Jeremiah 14–15

The Severe Drought

14That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah concerning the matter^a of the severe drought.

²“Judah mourns, and her gates languish,

they are in mourning on the ground,

and the cry of lament of Jerusalem goes up.

³And their nobles send their servants for water.

They come to the pits, they find no water.

They return with their vessels empty.^b

They are ashamed, and they are confounded,

and they cover their heads.^c

⁴Because of the ground, which is cracked

because there was no rain on the ground.

The farmers are ashamed,

they cover their heads.^d

⁵For even the doe in the field gives birth and forsakes her young,^e

because there is no green growth.

⁶And wild asses stand on the barren heights,

they gasp for breath like the jackals.

Their eyes fail

because there is no vegetation.”

⁷Although our iniquities testify against us, O Yahweh,

act for the sake of your name.

Yes, our apostasies are many;

we have sinned against you.

⁸You are the hope of Israel,

its savior in time of distress.

Why should you be like an alien in the land,

or like a traveler who spreads out his tent ^f to spend the night?

⁹Why should you be like a confused man,

like a warrior who is not able to help?

Yet you are in our midst, O Yahweh,

and your name is called upon us.

You must not leave us!

¹⁰Thus says Yahweh concerning this people:

“They have loved so much to wander,

they have not spared their feet.

Therefore Yahweh is not favorable to them,

now he will remember their iniquity and punish their sins.”

Lying Prophets

¹¹So Yahweh said to me, “You must not pray for this people, for their happiness.^{g 12}Although they fast, I am not listening to their cry of entreaty. And although they present burnt offering and grain offering, I am not favorable to them. But by the sword, and by the famine, and by the plague, I am about to destroy them.” ¹³Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh, look, the prophets are saying to them, ‘You will not see the sword, and famine will not be yours, but reliable peace I will give to you in this place.’ ” ¹⁴And Yahweh said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies^h in my name. I have not sent them, and I have not commanded them, and I have not spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, and a divination, worthless, and the deceitfulness of their minds.”^{i 15}Therefore^j thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who prophecy in my name though I have not sent them, yet they are saying, “Sword and famine will not be in this land.” “By the sword and by the famine those prophets will perish. ¹⁶And the people to whom they are prophesying will be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of^k the famine and the sword. And there will be no one who buries them, their wives, or their sons, or their daughters. And I will pour out on them their wickedness.

The Nation Hopes in Yahweh

¹⁷“And you shall say to them this word,

‘Let my eyes melt with tears night and day,

and let them not cease,

for with a great wound the virgin daughter of my people is broken,

with a very incurable wound.

¹⁸If I go out into the field,

then look, those slain by the sword.

And if I enter the city,

then look, the sickness of the famine.

For both prophet and priest wander around through the land,

they do not know what is going on.’ ”^l

¹⁹Have you completely rejected Judah?

Or has your soul^m loathed Zion?

Why have you struck us

so that there is no healing for us?

We hope for peace, but there is no good,

and for a time of healing, but look, there is terror.

²⁰We know, O Yahweh, our wickedness,

the iniquity of our ancestors,ⁿ

for we have sinned against you.

²¹You must not spurn us^o for the sake of your name,

you must not dishonor your glorious throne.^p

Remember us!^q

You must not break your covenant with us.

²²Are there any among the idols of the nation who cause rain to pour?

Or can the heavens give showers?

Is it not you, O Yahweh our God?

Therefore, we hope in you, for you do all these things.

Four Types of Calamity

15Then Yahweh said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me,^a my heart would not be to this people. Send them away from my sight,^b and let them go out. ²And then^c if they say to you, ‘Where shall we go?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh,

“Those who are destined for the plague, to the plague,

and those who are destined for the sword, to the sword,

and those who are destined for the famine, to the famine,

and those who are destined for the captivity, to the captivity.” ’

³“And I will summon^d over them four types of calamity,” declares^e Yahweh, “the sword to kill, and the dogs to drag away, and the birds^f of the air and the wild animals^g of the earth to devour and to destroy. ⁴And I will make them a terror to all of the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, because of what he did in Jerusalem.

⁵“For who will have compassion on you, O Jerusalem,

or who will show sympathy to you,

or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?^h

⁶You have forsaken me,” declaresⁱ Yahweh.

“You go backward, so I have stretched my hand against you,

and I have destroyed you.

I am tired of becoming remorseful.

⁷And I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork in the gates of the land.

I am bereaved.

I have destroyed my people.

They did not turn back from their ways.

⁸Their widows^j will be more numerous before me than the sand of the seas.

I have brought to them, against the mothers^k of young men,^l

a destroyer at noon.

I will suddenly drop on her anguish and horror.^m

⁹She who gave birth to seven has withered away.

She gasps her breath.

Her sun setⁿ while still day.

She has been put to shame and disgraced.

And the remainder of them I will give to the sword

before^o their enemies,” declares^p Yahweh.

Jeremiah’s Lament and Yahweh’s Response

¹⁰Woe to me, O my mother, that you gave birth to me,

a man of contention and quarreling to the whole land.^q

I have not lent out and I have not borrowed.^r

All of them are cursing me.

¹¹Yahweh said,

“Surely^s I will set you free to be good^t for you,

surely^u I will cause the enemy to intercede with you

in a time of trouble,

and in a time of distress.

¹²Can anyone break iron,

iron from the north, or bronze?

¹³I will give your wealth and your treasures

as plunder without price,

even because of all your sins,

and throughout all your territories.

¹⁴And I will make you serve your enemies

in a land that you do not know,

for a fire will kindle in my anger.

Upon you it will be kindled.”

¹⁵You who know, O Yahweh, remember me, and attend to me,

and take revenge for me against my persecutors in your forbearance.^v

You must take me away.

Know that I am carrying disgrace because of you.

¹⁶Your words were found and I ate them,

and your words became to me as jubilation,

even as the joy of my heart,

for your name is called on me, O Yahweh God of hosts.

¹⁷I sat not in the assembly of jokers,

nor did I exult.

Because of the presence^w of your hand I sat alone,

for you filled me with indignation.

¹⁸Why is my pain endless, and my wound incurable?

It refuses to become healed.

Truly you are to me like a deceitful brook,

waters that are not trustworthy.

¹⁹Therefore thus says Yahweh,

“If you turn back, then I will take you back.

You will stand before me.^x

And if you utter what is precious and not what is worthless,

you will be as my mouth.

They will turn back to you,

and you will not turn back to them.

²⁰And I will make you to this people

a wall of fortified bronze,

and they will fight against you,

but they will not prevail over you,

for I am with you, to save you,

and to deliver you,” declares^y Yahweh.

²¹“And I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,

and I will redeem you from the hand of the tyrant.”