Jeremiah 15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Lord’s Negative Response
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if(A) Moses and(B) Samuel should(C) stand before Me,(D) My compassions would not reach out to these people. Send them from My presence, and let them go. 2 If they ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ you must tell them: This is what the Lord says:
Those destined for death,(E) to death;
those destined for the sword, to the sword.
Those destined for famine, to famine;
those destined for captivity, to captivity.
3 “I will ordain four kinds[a] of judgment for them”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away,(F) and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land(G) to devour and destroy. 4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh(H) son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem?(I)
Who will show sympathy toward you?(J)
Who will turn aside
to ask about your welfare?
6 You have left Me.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
You have turned your back,
so I have stretched out My hand against you
and destroyed you.
I am tired of showing compassion.
7 I scattered them with a winnowing fork
at the gates of the land.
I made them childless; I destroyed My people.
They would not turn from their ways.(K)
8 I made their widows more numerous
than the sand of the seas.(L)
I brought a destroyer at noon
against the mother of young men.
I suddenly released on her
agitation and terrors.
9 The mother of seven grew faint;(M)
she breathed her last breath.
Her sun set while it was still day;
she was ashamed and humiliated.
The rest of them I will give over to the sword
in the presence of their enemies.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10 Woe is me, my mother,
that you gave birth to me,(N)
a man who incites dispute and conflict
in all the land.
I did not lend or borrow,
yet everyone curses me.(O)
The Lord’s Response
11 The Lord said:
I will certainly set you free and care for you.[b]
I will certainly intercede for you
in a time of trouble,
in your time of distress, with the enemy.
12 Can anyone smash iron,
iron from the north, or bronze?
13 I will give up your wealth
and your treasures as plunder,
without cost,(P) for all your sins
in all your borders.
14 Then I will make you serve your enemies[c]
in a land you do not know,
for My anger will kindle a fire
that will burn against you.(Q)
Jeremiah’s Prayer for Vengeance
15 You know,(R) Lord;
remember me and take note of me.
Avenge me against my persecutors.(S)
In Your patience,[d] don’t take me away.
Know that I suffer disgrace for Your honor.(T)
16 Your words were found, and I ate them.(U)
Your words became a delight to me
and the joy of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,(V)
Yahweh God of Hosts.
17 I never sat with the band of revelers,
and I did not celebrate with them.
Because Your hand was on me, I sat alone,(W)
for You filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain become unending,
my wound incurable,(X)
refusing to be healed?
You truly have become like a mirage to me—
water that is not reliable.
Jeremiah Told to Repent
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says:
If you return, I will restore you;
you will stand in My presence.
And if you speak noble words,
rather than worthless ones,
you will be My spokesman.(Y)
It is they who must return to you;
you must not return to them.
20 Then I will make you a fortified wall of bronze
to this people.
They will fight against you
but will not overcome you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you.(Z)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
21 I will deliver you from the power of evil people
and redeem you from the control of the ruthless.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 15:3 Lit families
- Jeremiah 15:11 Lit free for good
- Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg; other Hb mss read you pass through
- Jeremiah 15:15 Lit In the slowness of Your anger
Jeremiah 15
The Message
15 1-2 Then God said to me: “Jeremiah, even if Moses and Samuel stood here and made their case, I wouldn’t feel a thing for this people. Get them out of here. Tell them to get lost! And if they ask you, ‘So where do we go?’ tell them God says,
“‘If you’re assigned to die, go and die;
if assigned to war, go and get killed;
If assigned to starve, go starve;
if assigned to exile, off to exile you go!’
3-4 “I’ve arranged for four kinds of punishment: death in battle, the corpses dropped off by killer dogs, the rest picked clean by vultures, the bones gnawed by hyenas. They’ll be a sight to see, a sight to shock the whole world—and all because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah and all he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who do you think will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
Who do you think will waste tears on you?
Who will bother to take the time to ask,
‘So, how are things going?’
6-9 “You left me, remember?” God’s Decree.
“You turned your back and walked out.
So I will grab you and hit you hard.
I’m tired of letting you off the hook.
I threw you to the four winds
and let the winds scatter you like leaves.
I made sure you’ll lose everything,
since nothing makes you change.
I created more widows among you
than grains of sand on the ocean beaches.
At noon mothers will get the news
of their sons killed in action.
Sudden anguish for the mothers—
all those terrible deaths.
A mother of seven falls to the ground,
gasping for breath,
Robbed of her children in their prime.
Her sun sets at high noon!
Then I’ll round up any of you that are left alive
and see that you’re killed by your enemies.”
God’s Decree.
Giving Everything Away for Nothing
10-11 Unlucky mother—that you had me as a son,
given the unhappy job of indicting the whole country!
I’ve never hurt or harmed a soul,
and yet everyone is out to get me.
But, God knows, I’ve done everything I could to help them,
prayed for them and against their enemies.
I’ve always been on their side, trying to stave off disaster.
God knows how I’ve tried!
* * *
12-14 “O Israel, O Judah, what are your chances
against the iron juggernaut from the north?
In punishment for your sins, I’m giving away
everything you’ve got, giving it away for nothing.
I’ll make you slaves to your enemies
in a strange and far-off land.
My anger is blazing and fierce,
burning in hot judgment against you.”
* * *
15-18 You know where I am, God! Remember what I’m doing here!
Take my side against my detractors.
Don’t stand back while they ruin me.
Just look at the abuse I’m taking!
When your words showed up, I ate them—
swallowed them whole. What a feast!
What delight I took in being yours,
O God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
I never joined the party crowd
in their laughter and their fun.
Led by you, I went off by myself.
You’d filled me with indignation. Their sin had me seething.
But why, why this chronic pain,
this ever worsening wound and no healing in sight?
You’re nothing, God, but a mirage,
a lovely oasis in the distance—and then nothing!
* * *
19-21 This is how God answered me:
“Take back those words, and I’ll take you back.
Then you’ll stand tall before me.
Use words truly and well. Don’t stoop to cheap whining.
Then, but only then, you’ll speak for me.
Let your words change them.
Don’t change your words to suit them.
I’ll turn you into a steel wall,
a thick steel wall, impregnable.
They’ll attack you but won’t put a dent in you
because I’m at your side, defending and delivering.”
God’s Decree.
“I’ll deliver you from the grip of the wicked.
I’ll get you out of the clutch of the ruthless.”
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Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson