15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses(A) and Samuel(B) were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people.(C) Send them away from my presence!(D) Let them go! 2 And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“‘Those destined for death, to death;
those for the sword, to the sword;(E)
those for starvation, to starvation;(F)
those for captivity, to captivity.’(G)
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers(H) against them,” declares the Lord, “the sword(I) to kill and the dogs(J) to drag away and the birds(K) and the wild animals to devour and destroy.(L) 4 I will make them abhorrent(M) to all the kingdoms of the earth(N) because of what Manasseh(O) son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
5 “Who will have pity(P) on you, Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will stop to ask how you are?
6 You have rejected(Q) me,” declares the Lord.
“You keep on backsliding.
So I will reach out(R) and destroy you;
I am tired of holding back.(S)
7 I will winnow(T) them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land.
I will bring bereavement(U) and destruction on my people,(V)
for they have not changed their ways.(W)
8 I will make their widows(X) more numerous
than the sand of the sea.
At midday I will bring a destroyer(Y)
against the mothers of their young men;
suddenly I will bring down on them
anguish and terror.(Z)
9 The mother of seven will grow faint(AA)
and breathe her last.(AB)
Her sun will set while it is still day;
she will be disgraced(AC) and humiliated.
I will put the survivors to the sword(AD)
before their enemies,”(AE)
declares the Lord.
10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(AF)
a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(AG)
I have neither lent(AH) nor borrowed,
yet everyone curses(AI) me.
11 The Lord said,
“Surely I will deliver you(AJ) for a good purpose;
surely I will make your enemies plead(AK) with you
in times of disaster and times of distress.
12 “Can a man break iron—
iron from the north(AL)—or bronze?
13 “Your wealth(AM) and your treasures
I will give as plunder,(AN) without charge,(AO)
because of all your sins
throughout your country.(AP)
14 I will enslave you to your enemies
in[a] a land you do not know,(AQ)
for my anger will kindle a fire(AR)
that will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand;
remember me and care for me.
Avenge me on my persecutors.(AS)
You are long-suffering(AT)—do not take me away;
think of how I suffer reproach for your sake.(AU)
16 When your words came, I ate(AV) them;
they were my joy and my heart’s delight,(AW)
for I bear your name,(AX)
Lord God Almighty.
17 I never sat(AY) in the company of revelers,
never made merry with them;
I sat alone because your hand(AZ) was on me
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain unending
and my wound grievous and incurable?(BA)
You are to me like a deceptive brook,
like a spring that fails.(BB)
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
“If you repent, I will restore you
that you may serve(BC) me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words,
you will be my spokesman.(BD)
Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you a wall(BE) to this people,
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you
but will not overcome(BF) you,
for I am with you
to rescue and save you,”(BG)
declares the Lord.
21 “I will save(BH) you from the hands of the wicked(BI)
and deliver(BJ) you from the grasp of the cruel.”(BK)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 15:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 17:4); most Hebrew manuscripts I will cause your enemies to bring you / into
Cross references
- Jeremiah 15:1 : S Ex 32:11; Nu 14:13-20
- Jeremiah 15:1 : S 1Sa 1:20; S 7:8
- Jeremiah 15:1 : S 1Sa 2:25; S Jer 7:16
- Jeremiah 15:1 : S 2Ki 17:20; Jer 16:13
- Jeremiah 15:2 : Jer 42:22; 43:11; 44:13
- Jeremiah 15:2 : S Dt 28:26; S Jer 14:12; La 4:9
- Jeremiah 15:2 : Eze 12:11; Rev 13:10
- Jeremiah 15:3 : S Nu 33:4
- Jeremiah 15:3 : S Lev 26:25
- Jeremiah 15:3 : S 1Ki 21:19; S 2Ki 9:36
- Jeremiah 15:3 : S Dt 28:26
- Jeremiah 15:3 : S Lev 26:22; Eze 14:21; 33:27
- Jeremiah 15:4 : Jer 24:9; 29:18; 34:17
- Jeremiah 15:4 : S Dt 28:25; S Job 17:6
- Jeremiah 15:4 : S 2Ki 21:2; 23:26-27
- Jeremiah 15:5 : Isa 27:11; 51:19; S Jer 13:14; 16:13; 21:7; Na 3:7
- Jeremiah 15:6 : S Dt 32:15; Jer 6:19
- Jeremiah 15:6 : Isa 31:3; Zep 1:4
- Jeremiah 15:6 : S Jer 7:20; Am 7:8
- Jeremiah 15:7 : S Isa 41:16
- Jeremiah 15:7 : Isa 3:26
- Jeremiah 15:7 : Jer 18:21
- Jeremiah 15:7 : S 2Ch 28:22
- Jeremiah 15:8 : S Isa 47:9
- Jeremiah 15:8 : S Jer 4:7; S 6:4
- Jeremiah 15:8 : S Job 18:11
- Jeremiah 15:9 : 1Sa 2:5
- Jeremiah 15:9 : S Job 8:13
- Jeremiah 15:9 : Jer 7:19
- Jeremiah 15:9 : Jer 21:7; 25:31
- Jeremiah 15:9 : 2Ki 25:7; Jer 19:7
- Jeremiah 15:10 : S Job 3:1; S 10:18-19
- Jeremiah 15:10 : Jer 1:19
- Jeremiah 15:10 : S Lev 25:36; Ne 5:1-12
- Jeremiah 15:10 : S Jer 6:10
- Jeremiah 15:11 : ver 21; Jer 40:4
- Jeremiah 15:11 : Jer 21:1-2; 37:3; 42:1-3
- Jeremiah 15:12 : S Dt 28:48; Jer 28:14; La 1:14; Hos 10:11
- Jeremiah 15:13 : S 2Ki 25:15
- Jeremiah 15:13 : S 2Ki 24:13; Eze 38:12-13
- Jeremiah 15:13 : S Ps 44:12
- Jeremiah 15:13 : Jer 17:3
- Jeremiah 15:14 : S Dt 28:36; S Jer 5:19
- Jeremiah 15:14 : S Ps 21:9
- Jeremiah 15:15 : Jdg 16:28; S Ps 119:84
- Jeremiah 15:15 : S Ex 34:6
- Jeremiah 15:15 : Ps 44:22; 69:7-9; S Jer 6:10
- Jeremiah 15:16 : Eze 2:8; 3:3; Rev 10:10
- Jeremiah 15:16 : S Job 15:11; Ps 119:72, 103
- Jeremiah 15:16 : S Isa 43:7; S Jer 14:9
- Jeremiah 15:17 : Ru 3:3; Ps 1:1; 26:4-5; Jer 16:8
- Jeremiah 15:17 : S 2Ki 3:15
- Jeremiah 15:18 : S Job 6:4; S Jer 10:19; 30:12; Mic 1:9
- Jeremiah 15:18 : S Job 6:15; S Ps 9:10
- Jeremiah 15:19 : Zec 3:7
- Jeremiah 15:19 : S Ex 4:16
- Jeremiah 15:20 : S Isa 50:7
- Jeremiah 15:20 : S Ps 129:2
- Jeremiah 15:20 : S Jer 1:8; 20:11; 42:11; Eze 3:8
- Jeremiah 15:21 : S Jer 1:8
- Jeremiah 15:21 : S Ps 97:10
- Jeremiah 15:21 : Jer 50:34
- Jeremiah 15:21 : S Ge 48:16