Chapter 15

¹ And the Lord said to me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before my face, my soul could not be toward them: dismiss this people, and let them go forth. ² And it shall be, if they say to thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt say to them, Thus saith the Lord; As many as are for death, to death; and as many as are for famine, to famine; and as many as are for the sword, to the sword; and as many as are for captivity, to captivity. ³ And I will punish them with four kinds of death, saith the Lord, the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the wild beasts of the earth, and the birds of the sky to devour and destroy. ⁴ And I will deliver them up for distress to all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasses son of Ezekias king of Juda, for all that he did in Jerusalem.

⁵ Who will spare thee, O Jerusalem? and who will fear for thee? or who will turn back to ¹ask for thy welfare? ⁶ Thou hast turned away from me, saith the Lord, thou wilt go back: therefore I will stretch out my hand, and will destroy thee, and will no more spare them. ⁷ And I will completely scatter them; in the gates of my people they are bereaved of children: they have destroyed my people because of their iniquities.

⁸ Their widows have been multiplied more than the sand of the sea: I have brought young men against the mother, even distress at noon-day: I have suddenly cast upon her trembling and anxiety. ⁹ She that bore seven is ²spent; her soul has fainted under trouble; her sun is gone down while it is yet noon; she is ashamed and disgraced: I will give the remnant of them to the sword before their enemies.

¹⁰ Woe is me, my mother! thou hast born me as some man of strife, and at variance with the whole earth; I have not helped others, nor has any one helped me; my strength has failed among them that curse me. ¹¹ Be it so, Lord, in their prosperity; surely I stood before thee in the time of

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their calamities, and in the time of their affliction, for their good against the enemy. ¹² Will iron be known? whereas thy strength is a brazen covering. ¹³ Yea, I will give thy treasures for a spoil as a recompence, because of all thy sins and that in all thy borders. ¹⁴ And I will enslave thee to thine enemies round about, in a land which thou hast not known; for a fire has been kindled out of my wrath; it shall burn upon you.

¹⁵ O Lord, remember me, and visit me, and vindicate me before them that persecute me; do not bear long with them; know how I have met with reproach for thy sake, from those who set at nought thy words; ¹⁶ consume them; and thy word shall be to me for the joy and gladness of my heart: for thy name has been called upon me, O Lord Almighty. ¹⁷ I have not sat in the assembly of them as they mocked, but I feared because of thy power: I sat alone, for I was filled with bitterness.

¹⁸ Why do they that grieve me prevail against me? my wound is severe; whence shall I be healed? it is indeed become to me as deceitful water, that has no ³faithfulness.

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou wilt return, then will I restore thee, and thou shalt stand before my face: and if thou wilt bring forth the precious from the worthless, thou shalt be as my mouth: and they shall return to thee; but thou shalt not return to them. ²⁰ And I will make thee to this people as a strong brazen wall; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall by no means prevail against thee; ²¹ for I am with thee to save thee, and to deliver thee out of the hand of wicked men; and I will ransom thee out of the hand of pestilent men.