15Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn’t help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight!H559H3068H4872H8050H5975H6440H5315H5971H7971H6440H33182And if they say to you, ‘But where can we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says: “‘Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.’H559H3318H559H559H3068H4194H4194H2719H2719H7458H7458H7628H76283“I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.H6485H702H4940H5002H3068H2719H2026H3611H5498H5775H8064H929H776H398H78434Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.H5414H2189H2113H4467H776H1558H4519H1121H3169H4428H3063H6213H33895“Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem? Who will weep for you? Who will even bother to ask how you are?H2550H3389H5110H5493H7592H79656You have abandoned me and turned your back on me,” says the Lord. “Therefore, I will raise my fist to destroy you. I am tired of always giving you another chance.H5203H5002H3068H3212H268H5186H3027H7843H3811H51627I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities and take away the children you hold dear. I will destroy my own people, because they refuse to change their evil ways.H2219H4214H8179H776H7921H6H5971H7725H18708There will be more widows than the grains of sand on the seashore. At noontime I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of young men. I will cause anguish and terror to come upon them suddenly.H490H6105H2344H3220H935H517H970H7703H6672H5307H6597H928H58929The mother of seven grows faint and gasps for breath; her sun has gone down while it is still day. She sits childless now, disgraced and humiliated. And I will hand over those who are left to be killed by the enemy. I, the Lord, have spoken!”H3205H7651H535H5301H5315H8121H935H3119H3117H954H2659H7611H5414H2719H6440H341H5002H3068
Jeremiah’s Complaint
10Then I said, “What sorrow is mine, my mother. Oh, that I had died at birth! I am hated everywhere I go. I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose nor a borrower who refuses to pay—yet they all curse me.”H188H517H3205H376H7379H376H4066H776H5383H5383H704311The Lord replied, “I will take care of you, Jeremiah. Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf in times of trouble and distress.H3068H559H3808H518H2896H8281H8293H518H341H6293H6256H7451H6256H686912Can a man break a bar of iron from the north, or a bar of bronze?H1270H7489H6828H1270H517813At no cost to them, I will hand over your wealth and treasures as plunder to your enemies, for sin runs rampant in your land.H2428H214H5414H957H4242H2403H136614I will tell your enemies to take you as captives to a foreign land. For my anger blazes like a fire that will burn forever.”H5674H341H776H3045H784H6919H639H334415Then I said, “Lord, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors! Please give me time; don’t let me die young. It’s for your sake that I am suffering.H3068H3045H2142H6485H5358H7291H3947H639H750H3045H5375H278116When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.H1697H4672H398H1697H8342H8057H3824H7121H8034H3068H430H663517I never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins.H3427H5475H7832H5937H3427H910H6440H3027H4390H219518Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.”H3511H5331H4347H605H3985H7495H391H4325H53919This is how the Lord responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!H559H3068H7725H7725H5975H6440H3318H3368H2151H6310H7725H772520They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken!H5414H5971H1219H5178H2346H3898H3201H3467H5337H5002H306821Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”H5337H3027H7451H6299H3709H6184
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