will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my field;
they will turn my pleasant field
into a desolate wasteland.(Y)
11 It will be made a wasteland,(Z)
parched and desolate before me;(AA)
the whole land will be laid waste
because there is no one who cares.
12 Over all the barren heights in the desert
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword(AB) of the Lord(AC) will devour(AD)
from one end of the land to the other;(AE)
no one will be safe.(AF)
13 They will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves out but gain nothing.(AG)
They will bear the shame of their harvest
because of the Lord’s fierce anger.”(AH)
14 This is what the Lord says: “As for all my wicked neighbors who seize the inheritance(AI) I gave my people Israel, I will uproot(AJ) them from their lands and I will uproot(AK) the people of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion(AL) and will bring(AM) each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. 16 And if they learn(AN) well the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives’(AO)—even as they once taught my people to swear by Baal(AP)—then they will be established among my people.(AQ) 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy(AR) it,” declares the Lord.
A Linen Belt
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water.” 2 So I bought a belt, as the Lord directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time:(AS) 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath[c](AT) and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the Lord told me.(AU)
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9 “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride(AV) of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen(AW) to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts(AX) and go after other gods(AY) to serve and worship them,(AZ) will be like this belt—completely useless!(BA) 11 For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown(BB) and praise and honor.(BC) But they have not listened.’(BD)
Wineskins
12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.’ And if they say to you, ‘Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?’ 13 then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to fill with drunkenness(BE) all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike, declares the Lord. I will allow no pity(BF) or mercy or compassion(BG) to keep me from destroying(BH) them.’”
Threat of Captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the Lord has spoken.(BI)
16 Give glory(BJ) to the Lord your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble(BK)
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to utter darkness
and change it to deep gloom.(BL)
17 If you do not listen,(BM)
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep bitterly,
overflowing with tears,(BN)
because the Lord’s flock(BO) will be taken captive.(BP)
18 Say to the king(BQ) and to the queen mother,(BR)
“Come down from your thrones,
for your glorious crowns(BS)
will fall from your heads.”
19 The cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one to open them.
All Judah(BT) will be carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Look up and see
those who are coming from the north.(BU)
Where is the flock(BV) that was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you boasted?
21 What will you say when the Lord sets over you
those you cultivated as your special allies?(BW)
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in labor?(BX)
22 And if you ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”(BY)—
it is because of your many sins(BZ)
that your skirts have been torn off(CA)
and your body mistreated.(CB)
23 Can an Ethiopian[d] change his skin
or a leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to doing evil.(CC)
24 “I will scatter you like chaff(CD)
driven by the desert wind.(CE)
25 This is your lot,
the portion(CF) I have decreed for you,”
declares the Lord,
“because you have forgotten(CG) me
and trusted in false gods.(CH)
26 I will pull up your skirts over your face
that your shame may be seen(CI)—
27 your adulteries and lustful neighings,
your shameless prostitution!(CJ)
I have seen your detestable acts
on the hills and in the fields.(CK)
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
How long will you be unclean?”(CL)
Drought, Famine, Sword
14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:(CM)
2 “Judah mourns,(CN)
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.(CO)
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.(CP)
4 The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;(CQ)
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.(CR)
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights(CS)
and pant like jackals;
their eyes fail
for lack of food.”(CT)
7 Although our sins testify(CU) against us,
do something, Lord, for the sake of your name.(CV)
For we have often rebelled;(CW)
we have sinned(CX) against you.
8 You who are the hope(CY) of Israel,
its Savior(CZ) in times of distress,(DA)
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
9 Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?(DB)
You are among(DC) us, Lord,
and we bear your name;(DD)
do not forsake(DE) us!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people:
“They greatly love to wander;
they do not restrain their feet.(DF)
So the Lord does not accept(DG) them;
he will now remember(DH) their wickedness
and punish them for their sins.”(DI)
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(DJ) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(DK) though they offer burnt offerings(DL) and grain offerings,(DM) I will not accept(DN) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(DO) famine(DP) and plague.”(DQ)
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(DR) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(DS) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(DT) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(DU) in my name. I have not sent(DV) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(DW) divinations,(DX) idolatries[e] and the delusions of their own minds. 15 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish(DY) by sword and famine.(DZ) 16 And the people they are prophesying to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and sword. There will be no one to bury(EA) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(EB) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(EC)
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(ED)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(EE) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(EF)
18 If I go into the country,
I see those slain by the sword;
if I go into the city,
I see the ravages of famine.(EG)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(EH)’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(EI)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(EJ)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(EK)
20 We acknowledge(EL) our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(EM)
we have indeed sinned(EN) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(EO) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(EP)
Remember your covenant(EQ) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(ER) of the nations bring rain?(ES)
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.(ET)
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(EU) and Samuel(EV) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(EW) Send them away from my presence!(EX) 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;(EY)
those for starvation, to starvation;(EZ)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(FA)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(FB) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(FC) to kill and the dogs(FD) to drag away and the birds(FE) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(FF) 4 I will make them abhorrent(FG) to all the kingdoms of the earth(FH) because of what Manasseh(FI) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(FJ) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(FK) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(FL) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(FM)
7 I will winnow(FN) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(FO) and destruction on my people,(FP)
for they have not changed their ways.(FQ)
8 I will make their widows(FR) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(FS)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(FT)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(FU)
and breathe her last.(FV)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(FW) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(FX)
before their enemies,”(FY)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(FZ)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(GA)
I have neither lent(GB) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(GC) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(GD) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(GE) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(GF)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(GG) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(GH) without charge,(GI)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(GJ)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[f] a land you do not know,(GK)
for my anger will kindle a fire(GL)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(GM)
You are long-suffering(GN)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(GO)
16 When your words came, I ate(GP) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(GQ)
for I bear your name,(GR)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(GS) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(GT) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(GU)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(GV)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(GW) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(GX)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(GY) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(GZ) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(HA)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(HB) you from the hands of the wicked(HC)
and deliver(HD) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(HE)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or you feel secure only
- Jeremiah 12:5 Or the flooding of
- Jeremiah 13:4 Or possibly to the Euphrates; similarly in verses 5-7
- Jeremiah 13:23 Hebrew Cushite (probably a person from the upper Nile region)
- Jeremiah 14:14 Or visions, worthless divinations
- 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
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.