19 Hearken unto me, O Lord, and hear the voice of them that contend with me.

20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have dug a pit for my soul: remember that I stood before thee, to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.

21 Therefore, [a]deliver up their children to famine, and let them drop away by the force of the sword, let their wives be robbed of their children, and be widows: and let their husbands be put to death, and let their young men be slain by the sword in the battle.

22 Let the cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring an host suddenly upon them: for they have dug a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.

23 Yet Lord thou knowest all their counsel against me tendeth to death: forgive not their iniquity, neither put out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee: deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 18:21 Seeing the obstinate malice of the adversaries, which grew daily more and more, the Prophet being moved with God’s Spirit, without any carnal affection prayeth for their destruction, because he knew that it should tend to God’s glory, and profit of his Church.

19 Listen to me, Lord;
    hear what my accusers(A) are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?(B)
    Yet they have dug a pit(C) for me.
Remember that I stood(D) before you
    and spoke in their behalf(E)
    to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine;(F)
    hand them over to the power of the sword.(G)
Let their wives be made childless and widows;(H)
    let their men be put to death,
    their young men(I) slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry(J) be heard from their houses
    when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit(K) to capture me
    and have hidden snares(L) for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know
    all their plots to kill(M) me.
Do not forgive(N) their crimes
    or blot out their sins from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
    deal with them in the time of your anger.(O)

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