Jeremiah

¹ Then Yahweh said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My soul would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!

² And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’

³ I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and bring to ruin.

⁴ I will give them over to be an example of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

⁵ Or who will console you, Or who will turn aside to ask about your well‑being?

⁶ “You keep going backward. So I will stretch out My hand against you and bring you to ruin; I am tired of relenting!

⁷ At the gates of the land; I will bereave them of children; I will make My people perish; They did not repent of their ways.

⁸ Than the sand of the seas; I will bring against them, against the mother of a choice man, A destroyer at noonday; I will suddenly bring down on her Anguish and terror.

⁹ Her breathing is labored. Her sun has set while it was yet day; She has been shamed and humiliated. So I will give over their survivors to the sword Before their enemies,” declares Yahweh.

¹⁰ Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me As a man of strife and a man of contention to all the land! I have not lent, nor have men lent money to me, Yet everyone curses me.

¹¹ Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you In a time of disaster and a time of distress.

¹² Iron from the north, or bronze?

¹³ I will give for plunder without cost, Even for all your sins And within all your borders.

¹⁴ Into a land you do not know, For a fire has been kindled in My anger; It will burn upon you.”

¹⁵ Remember me, take notice of me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; Know that for Your sake I endure reproach.

¹⁶ And Your words became for me joy and gladness in my heart, For I have been called by Your name, O Yahweh God of hosts.

¹⁷ Nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, For You filled me with indignation.

¹⁸ And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?

¹⁹ Therefore thus says Yahweh,“If you return, then I will cause you to return— Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My mouthpiece. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.

²⁰ A fortified wall of bronze; And they will fight against you, But they will not prevail against you, For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares Yahweh.

²¹ And I will redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless ones.”