Jeremiah 15

Chapter 15

Judah’s Inevitable Doom

1 Then the LORD said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight!

2 And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the LORD says:
“‘Those who are destined for death, to death;
those who are destined for war, to war;
those who are destined for famine, to famine;
those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the LORD. “I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.

4 Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
5 “Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
Who will weep for you?
Who will even bother to ask how you are?6 You have abandoned me
and turned your back on me,”
says the LORD.
“Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you.
I am tired of always giving you another chance.7 I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities
and take away the children you hold dear.
I will destroy my own people,
because they refuse to change their evil ways.8 There will be more widows
than the grains of sand on the seashore.
At noontime I will bring a destroyer
against the mothers of young men.
I will cause anguish and terror
to come upon them suddenly.9 The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath;
her sun has gone down while it is still day.
She sits childless now,
disgraced and humiliated.
And I will hand over those who are left
to be killed by the enemy.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

10 Then I said,
“What sorrow is mine, my mother.
Oh, that I had died at birth!
I am hated everywhere I go.
I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose
nor a borrower who refuses to pay—
yet they all curse me.”

11 The LORD replied,
“I will take care of you, Jeremiah.
Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf
in times of trouble and distress.12 Can a man break a bar of iron from the north,
or a bar of bronze?13 At no cost to them,
I will hand over your wealth and treasures
as plunder to your enemies,
for sin runs rampant in your land.14 I will tell your enemies to take you
as captives to a foreign land.
For my anger blazes like a fire
that will burn forever.t”

15 Then I said,
“LORD, you know what’s happening to me.
Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!
Please give me time; don’t let me die young.
It’s for your sake that I am suffering.16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O LORD God of Heaven’s Armies.17 I never joined the people in their merry feasts.
I sat alone because your hand was on me.
I was filled with indignation at their sins.18 Why then does my suffering continue?
Why is my wound so incurable?
Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,
like a spring that has gone dry.”

19 This is how the LORD responds:
“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!20 They will fight against you like an attacking army,
but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.
They will not conquer you,
for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
I, the LORD, have spoken!21 Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.
I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”

JEREMIAH 15

The People of Judah Will Die

1  t The [Lord] said to me:
Even if Moses and Samuel were here, praying with you, I wouldn't change my mind. So send the people of Judah away.

2 t And when they ask where they are going, tell them that I, the [Lord], have said:
Some of you are going to die
of horrible diseases.
Others are going to die in war
or from starvation.
The rest will be led away
to a foreign country.

3 I will punish you
in four different ways:
You will be killed in war
and your bodies dragged off
by dogs,
your flesh will be eaten by birds,
and your bones will be chewed on
by wild animals.

4  t This punishment will happen
because of the horrible thingst
your King Manasseht did.
And you will be disgusting
to all nations on earth.

5 People of Jerusalem,
who will feel sorry for you?
Will anyone bother
to ask if you are well?

6 My people, you abandoned me
and walked away.
I am tired of showing mercy;
that's why I'll destroy you

7 by scattering you like straw
blown by the wind.
I will punish you with sorrow
and death,
because you refuse
to change your ways.

8 There will be more widows
in Judah
than grains of sand on a beach.
A surprise attack at noon!
And the mothers in Jerusalem
mourn for their children.

9 A mother is in deep despair
and struggles for breath.
Her daylight has turned
to darkness—
she has suffered the loss
of her seven sons.
I will kill anyone who survives.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.

Jeremiah Complains

10 I wish I had never been born!
I'm always in trouble
with everyone in Judah.
I never lend or borrow money,
but everyone curses me
just the same.

11 Then the [Lord] replied,
“I promise to protect you,
and when disaster comes,
even your enemies
will beg you for help.”t

The Enemy Cannot //Be Defeated

The [Lord] told me to say:

12 People of Judah,
just as you can't break iron
mixed with bronze,
you can't defeat the enemies
that will attack
from the north.

13 I will give them
everything you own,
because you have sinned
everywhere in your country.

14 My anger is a fire
that cannot be put out, t
so I will make you slaves
of your enemies
in a foreign land.t

Jeremiah Complains Again

15 You can see how I suffer
insult after insult,
all because of you, [Lord].
Don't be so patient
with my enemies;
take revenge on them
before they kill me.

16 When you spoke to me,
I was glad to obey,
because I belong to you,
the [Lord] All-Powerful.

17 I don't go to parties
and have a good time.
Instead, I keep to myself,
because you have filled me
with your anger.

18 I am badly injured
and in constant pain.
Are you going to disappoint me,
like a stream that goes dry
in the heat of summer?

The [Lord] Replies

19 Then the [Lord] told me:
Stop talking like a fool!
If you turn back to me
and speak my message,
I will let you be my prophet
once again.
I hope the people of Judah
will accept what you say.
But you can ignore their threats,
*

20 because I am making you strong,
like a bronze wall.
They are evil and violent,
but when they attack,

21 I will be there to rescue you.
I, the [Lord], have spoken.