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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. 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.”’

“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. 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.

“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]
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.
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.
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]
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”

15 Then said Jehovah unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind would not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. And it shall come to pass, when they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith Jehovah: 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 captivity, to captivity. And I will appoint over them four [a]kinds, saith Jehovah: the sword to slay, and the dogs to [b]tear, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy. And I will cause them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.

For who will have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who will bemoan thee? or who will turn aside to ask of thy welfare? Thou hast rejected me, saith Jehovah, thou art gone backward: therefore have I stretched out my hand against thee, and destroyed thee; I am weary with repenting. And I have winnowed them with a fan in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them of children, I have destroyed my people; they returned not from their ways. Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas; I have brought upon them [c]against the mother of the young men a destroyer at noonday: I have caused anguish and terrors to fall upon her suddenly. She that hath borne seven languisheth; she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day; she hath been put to shame and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith Jehovah.

10 Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have not lent, neither have men lent to me; yet every one of them doth curse me.

11 Jehovah said, Verily I will [d]strengthen thee for good; verily [e]I will cause the enemy to make supplication unto thee in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. 12 [f]Can one break iron, even iron from the north, and brass? 13 Thy substance and thy treasures will I give for a spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders. 14 And [g]I will make them to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not; for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.

15 O Jehovah, thou knowest; remember me, and visit me, and avenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered reproach. 16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts. 17 I sat not in the assembly of them that make merry, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand; for thou hast filled me with indignation. 18 Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou indeed be unto me as a deceitful brook, as waters that [h]fail?

19 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, that thou mayest stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them. 20 And I will make thee unto this people a fortified brazen wall; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith Jehovah. 21 And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 15:3 Hebrew families.
  2. Jeremiah 15:3 Hebrew drag.
  3. Jeremiah 15:8 Or, against the mother and the young men
  4. Jeremiah 15:11 Another reading is, release
  5. Jeremiah 15:11 Or, I will intercede for thee with the enemy
  6. Jeremiah 15:12 Or, Can iron break iron from etc.
  7. Jeremiah 15:14 Or, I will make thine enemies to pass into etc.
  8. Jeremiah 15:18 Hebrew are not sure.