The Lord Will Not Relent
1
Then the LORD said to me, 1"Though 2Moses 3and Samuel 4stood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!
2
And when they ask you, 'Where shall we go?' you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: 5"'Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.'
3
6I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and 7the birds of the air 8and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.
4
9And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what 10Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.
5
11"Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem, 12or who will grieve for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
6
13You have rejected me, declares the LORD; 14you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you-- 15I am weary of relenting.
7
16I have winnowed them with 17a winnowing fork in the gates of the land; I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people; 18they did not turn from their ways.
8
I have made their widows more in number than 19the sand of the seas; I have brought against the mothers of young men a destroyer at noonday; I have made anguish and terror fall upon them suddenly.
9
20She who bore seven has grown feeble; 21she has fainted away; 22her sun went down while it was yet day; she has been shamed and disgraced. And the rest of them I will give to the sword before their enemies, declares the LORD."
Jeremiah's Complaint
10
23Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! 24I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.
11
The LORD said, "Have I nota set you free for their good? Have I not pleaded for you before the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress?
12
Can one break iron, iron 25from the north, and bronze?
13
26"Your wealth and your treasures I will give as 27spoil, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory.
14
I will make you serve your enemies 28in a land that you do not know, 29for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever."
15
30O LORD, you know; 31remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; 32know that 33for your sake I bear reproach.
16
Your words were found, 34and I ate them, and 35your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, 36for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.
17
37I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; 38I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you had filled me with indignation.
18
Why is my pain unceasing, 39my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me 40like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?
19
Therefore thus says the LORD: 41"If you return, I will restore you, and you shall 42stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)