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The Lord Will Not Relent

15 Then the Lord said to me: Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, yet My heart would not be with this people. Cast them out of My sight and let them go! It shall come to pass if they say to you, “Where should we go?” then you shall tell them: Thus says the Lord:

Those destined for death, to death;
and those destined for the sword, to the sword;
and those destined for the famine, to the famine;
and those destined for the captivity, to the captivity.

I will appoint over them four kinds of disaster, says the Lord: the sword to slay, the dogs to tear, the birds of the heaven, the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.

For who shall have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
    Or who shall bemoan you?
    Or who shall go aside to ask how you are doing?
You who have forsaken Me, says the Lord,
    you keep going backward.
Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you.
    I am weary of relenting!
I will winnow them with a winnowing fork
    in the gates of the land;
I will bereave them of children. I will destroy My people,
    since they did not repent from their ways.
Their widows will increase before Me
    more than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of a young man,
    a destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly bring down on her
    sorrow and terrors.
She who has borne seven sons languishes;
    she has given up the spirit;
her sun has gone down while it was yet day;
    she has been ashamed and humiliated.
And the rest of them I will deliver to the sword
    before their enemies,
    says the Lord.

Jeremiah’s Sorrow

10 Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me
    as a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have not lent with usury, nor have men lent to me on usury,
    yet every one of them curses me!

11 The Lord said:

Truly I will set you free for good purposes.
    Truly I will cause the enemy to entreat you
    in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.

12 Can anyone break the northern iron
    or the bronze?

13 Your wealth and your treasures
    I will give to the destroyer without price,
and that for all your sins,
    even within all your borders.
14 I will make you to pass with your enemies
    into a land which you do not know;
for a fire is kindled in My anger,
    which shall burn upon you.

15 O Lord, You who know, remember me,
    and take notice of me,
    and take vengeance on my persecutors.
Because of your longsuffering, do not take me away.
    Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Your words were found and I ate them.
    And Your word became to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
for I am called by Your name,
    O Lord God of Hosts.
17 I did not sit in the assembly of mockers,
    nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
    for You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain perpetual
    and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed?
Shall You be altogether to me as a deceptive stream
    and as waters that fail?

The Lord Reassures Jeremiah

19 Therefore thus says the Lord:

If you return, then I will bring you back,
    and you shall stand before Me;
and if you take out the precious from the worthless,
    you will be My spokesman.
Let them return to you,
    but do not return to them.
20 I will make you to this people
    a fortified bronze wall;
and they shall fight against you,
    but they shall not prevail against you;
for I am with you
    to save you and to deliver you,
    says the Lord.
21 I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
    and I will redeem you out of the hand of the violent.

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.