Jeremiah’s Dejection

10 (A)Woe is me, my mother,
That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole [a]earth!
I have neither lent for interest,
Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.

11 The Lord said:

“Surely it will be well with your remnant;
Surely I will cause (B)the enemy to intercede with you
In the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.
12 Can anyone break iron,
The northern iron and the bronze?
13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will give as (C)plunder without price,
Because of all your sins,
Throughout your territories.
14 And I will [b]make you cross over with your enemies
(D)Into a land which you do not know;
For a (E)fire is kindled in My anger,
Which shall burn upon you.”

15 O Lord, (F)You know;
Remember me and [c]visit me,
And (G)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In Your enduring patience, do not take me away.
Know that (H)for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Your words were found, and I (I)ate them,
And (J)Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
17 (K)I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers,
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
For You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my (L)pain perpetual
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me (M)like an unreliable stream,
As waters that [d]fail?

The Lord Reassures Jeremiah

19 Therefore thus says the Lord:

(N)“If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall (O)stand before Me;
If you (P)take out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze (Q)wall;
And they will fight against you,
But (R)they shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 15:10 Or land
  2. Jeremiah 15:14 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr., Tg. cause you to serve (cf. 17:4)
  3. Jeremiah 15:15 attend to
  4. Jeremiah 15:18 Or cannot be trusted

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