Jeremiah 15
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Appoints Four Kinds of Doom
15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Even (A)though (B)Moses and (C)Samuel were to (D)stand before Me, My soul would not be [a]with this people; (E)send them away from My presence and let them go! 2 And it will be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says Yahweh:
“Those destined (F)for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’
3 I will (G)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the (H)dogs to drag off, and the (I)birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and bring to ruin. 4 I will (J)give them over to be an example of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of (K)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.
5 “Indeed, who will (L)spare you, O Jerusalem,
Or who will (M)console you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your well-being?
6 You who have (N)abandoned Me,” declares Yahweh,
“You keep (O)going backward.
So I will (P)stretch out My hand against you and bring you to ruin;
I am (Q)tired of [b]relenting!
7 And I will (R)winnow them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will (S)bereave them of children; I will make My people perish;
(T)They did not [c]repent of their ways.
8 Their (U)widows will be more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a choice man,
A (V)destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
Anguish and terror.
9 She who (W)bore seven sons languishes;
[d]Her breathing is labored.
Her (X)sun has set while it was yet day;
She has been (Y)shamed and humiliated.
So I will (Z)give over their survivors to the sword
Before their enemies,” declares Yahweh.
Jeremiah Pleads for Vengeance
10 (AA)Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me
As a (AB)man of strife and a man of contention to all the land!
I have not (AC)lent, nor have men lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me.
11 Yahweh said, “Surely I will (AD)set you free for purposes of good;
Surely I will cause the (AE)enemy to intercede with you
In a time of disaster and a time of distress.
12 “Can anyone smash iron,
(AF)Iron from the north, or bronze?
13 Your (AG)wealth and your treasures
I will give for plunder (AH)without cost,
Even for all your sins
And within all your borders.
14 Then I will cause your enemies to pass [e]it over
Into a (AI)land you do not know,
For a (AJ)fire has been kindled in My anger;
It will burn upon you.”
15 (AK)You who know, O Yahweh,
Remember me, take notice of me,
And (AL)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that (AM)for Your sake I endure reproach.
16 Your words were found, and I (AN)ate them,
And Your (AO)words became for me joy and gladness in my heart,
For I have been (AP)called by Your name,
O Yahweh God of hosts.
17 I (AQ)did not sit in the circle of merrymakers,
Nor did I exult.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat (AR)alone,
For You (AS)filled me with indignation.
18 Why has my pain been perpetual
And my (AT)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me (AU)like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?
Yahweh’s Answer
19 Therefore thus says Yahweh,
“(AV)If you return, then I will cause you to return—
(AW)Before Me you will stand;
And (AX)if you extract the precious from the worthless,
You will become [f]My mouthpiece.
They for their part may turn to you,
But as for you, you must not turn to them.
20 Then I will (AY)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
And they will fight against you,
But they will not prevail against you,
For (AZ)I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” declares Yahweh.
21 “So I will (BA)deliver you from the hand of the evil ones,
And I will (BB)redeem you from the [g]grasp of the ruthless ones.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 15:1 Lit toward
- Jeremiah 15:6 Or regretting
- Jeremiah 15:7 Lit turn back from
- Jeremiah 15:9 Or She has breathed out her soul
- Jeremiah 15:14 Your possessions
- Jeremiah 15:19 Lit as My mouth
- Jeremiah 15:21 Lit palm
Jeremiah 15
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Verdict Has Been Determined
15 The Lord said to me:
Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from me. Let them go! 2 When they ask you, “Where should we go?” tell them that this is what the Lord says:
Those doomed[a] to death, to death,
those doomed to the sword, to the sword,
those doomed to famine, to famine,
those doomed to captivity, to captivity.
3 I will punish them in four ways, declares the Lord: The sword will kill, and dogs will drag them away. The birds in the sky and the wild animals in the land will devour and destroy. 4 I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.
5 Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will turn back to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected me, declares the Lord.
You have turned away from me.
So I will stretch out my hand against you and destroy you.
I am weary of showing compassion.
7 I will scatter them with a winnowing fork at the gates of the land.
I will make them childless.
I will destroy my people,
because they have not changed their ways.
8 I will make their widows more numerous than the sand on the seashore.
At noon I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their
young men.
I will bring anguish and terror down on them suddenly.
9 The mother of seven will grow faint.
She will breathe her last.
Her sun will set while it is still day,
and she will be ashamed and humiliated.
The survivors I will put to the sword in the presence of their enemies,
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10 I am so miserable, my mother, that you gave birth to me.
I am the man with whom the whole land argues and quarrels.
I have not lent or borrowed, but everyone curses me.
The Lord’s Response to Jeremiah
11 The Lord said:
I will surely set you free for your own good.
I will surely make your enemies plead 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 away your wealth and your treasures as plunder, without cost, because of all your sins throughout all your territory. 14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land you do not know, for my anger is kindled in me, and you will burn continuously.
Jeremiah Responds
15 O Lord, you understand.
Remember me and care for me.
Take vengeance for me on those who persecute me.
You are slow to anger.
Do not take me away.
Keep in mind that for your sake I bear disgrace.
16 Your words came to me, and I devoured them.
Your words became my joy,
the delight of my heart,
because I bear your name,
O Lord God of Armies.
17 I did not sit with the band of partygoers,
nor did I celebrate with them.
I sat alone, because your hand was upon me.
You filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending?
Why is my wound incurable, refusing to heal?
Will you be as deceptive as an intermittent stream to me,
like a source of water that a person can’t depend on?
The Lord’s Response
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says.
If you repent, I will take you back,
so that you may stand before me.
If what you say is worthwhile and not worthless,
you will be my spokesman.
They must turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you like a bronze wall to this people.
They will fight against you,
but they will not overcome you,
because I am with you to save you
and to rescue you, declares the Lord.
21 I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked,
and I will deliver you from the grasp of the ruthless.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 15:2 Or destined
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The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.