Jeremiah 15

Then said the Lord unto me, ^aThough ^bcMoses and ^bdSamuel ^astood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. ²And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; ^eSuch 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. ³And ^fI will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and ^gthe fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy. ⁴And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of ^hManasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. ⁵For who shall have pity upon thee, O Jerusalem? or ⁱwho shall bemoan thee? or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest? ^6kThou hast forsaken me, saith the Lord, thou art ^lgone backward: therefore will I stretch out my hand against thee, and destroy thee; ^mI am weary with repenting. ⁷And I will ⁿfan them with ^oa fan in the gates of the land; I will bereave them ^pof children, I will destroy my people, sith ^qthey return not from their ways. ⁸Their widows are increased to me ^rabove the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler ^sat noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and ^tterrors upon the city. ^9uShe that hath borne seven languisheth: ^vshe hath given up the ghost; ^wher 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.

^10xWoe 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 ^ylent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me. ¹¹The Lord said, Verily ^zit shall be well with thy remnant; verily ^aI will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil, and in the time of affliction. ¹²Shall iron break ^bthe northern iron and ^cthe steel? ^13dThy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil ^ewithout price, and that for all thy sins, ^deven in all thy borders. ¹⁴And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into ^fa land which thou knowest not: ^gfor a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.

^15hO Lord, thou knowest: ⁱremember me, and visit me, and ^ikrevenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: ^kkknow that ^lfor thy sake I have suffered rebuke. ¹⁶Thy words were found, and ^mI did eat them; and ⁿthy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts. ^17oI sat not in ^pthe assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; ^ppI sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. ¹⁸Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound ^qincurable, which ^rrefuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me ^sas a liar, and ^sas waters that fail?

¹⁹Therefore thus saith the Lord, ^tIf thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt ^tustand 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. ²⁰And I ^vwill make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but ^wthey shall not prevail against thee: ^xfor I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord. ²¹And ^wI will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of ^ythe terrible.

XVI.