Jeremiah 15
15
The People of Judah Will Die
1 #
Ex 32.11-14; Nu 14.13-19;
1 S 7.5-10. 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#Rev 13.10. 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.
3I 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 #
2 K 21.1-16; 2 Ch 33.1-9. This punishment will happen
because of the horrible things#15.4 the horrible things: See 2 Kings 21.1-16.
your King Manasseh#15.4 Manasseh: Hebrew “Manasseh son of Hezekiah”; he ruled 687–642 b.c. did.
And you will be disgusting
to all nations on earth.
5People of Jerusalem,
who will feel sorry for you?
Will anyone bother
to ask if you are well?
6My people, you abandoned me
and walked away.
I am tired of showing mercy;
that's why I'll destroy you
7by scattering you like straw
blown by the wind.
I will punish you with sorrow
and death,
because you refuse
to change your ways.
8There 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.
9A 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
10I 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.
11Then the Lord replied,
“I promise to protect you,
and when disaster comes,
even your enemies
will beg you for help.”#15.11 help: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 11.
The Enemy Cannot Be Defeated
The Lord told me to say:
12People of Judah,
just as you can't break iron
mixed with bronze,
you can't defeat the enemies
that will attack
from the north.
13I will give them
everything you own,
because you have sinned
everywhere in your country.
14My anger is a fire
that cannot be put out,#15.14 that cannot be put out: Some Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts “against you.”
so I will make you slaves
of your enemies
in a foreign land.#15.14 I will make … land: Many Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts “I will make your enemies go through to a land you don't know about.”
Jeremiah Complains Again
15You 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.
16When you spoke to me,
I was glad to obey,
because I belong to you,
the Lord All-Powerful.
17I don't go to parties
and have a good time.
Instead, I keep to myself,
because you have filled me
with your anger.
18I 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
19Then 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,
* 20because I am making you strong,
like a bronze wall.
They are evil and violent,
but when they attack,
21I will be there to rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
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Jeremiah 15: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 15
15
1The Lord said to me: “I would not feel sorry for the people of Judah even if Moses and Samuel prayed for them. Send the people away from me! Tell them to go! 2They might ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ You tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord says:
Some people are meant to die.
And they will die.
Some are meant to die in war.
And they will die in war.
Some are meant to die from hunger.
And they will die from hunger.
Some are meant to be taken as slaves to a foreign country.
And they will become slaves in that foreign country.’
3“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send war to kill. I will send dogs to drag the bodies away. I will send birds of the air and wild animals. They will eat and destroy the bodies. 4I will make the people of Judah hated by everyone on earth. I will do this because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. (Manasseh son of Hezekiah was king of the nation of Judah.)
5“Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
Who will be sad and cry for you?
Who will go out of his way to ask how you are?
6Jerusalem, you have left me,” says the Lord.
“You keep going farther and farther away.
So I will take hold of you and destroy you.
I am tired of holding back my anger.
7I will separate the people of Judah with my pitchfork.
I will scatter them at the city gates of the land.
My people haven’t changed their ways.
So I will destroy them.
I will take away their children.
8Many women will lose their husbands.
There will be more widows than the sand of the sea.
I will bring a destroyer at noontime
against the mothers of the young men of Judah.
I will suddenly bring pain and fear
on the people of Judah.
9The enemy will attack.
I will still hand over to the killers those who are left alive from Judah.
A woman might have seven sons, but they will all die.
She will cry until she becomes weak and unable to breathe.
She will be upset and confused.
Her bright day will become dark from sadness!” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Second Complaint
10Mother, I am sorry that you gave birth to me.
I am the one who must accuse and criticize the whole land.
I have not loaned or borrowed anything.
But everyone curses me.
11The Lord said,
“I will save you for a good reason.
I will make your enemies beg you
in times of disaster and trouble.
12No one can smash a piece of iron or bronze.
I mean the kind of iron and bronze that comes from the north.
13The people of Judah have wealth and treasures.
But I will freely give those riches to others.
This is because the people of Judah have sinned
throughout the country.
14I will make you slaves to your enemies.
You will be slaves in a land that you have never known.
My anger is like a hot fire.
And it will burn against you.”
15Lord, you understand.
Remember me and take care of me.
Punish for me the people who are hurting me.
Don’t destroy me while you remain patient with them.
Think about the pain I suffer for you, Lord.
16Your words came to me, and I listened carefully to them.
Your words made me very happy.
I was happy because I am called by your name.
Your name is the Lord God of heaven’s armies.
17I never sat with the crowd
as they laughed and had fun.
I sat by myself because you were there.
You filled me with anger at the evil around me.
18I don’t understand why my pain has no end.
I don’t understand why my injury is not cured or healed!
Lord, will you be like a brook that goes dry?
Will you be like a spring whose water stops flowing?
19So this is what the Lord says:
“If you change your heart and come back to me, I will take you back.
Then you may serve me.
You must speak things that have worth.
You must not speak useless words.
Then you may speak for me.
Let the people of Judah turn to you.
But you must not change and be like them.
20I will make you as strong as a wall to this people.
You will be as strong as a wall of bronze.
They will fight against you.
But they will not defeat you.
This is because I am with you.
I will rescue you and save you,” says the Lord.
21“I will save you from these evil people.
I will save you from these cruel people.”
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