< Jeremiah 15 >
1 Then the Lord said to me, Even if Moses and Samuel came before me, I would have no desire for this people: send them away from before me, and let them go.
Then said Yahweh unto me, Though Moses and Samuel should stand before me, My soul could not be toward this people, —Send them away from before me And let them go forth.
2 And it will be, when they say to you, Where are we to go? then you are to say to them, The Lord has said, Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are to be in need of food, to need of food; and such as are to be taken away prisoners, to be taken away.
And it shall come to pass when they say unto thee Whither shall we go? Then shalt, thou say unto them, Thus saith Yahweh—Such as are for death, to death, and Such as are for the sword, to the sword, and Such as are for famine, to the famine, and Such as are for captivity, to captivity.
3 And I will put over them four divisions, says the Lord: the sword causing death, dogs pulling the dead bodies about, and the birds of heaven, and the beasts of the earth to take their bodies for food and put an end to them.
And I will set in charge over them—four species Declareth Yahweh, The sword to slay, and The dogs to trail along, —and The bird of the heavens and The beast of the earth to devour and to destroy.
4 And I will make them a cause of fear to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, and what he did in Jerusalem.
And I will make them a terror, to all the kingdoms of the earth, —On account of Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah, For what he did in Jerusalem.
5 For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? and who will have sorrow for you? or who will go out of his way to see how you are?
For who shall have pity upon thee O Jerusalem? And who shall lament for thee? And who shall turn aside, to ask for thy welfare?
6 You have given me up, says the Lord, you have gone back: so my hand is stretched out against you for your destruction; I am tired of changing my purpose.
Thou, hast abandoned, me, Declareth Yahweh, Backward, thou wilt go, Therefore have I stretched forth my hand against thee and laid thee waste, —I am weary of having compassion.
7 And I have sent a cleaning wind on them in the public places of the land; I have taken their children from them; I have given my people to destruction; they have not been turned from their ways.
Therefore have I winnowed them with a winnowing shovel in the gates of the land, —I have bereaved—I have destroyed my people, From their own ways, have they not returned.
8 I have let their widows be increased in number more than the sand of the seas: I have sent against them, against the mother and the young men, one who makes waste in the heat of the day, causing pain and fears to come on her suddenly.
Their widows have become multiplied to me, beyond the sand of the seas, I have brought against them—upon the mother of young men—the spoiler in the broad noon, —I have let fall upon her suddenly, excitement and terrors.
9 The mother of seven is without strength; her spirit is gone from her, her sun has gone down while it is still day: she has been shamed and overcome: and the rest of them I will give up to the sword before their haters, says the Lord.
Languisheth! she who had given birth to seven, She hath breathed out her life Her sun hath gone in, while yet it was day, She hath turned pale and hath turned red, —And the remnant of them, to the sword, will I deliver before their enemies, Declareth Yahweh.
10 Sorrow is mine, my mother, because you have given birth to me, a cause of fighting and argument in all the earth! I have not made men my creditors and I am not in debt to any, but every one of them is cursing me.
Woe to me! my mother, That thou didst bear me, A man of litigation and a man of contention to all the land, —I have not lent on interest Nor have they lent on interest to me, Every one, hath treated me with contempt.
Said Yahweh, —Verily, I will loose thee, for good! Verily, I will intercede for thee In the time of calamity, and In the time of distress with the enemy!
12 Is it possible for iron to be broken; even iron from the north, and brass?
Shall iron crush the iron from the North and the bronze?
13 I will give your wealth and your stores to your attackers, without a price, because of all your sins, even in every part of your land.
Thy substance and thy treasures—for a prey, will I give, without price, —Even for all thy sins and in all thy bounds:
14 They will go away with your haters into a land which is strange to you: for my wrath is on fire with a flame which will be burning on you.
Therefore will I make thee pass, with thine enemies into a land thou knowest not, —For, a fire, hath been kindled in mine anger Upon you, shall it burn.
15 O Lord, you have knowledge: keep me in mind and come to my help, and give their right reward to those who are attacking me; take me not away, for you are slow to be angry: see how I have undergone shame because of you from all those who make little of your word;
Thou knowest—O Yahweh Remember me and visit me and avenge me upon my persecutors, Do not of thy longsuffering, take me away, —Know—I have borne for thy sake, reproach.
16 But to me your word is a joy, making my heart glad; for I am named by your name, O Lord God of armies.
Thy words, were found, and I did eat them, Then became thy words unto me the joy and gladness of my heart, —For thy Name hath been called upon me, O Yahweh God of hosts!
17 I did not take my seat among the band of those who are glad, and I had no joy; I kept by myself because of your hand; for you have made me full of wrath.
I sat not in the circle of mockers, Nor became I uproarious, —Because of thy hand, by myself did I sit, For with indignation, hadst thou filled me.
18 Why is my pain unending and my wound without hope of being made well? Sorrow is mine, for you are to me as a stream offering false hope and as waters which are not certain.
Wherefore hath my pain become perpetual? And my wound, incurable? Refuseth to be healed? Wilt thou, indeed be, to me [As a brook] that disappointeth, Waters that cannot be trusted?
19 For this cause the Lord has said, If you will come back, then I will again let you take your place before me; and if you give out what is of value and not that which has no value, you will be as my mouth: let them come back to you, but do not go back to them.
Wherefore Thus, saith Yahweh—If thou wouldst return, I will cause thee to return Before me, shalt thou stand, Yea if thou wilt bring out the precious from among the vile, As mine own mouth shalt thou be, —Let them return unto thee, But thou, shalt not return unto them;
20 And I will make you a strong wall of brass to this people; they will be fighting against you, but they will not overcome you: for I am with you to keep you safe, says the Lord.
So will I make thee to this people a wall of bronze, fortified, When they fight against thee, they shall not prevail against thee, —For with thee, am, I, to save thee and to deliver thee, Declareth Yahweh;
21 I will keep you safe from the hands of the evil-doers, and I will give you salvation from the hands of the cruel ones.
Thus will I deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, —And redeem thee out of the grasp of the tyrants.