Jeremias 15

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

Then said Jehovah to me: Though Moses and Samuel should stand before me, Yet would I not be reconciled to this people. Send them out of 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 say to thee, “Whither shall we go forth?” Then say thou to them, Thus saith Jehovah: They that are for the pestilence, to the pestilence, And they that are for the sword, to the sword. And they that are for famine, to famine, And they that are for 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.

I will commission against them four woes, saith Jehovah! The sword to slay, And the dogs to drag about, And the birds of heaven, 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.

I will cause them to be harassed in all the kingdoms of the earth, On account of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, On account of all which 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 will have pity on thee, O Jerusalem? Or who condole with thee? Or who turn aside to ask thee of thy welfare?

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 Jehovah; Thou hast gone backward; Therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary of relenting.

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.

I will scatter them with a winnowing-fan through the gates of the land; I will bereave them of their sons; I will destroy my people, Since they return not from 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 shall be more numerous than the sand of the sea; Against the mother of the young men do I bring a spoiler at noonday; Suddenly will I bring alarm and terrors upon them.

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, languisheth; She is ready to expire; Her sun goeth down while it is yet day; She is ashamed and confounded. Their remnant will I also give to the sword Before their enemies, saith Jehovah.

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 among them that curse me.

Alas for me, my mother, that thou hast borne me, To live in strife and contention with all the land! I have neither borrowed nor lent money, Yet doth every one 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.

Jehovah said: Surely I will deliver and prosper thee, Surely, in the time of trouble and in the time of distress, Will I cause the adversary to be a suppliant to thee.

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

Who is able to break iron, Iron from the North, and 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 substance and thy treasures will I give for spoil, without price, On account of all thy sins 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.

I will cause them to pass with thy enemies into a land which thou knowest not; For a fire is kindled in my anger, which shall burn against 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;

Thou, O Jehovah, knowest all my concerns! O remember me, and have regard to me, And revenge me of my persecutors! Do not, through thy long-suffering, take me away! Consider that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke!

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.

As soon as I found thy words, I devoured them; For thy words were the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by thy name, O Jehovah, 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 have not sat in the assembly of them that made merry, nor rejoiced; On account of thy hand I have sat alone; For thou hast filled me with indignation.

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 pain perpetual, And my wound mortal, refusing to be healed? Thou hast been to me like a deceitful stream; Like waters that fail.

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.

Then answered Jehovah thus: If thou wilt return, then will I restore thee, and thou shalt stand before me; And if thou wilt separate the precious from the vile, Thou shalt be as my mouth. They shall turn to thee, And thou shalt not turn 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;

I will make thee against this people a strong wall of brass; When they war against thee, they shall not prevail against thee, For I will be with thee to save thee, And to deliver thee, saith Jehovah.

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].

I will rescue thee from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem thee from the grasp of the violent.