Jeremiah 15:1–9

THE LORD’S NEGATIVE RESPONSE

15Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel^* should stand before me,^o my compassions would not reach out to these people. Send them from my presence, and let them go.^{p 2}If they ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ tell them: This is what the Lord says:

Those destined for death,^q to death;

those destined for the sword, to the sword.

Those destined for famine, to famine;

those destined for captivity, to captivity.

³“I will ordain four kinds^A of judgment for them”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away,^r and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land^s to devour and destroy. ⁴I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh^t son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

⁵Who will have pity on you, Jerusalem?^u

Who will show sympathy toward you?^v

Who will turn aside

to ask about your well-being?

⁶You have left me.”^w

This is the Lord’s declaration.

“You have turned your back,

so I have stretched out my hand against you

and destroyed you.

I am tired^x of showing compassion.

⁷I scattered them with a winnowing fork

at the city gates of the land.

I made them childless; I destroyed my people.

They would not turn from their ways.^y

⁸I made their widows more numerous

than the sand of the seas.^z

I brought a destroyer at noon

against the mother of young men.

I suddenly released on her

agitation and terrors.

⁹The mother of seven grew faint;^aa

she breathed her last breath.

Her sun set while it was still day;

she was ashamed and humiliated.

The rest of them I will give over to the sword

in the presence of their enemies.”

This is the Lord’s declaration.