Jeremias 15

1 And the Lord said to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before my face, my soul could not be towards them: dismiss this people, and let them go forth.

And the Lord said to me: If Moses and Samuel shall stand before me, my soul is not towards this people: cast them out from my sight, and let them go forth.

2 And it shall be, if they say to you, Whither shall we go forth? then you shall say to them, Thus says the Lord; As many as are for death, to death; and as many as are for famine, to famine; and as many as are for the sword, to the sword; and as many as are for captivity, to captivity.

And if they shall say unto thee: Whither shall we go forth? thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord: Such as are for death, to death: and such as are to the sword, to the sword: and such as are for famine, to famine: and such as are to captivity, to captivity.

3 And I will punish them with four kinds [of death], says the Lord, the sword to kill, and the dogs to tear, and the wild beasts of the earth, and the birds of the sky to devour and destroy.

And I will visit them with four kinds, saith the Lord: The sword to kill, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

4 And I will deliver them up for distress to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasses son of Ezekias king of Juda, for all that he did in Jerusalem.

And I will give them up to the rage of all the kingdoms of the earth: because of Manasses the son of Ezechias the king of Juda, for all that he did in Jerusalem.

5 Who will spare you, O Jerusalem? and who will fear for you? or who will turn back [to ask] for your welfare?

For who shall have pity on thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go to pray for thy peace?

6 You have turned away from me, says the Lord, you will go back: therefore I will stretch out my hand, and will destroy you, and will no more spare them.

Thou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: and I will stretch out my hand against thee, and I will destroy thee: I am weary of entreating thee.

7 And I will completely scatter them; in the gates of my people they are bereaved of children: they have destroyed my people because of their iniquities.

And I will scatter them with a fan in the gates of the land: I have killed and destroyed my people, and yet they are not returned form their ways.

8 Their widows have been multiplied more than the sand of the sea: I have brought young men against the mother, [even] distress at noon-day: I have suddenly cast upon her trembling and anxiety.

Their widows are multiplied unto me above the sand of the sea: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young man a spoiler at noonday: I have cast a terror on a sudden upon the cities.

9 She that bore seven is spent; her soul has fainted under trouble; her sun is gone down while it is yet noon; she is ashamed and disgraced: I will give the remnant of them to the sword before their enemies.

She that hath borne seven is become weak, her soul hath fainted away: her sun is gone down, while it was yet day: she is confounded, and ashamed: and the residue of them I will give up to the sword in the sight of their enemies, saith the Lord.

10 Woe is me, [my] mother! you have born me as some man of strife, and at variance with the whole earth; I have not helped [others], nor has any one helped me; my strength has failed amongst them that curse me.

Woe is me, my mother: why hast thou borne me a man of strife, a man of contention to all the earth? I have not lent on usury, neither hath any man lent to me on usury: yet all curse me.

11 Be it so, Lord, in their prosperity; surely I stood before you in the time of their calamities, and in the time of their affliction, for [their] good against the enemy.

The Lord saith to me: Assuredly it shall be well with thy remnant, assuredly I shall help thee in the time of affliction, and in the time of tribulation against the enemy.

12 Will iron be known? whereas your strength is a brazen covering.

Shall iron be allied with the iron from the north, and the brass?

13 Yes, I will give your treasures for a spoil as a recompence, because of all your sins and [that] in all your borders.

Thy riches and thy treasures I will give unto spoil for nothing, because of all thy sins, even in all thy borders.

14 And I will enslave you to your enemies round about, in a land which you have not known; for a fire has been kindled out of my wrath; it shall burn upon you.

And I will bring thy enemies out of a land, which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in my rage, it shall burn upon you.

15 O Lord, remember me, and visit me, and vindicate me before them that persecute me; do not bear long with them; know how I have met with reproach for your sake, from those who set at nothing your words;

O Lord, thou knowest, remember me, and visit me, and defend me from them that persecute me, do not defend me in thy patience: know that for thy sake I have sufferred reproach.

16 consume them; and your word shall be to me for the joy and gladness of my heart: for your name has been called upon me, O Lord Almighty.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was to me a joy and gladness of my heart: for thy name is called upon me, O Lord God of hosts.

17 I have not sat in the assembly of them as they mocked, but I feared because of your power: I sat alone, for I was filled with bitterness.

I sat not in the assembly of jesters, nor did I make a boast of the presence of thy hand: I sat alone, because thou hast filled me with threats.

18 Why do they that grieve me prevail against me? my wound is severe; whence shall I be healed? it is indeed become to me as deceitful water, that has no faithfulness.

Why is my sorrow become perpetual, and my wound desperate so as to refuse to be healed? it is become to me as the falsehood of deceitful waters that cannot be trusted.

19 Therefore thus says the Lord, If you will return, then will I restore you, and you shall stand before my face: and if you will bring forth the precious from the worthless, you shall be as my mouth: and they shall return to you; but you shall not return to them.

Therefore thus saith the Lord: If thou wilt be converted, I will convert thee, and thou shalt stand before my face; and if thou wilt separate the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall be turned to thee, and thou shalt not be turned to them.

20 And I will make you to this people as a strong brazen wall; and they shall fight against you, but they shall by no means prevail against you;

And I will make thee to this people as a strong wall of brass: and they shall fight against thee, and shall not prevail: for I am with thee to save thee, and to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

21 for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you out of the hand of wicked [men]; and I will ransom you out of the hand of pestilent [men].

And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the mighty.