Jeremiah 15

1 Then Yahweh said to me, “Even if Moses or Samuel were standing in front of me, I would still not be in favor of this people. Send them out from before me, for them to go away.

THEN said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth.

2 It will happen that they will say to you, 'Where should we go?' Then you must say to them, 'Yahweh says this: Those who are for death should go to death; those who are for the sword should go to the sword. Those who are for famine should go to famine; and those who are for captivity should go to captivity.'

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

3 For I will assign them to four groups—this is Yahweh's declaration—the sword to slaughter some, the dogs to drag some away, the birds of the skies and the beast of the earth to consume and destroy some.

And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

4 I will make of them a horrifying thing to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.

And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem.

5 For who will have compassion for you, Jerusalem? Who will grieve for you?

For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or who shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest?

6 You have forsaken me—this is Yahweh's declaration—you have gone back from me. So I will strike you with my hand and destroy you. I am tired of having mercy on you.

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

7 So I will winnow them with a pitchfork at the gates of the land. I will bereave them. I will destroy my people since they will not turn from their ways.

And I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children, I will destroy my people, since they return not from their ways.

8 I will make their widows number more than the sands of the seashore. Against the mothers of young men I will send the destroyer at noonday. I will make shock and horror suddenly fall on them.

Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.

9 The mother who has borne seven children will waste away. She will gasp. Her sun will set while it is still day. She will be ashamed and embarrassed, for I will give those who remain to the sword in the presence of their enemies —this is Yahweh's declaration.”

She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord.

10 Woe to me, my mother! For you have borne me, I who am a man of controversy and argument through all the land. I have not lent, nor has anyone lent to me, but they all curse me.

Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.

11 Yahweh said: “Will I not rescue you for good? I will certainly make your enemies beg for help in the time of calamity and distress.

The Lord said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.

12 Can one smash iron? Especially iron from the north that is mixed with bronze?

Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?

13 I will give to your enemies your wealth and treasures as free plunder. I will do this because of all your sins committed within all your borders.

Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.

14 Then I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for a fire will ignite, kindled in my wrath against you.”

And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.

15 Yahweh, you know! Remember me and help me. Bring vengeance for me against those who persecute me. You are patient, but do not allow them to take me away; know that I suffer reproach for your sake.

O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.

16 Your words have been found, and I consumed them. Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I bear your name, Yahweh, God of hosts.

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.

17 I did not sit in the circle of those who celebrated or rejoiced. I sat in solitude because of your powerful hand, for you filled me with indignation.

I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.

18 Why is my pain ongoing and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be like deceitful waters to me, waters that dry up?

Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?

19 Therefore Yahweh said this, “If you repent, Jeremiah, then I will restore you, and you will stand before me and serve me. For if you separate the foolish things from the precious things, you will be like my mouth. The people will come back to you, but you yourself must not go back to them.

Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.

20 I will make you like an impenetrable bronze wall to this people, and they will wage war against you. But they will not defeat you, for I am with you to save and rescue you—this is Yahweh's declaration—

And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

21 for I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked and redeem you from the hand of the tyrant.”

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