Jeremiah 15:1–9

The Lord’s Negative Response

15Then the Lord said to me: “Even if ^gMoses and ^hSamuel should ⁱstand before Me, ^jMy compassions would not reach out to these people. Send them from My presence, and let them go. ^k2If they ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ you must tell them: This is what the Lord says:

Those destined for death, ^lto 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 ^mof judgment for them”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, ⁿand the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land ^oto devour and destroy. ⁴I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh ^pson of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

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

Who will show sympathy toward you? ^r

Who will turn aside

to ask about your welfare?

⁶You have left Me. ^s

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 ^tof showing compassion.

⁷I scattered them with a winnowing fork

at the gates of the land.

I made them childless; I destroyed My people.

They would not turn from their ways. ^u

⁸I made their widows more numerous

than the sand of the seas. ^v

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; ^w

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.