Jeremiah 15:10–21

^10aWoe to me, my mother, that you have borne me

As a ^bman of strife and a man of contention to all the land!

I have not ^clent, nor have men lent money to me,

Yet everyone curses me.

¹¹The Lord said, “Surely I will ^aset you free for purposes of good;

Surely I will cause the ^benemy to make supplication to you

In a time of disaster and a time of distress.

¹²“Can anyone smash iron,

^aIron from the north, or bronze?

¹³“Your ^awealth and your treasures

I will give for booty ^bwithout cost,

Even for all your sins

And within all your borders.

¹⁴“Then I will cause your enemies to bring ¹it

Into a ^aland you do not know;

For a ^bfire has been kindled in My anger,

It will burn upon you.”

Jeremiah’s Prayer and God’s Answer

^15aYou who know, O Lord,

Remember me, take notice of me,

And ^btake vengeance for me on my persecutors.

Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;

Know that ^cfor Your sake I endure reproach.

¹⁶Your words were found and I ^aate them,

And Your ^bwords became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;

For I have been ^ccalled by Your name,

O Lord God of hosts.

¹⁷I ^adid not sit in the circle of merrymakers,

Nor did I exult.

Because of Your hand upon me I sat ^balone,

For You ^cfilled me with indignation.

¹⁸Why has my pain been perpetual

And my ^awound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Will You indeed be to me ^blike a deceptive stream

With water that is unreliable?

¹⁹Therefore, thus says the Lord,

“^aIf you return, then I will restore you—

^bBefore Me you will stand;

And ^cif you extract the precious from the worthless,

You will become ¹My spokesman.

They for their part may turn to you,

But as for you, you must not turn to them.

²⁰“Then I will ^amake you to this people

A fortified wall of bronze;

And though they fight against you,

They will not prevail over you;

For ^bI am with you to save you

And deliver you,” declares the Lord.

²¹“So I will ^adeliver you from the hand of the wicked,

And I will ^bredeem you from the ¹grasp of the violent.”