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
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Punishment Is Inevitable
15 Then the Lord said to me: Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!(A) 2 And when they say to you, “Where shall we go?” you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord:
Those destined for pestilence, to pestilence,
and those destined for the sword, to the sword;
those destined for famine, to famine,
and those destined for captivity, to captivity.(B)
3 And I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, says the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and the wild animals of the earth to devour and destroy.(C) 4 I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what King Manasseh son of Hezekiah of Judah did in Jerusalem.(D)
5 Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem,
or who will bemoan you?
Who will turn aside
to ask about your welfare?
6 You have rejected me, says the Lord;
you are going backward,
so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you—
I am weary of relenting.(E)
7 I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork
in the gates of the land;
I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people;
they did not turn from their ways.(F)
8 Their widows became more numerous
than the sand of the seas;
I have brought against the mothers of youths
a destroyer at noonday;
I have made anguish and terror
fall upon her suddenly.
9 She who bore seven has languished;
she has swooned away;
her sun went down while it was yet day;
she has been shamed and disgraced.
And the rest of them I will give to the sword
before their enemies,
says the Lord.(G)
Jeremiah Complains Again and Is Reassured
10 Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.(H) 11 The Lord said: Surely I have intervened in your life[a] for good; surely I have brought enemies upon you[b] in a time of trouble and in a time of distress.(I) 12 Can one break iron, iron from the north, and bronze?
13 Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory.(J) 14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn against you.(K)
15 O Lord, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance do not take me away;
know that on your account I suffer insult.(L)
16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.(M)
17 I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice;
under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
for you had filled me with indignation.(N)
18 Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail.(O)
19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
not you who will turn to them.(P)
20 And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
says the Lord.(Q)
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.(R)
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.