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Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
New Living Translation
Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
New Living Translation
The Lord Forbids Jeremiah to Intercede
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for these people anymore. 12 When they fast, I will pay no attention. When they present their burnt offerings and grain offerings to me, I will not accept them. Instead, I will devour them with war, famine, and disease.”
13 Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.’”
14 Then the Lord said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them. They say that no war or famine will come, but they themselves will die by war and famine! 16 As for the people to whom they prophesy—their bodies will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem, victims of famine and war. There will be no one left to bury them. Husbands, wives, sons, and daughters—all will be gone. For I will pour out their own wickedness on them. 17 Now, Jeremiah, say this to them:
“Night and day my eyes overflow with tears.
I cannot stop weeping,
for my virgin daughter—my precious people—
has been struck down
and lies mortally wounded.
18 If I go out into the fields,
I see the bodies of people slaughtered by the enemy.
If I walk the city streets,
I see people who have died of starvation.
The prophets and priests continue with their work,
but they don’t know what they’re doing.”
A Prayer for Healing
19 Lord, have you completely rejected Judah?
Do you really hate Jerusalem?[a]
Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing?
We hoped for peace, but no peace came.
We hoped for a time of healing, but found only terror.
20 Lord, we confess our wickedness
and that of our ancestors, too.
We all have sinned against you.
21 For the sake of your reputation, Lord, do not abandon us.
Do not disgrace your own glorious throne.
Please remember us,
and do not break your covenant with us.
22 Can any of the worthless foreign gods send us rain?
Does it fall from the sky by itself?
No, you are the one, O Lord our God!
Only you can do such things.
So we will wait for you to help us.
Judah’s Inevitable Doom
15 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight! 2 And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘Those who are destined for death, to death;
those who are destined for war, to war;
those who are destined for famine, to famine;
those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left. 4 Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
5 “Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
Who will weep for you?
Who will even bother to ask how you are?
6 You have abandoned me
and turned your back on me,”
says the Lord.
“Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you.
I am tired of always giving you another chance.
7 I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities
and take away the children you hold dear.
I will destroy my own people,
because they refuse to change their evil ways.
8 There will be more widows
than the grains of sand on the seashore.
At noontime I will bring a destroyer
against the mothers of young men.
I will cause anguish and terror
to come upon them suddenly.
9 The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath;
her sun has gone down while it is still day.
She sits childless now,
disgraced and humiliated.
And I will hand over those who are left
to be killed by the enemy.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10 Then I said,
“What sorrow is mine, my mother.
Oh, that I had died at birth!
I am hated everywhere I go.
I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose
nor a borrower who refuses to pay—
yet they all curse me.”
11 The Lord replied,
“I will take care of you, Jeremiah.
Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf
in times of trouble and distress.
12 Can a man break a bar of iron from the north,
or a bar of bronze?
13 At no cost to them,
I will hand over your wealth and treasures
as plunder to your enemies,
for sin runs rampant in your land.
14 I will tell your enemies to take you
as captives to a foreign land.
For my anger blazes like a fire
that will burn forever.[b]”
15 Then I said,
“Lord, you know what’s happening to me.
Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!
Please give me time; don’t let me die young.
It’s for your sake that I am suffering.
16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
17 I never joined the people in their merry feasts.
I sat alone because your hand was on me.
I was filled with indignation at their sins.
18 Why then does my suffering continue?
Why is my wound so incurable?
Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,
like a spring that has gone dry.”
19 This is how the Lord responds:
“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!
20 They will fight against you like an attacking army,
but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.
They will not conquer you,
for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
21 Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.
I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”
Jeremiah Forbidden to Marry
16 The Lord gave me another message. He said, 2 “Do not get married or have children in this place. 3 For this is what the Lord says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: 4 They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.”
Judah’s Coming Punishment
5 This is what the Lord says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy. 6 Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness. 7 No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a cup of wine to console them.
8 “And do not go to their feasts and parties. Do not eat and drink with them at all. 9 For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard.
10 “When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?’
11 “Then you will give them the Lord’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. 12 And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night—and I will grant you no favors!’
Hope despite the Disaster
14 “But the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ 15 Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors.
Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
New International Version
Jeremiah 14:11-16:15
New International Version
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray(A) for the well-being of this people. 12 Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry;(B) though they offer burnt offerings(C) and grain offerings,(D) I will not accept(E) them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword,(F) famine(G) and plague.”(H)
13 But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets(I) keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine.(J) Indeed, I will give you lasting peace(K) in this place.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies(L) in my name. I have not sent(M) them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions,(N) divinations,(O) idolatries[a] 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(P) by sword and famine.(Q) 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(R) them, their wives, their sons and their daughters.(S) I will pour out on them the calamity they deserve.(T)
17 “Speak this word to them:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears(U)
night and day without ceasing;
for the Virgin(V) Daughter, my people,
has suffered a grievous wound,
a crushing blow.(W)
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.(X)
Both prophet and priest
have gone to a land they know not.(Y)’”
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?(Z)
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?(AA)
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.(AB)
20 We acknowledge(AC) our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;(AD)
we have indeed sinned(AE) against you.
21 For the sake of your name(AF) do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.(AG)
Remember your covenant(AH) with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols(AI) of the nations bring rain?(AJ)
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.(AK)
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(AL) and Samuel(AM) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(AN) Send them away from my presence!(AO) 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;(AP)
those for starvation, to starvation;(AQ)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(AR)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(AS) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(AT) to kill and the dogs(AU) to drag away and the birds(AV) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(AW) 4 I will make them abhorrent(AX) to all the kingdoms of the earth(AY) because of what Manasseh(AZ) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(BA) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(BB) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(BC) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(BD)
7 I will winnow(BE) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(BF) and destruction on my people,(BG)
for they have not changed their ways.(BH)
8 I will make their widows(BI) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(BJ)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(BK)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(BL)
and breathe her last.(BM)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(BN) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(BO)
before their enemies,”(BP)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(BQ)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(BR)
I have neither lent(BS) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(BT) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(BU) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(BV) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(BW)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(BX) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(BY) without charge,(BZ)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(CA)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[b] a land you do not know,(CB)
for my anger will kindle a fire(CC)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(CD)
You are long-suffering(CE)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(CF)
16 When your words came, I ate(CG) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(CH)
for I bear your name,(CI)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(CJ) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(CK) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(CL)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(CM)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(CN) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(CO)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(CP) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(CQ) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(CR)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(CS) you from the hands of the wicked(CT)
and deliver(CU) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(CV)
Day of Disaster
16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry(CW) and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:(CX) 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried(CY) but will be like dung lying on the ground.(CZ) They will perish by sword and famine,(DA) and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”(DB)
5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity(DC) from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land.(DD) They will not be buried or mourned,(DE) and no one will cut(DF) themselves or shave(DG) their head for the dead. 7 No one will offer food(DH) to comfort those who mourn(DI) for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console(DJ) them.
8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink.(DK) 9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds(DL) of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride(DM) and bridegroom in this place.(DN)
10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’(DO) 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped(DP) them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.(DQ) 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors.(DR) See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts(DS) instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land(DT) into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known,(DU) and there you will serve other gods(DV) day and night, for I will show you no favor.’(DW)
14 “However, the days are coming,”(DX) declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’(DY) 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north(DZ) and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’(EA) For I will restore(EB) them to the land I gave their ancestors.(EC)
Footnotes
- 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 Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.