Yahweh Appoints Four Kinds of Doom

1Then Yahweh said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My soul would not be [†]with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go! 2And it will be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says Yahweh:

“Those destined for death, to death;

And those destined for the sword, to the sword;

And those destined for famine, to famine;

And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”’

3I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and bring to ruin. 4I will give them over to be an example of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

5“Indeed, who will spare you, O Jerusalem,

Or who will console you,

Or who will turn aside to ask about your well-being?

6You who have abandoned Me,” declares Yahweh,

“You keep going backward.

So I will stretch out My hand against you and bring you to ruin;

I am tired of [†]relenting!

7And I will winnow them with a winnowing fork

At the gates of the land;

I will bereave them of children; I will make My people perish;

They did not [†]repent of their ways.

8Their widows will be more numerous before Me

Than the sand of the seas;

I will bring against them, against the mother of a choice man,

A destroyer at noonday;

I will suddenly bring down on her

Anguish and terror.

9She who bore seven sons languishes;

[†]Her breathing is labored.

Her sun has set while it was yet day;

She has been shamed and humiliated.

So I will give over their survivors to the sword

Before their enemies,” declares Yahweh.

Jeremiah Pleads for Vengeance

10Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me

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

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

Yet everyone curses me.

11Yahweh said, “Surely I will set you free for purposes of good;

Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you

In a time of disaster and a time of distress.

12“Can anyone smash iron,

Iron from the north, or bronze?

13Your wealth and your treasures

I will give for plunder without cost,

Even for all your sins

And within all your borders.

14Then I will cause your enemies to pass [†]it over

Into a land you do not know,

For a fire has been kindled in My anger;

It will burn upon you.”

15You who know, O Yahweh,

Remember me, take notice of me,

And take vengeance for me on my persecutors.

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

Know that for Your sake I endure reproach.

16Your words were found, and I ate them,

And Your words became for me joy and gladness in my heart,

For I have been called by Your name,

O Yahweh God of hosts.

17I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers,

Nor did I exult.

Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone,

For You filled me with indignation.

18Why has my pain been perpetual

And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream

With water that is unreliable?

Yahweh’s Answer

19Therefore thus says Yahweh,

“If you return, then I will cause you to return—

Before Me you will stand;

And if you extract the precious from the worthless,

You will become [†]My mouthpiece.

They for their part may turn to you,

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

20Then I will make you to this people

A fortified wall of bronze;

And they will fight against you,

But they will not prevail against you,

For I am with you to save you

And deliver you,” declares Yahweh.

21“So I will deliver you from the hand of the evil ones,

And I will redeem you from the [†]grasp of the ruthless ones.”