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)
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
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.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.