Judgment to Continue

1And Jehovah will say to me, If Moses shall stand, and Samuel, before my face, my soul not to this people: casting from my face they shall go forth.

2And it was if they shall say to thee, Whither shall we go forth? And say to them, Thus said Jehovah, Whom for death to death; and whom for the sword to the sword; and whom for famine to famine; and whom for captivity to captivity.

3And I reviewed over them four kinds, says Jehovah: the sword to kill, and dogs to tear in pieces, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to consume and destroy. 4And I gave them for maltreatment to all the kingdoms because of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

5For who shall have compassion upon thee, O Jerusalem? and who shall bewail for thee? and who shall turn aside to ask for thy peace?

6Thou didst reject me, says Jehovah; thou wilt go backward; and I will stretch forth my hand against thee, and I will destroy thee; I was weary of lamenting.

7And I will scatter them with a scattering in the gates of the land; I bereaved of offspring, I destroyed my people; they turned not back from their ways.

8Their widows were many to me above the sand of the seas: I brought to them against the mother a young man laying waste at noon: I caused to fall upon her suddenly wrath and terror.

9She bringing forth seven, languished: she breathed out her soul; her sun went down in the midst of the day: she was ashamed and blushed: and their remainder I will give to the sword before their enemies, says Jehovah.

Jeremiah’s Woe

10Wo to me, my mother, for thou broughtest me forth a man of strife and a man of contention to all the earth. I lent not on interest and they lent not to me on interest: they are altogether cursing me.

11Jehovah said, If to do well to thy remnant; if not, I caused the enemy in the time of evil and in time of straits to supplicate to thee.

12Shall iron break the iron of the north, and brass?

13Thy strength and thy treasures I will give for a spoil not for price, and in all thy sins and in all thy bounds.

14And I caused to pass with thine enemies into a land thou knewest not: for a fire was kindled in my wrath; it shall burn upon you.

15Thou knewest, O Jehovah: remember me, and review me, and avenge for me from him pursuing me; not for being slow of thy wrath wilt thou take me away; know, I suffered reproach for thee.

16Thy words were found, and eating them; and thy word will be to me for the gladness and for the joy of my heart: for thy name was called upon me, Jehovah the God of armies.

17I sat not in the assembly of those mocking, and I will not exult; from the face of thy hand I sat alone, for thou didst fill me with anger.

18Wherefore was my pain everlasting and my blow incurable, refusing to be healed? Being, wilt thou be to me as falsehood, the waters were not faithful?

The LORD’s Promise

19For this, thus said Jehovah, If thou wilt turn back, and I will turn thee back, thou shalt stand before me: and if thou shalt bring forth the precious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall turn back to thee and thou shalt not turn back to them.

20And I gave thee to this people for a wall of brass, fortified: and they shall war against thee, and they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, says Jehovah.

21And I delivered thee out of the hand of the evil, and I redeemed thee from the hand of the terrible.