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Judgment Must Come

¹ Then the LORD said to me, "^(C1)Even though ^(C2)Moses and ^(C3)Samuel were to ^(C4)stand before Me interceding for them, My heart would still not be turned with favor toward this people Judah. ^(C5)Send them away from My presence and out of My sight and let them go!² "And it shall be that when they say to you, 'Where should we go?' then tell them, 'Thus says the LORD:

"Those destined ^(C1)for death, to death;
Those for the sword, to the sword;
Those for famine, to famine;
Those for captivity, to captivity."'

⁵ "For who will have ^(C1)pity on you, O Jerusalem,
Or who will ^(C2)mourn for you,
Or who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?

⁶ "You have ^(C1)abandoned (rejected) Me," says the LORD.
"You keep ^(C2)going backward.
Therefore I shall ^(C3)stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am ^(C4)tired of delaying your punishment!

⁷ "I will ^(C1)winnow (sort, separate) them with a winnowing fork
At the gates of the land;
I will ^(C2)deprive them of children, I will destroy My people;
^(C3)They did not repent and turn from their evil ways.

⁸ "I will make their ^(C1)widows more numerous before Me
Than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them, against the mother of the young men,
A ^(F1)(C2)destroyer at noonday;
I will suddenly cause anguish and terror
To fall on her.

⁹ "She who has ^(C1)borne seven sons languishes;
She has breathed out her soul.
Her ^(C2)sun has set while it was still day;
She has been ^(C3)shamed and humiliated.
So I will ^(C4)hand over the rest of the survivors to the sword
Before their enemies," says the LORD.

^10 (C1)Woe to me, my mother, that you have given birth to me
To be a ^(C2)man of strife and a man of contention to all the earth!
I have not ^(C3)loaned, nor have men lent money to me,
Yet everyone curses me. ^(VR1)

¹¹ The LORD said, "Surely it will go well for Judah's obedient remnant for I will ^(C1)set you free for good purposes;
Surely Jeremiah I will intercede for you with the ^(C2)enemy and I will cause the enemy to plead with you for help
In a time of disaster and a time of distress. ^(VR1)

¹² "Can anyone crush iron,
The ^(C1)iron from the north, or bronze?

¹³ "Your nation's ^(C1)riches and your treasures
I will give as plunder ^(C2)without price to the Babylonians,
Because of all your sins
And within all your territories.

¹⁴ "Then I will make your enemies bring you along with your possessions
Into a ^(C1)land which you do not know for there you will serve your conquerors;
For a ^(C2)fire has been kindled in My anger,
Which will burn upon you."

Jeremiah's Prayer and God's Answer

¹⁵ O LORD, ^(C1)You know and understand;
Remember me thoughtfully, take notice of me,
^(C2)take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;
Know that ^(C3)for Your sake I endure continual rebuke and dishonor.

¹⁶ Your words were found and I ^(C1)ate them,
And Your ^(C2)words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart;
For I have been ^(C3)called by Your name,
O LORD God of hosts.

¹⁷ I ^(C1)did not sit with the group of those who celebrate,
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat ^(C2)alone because Your powerful hand was upon me,
For You had ^(C3)filled me with indignation at their sin.

¹⁸ Why has my pain been perpetual
And my ^(C1)wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
Will you indeed be to me ^(C2)like a deceptive brook
With water that is unreliable?

¹⁹ Therefore, thus says the LORD to Jeremiah,
"^(C1)If you repent and give up this mistaken attitude of despair and self-pity, then I will restore you to a state of inner peace
So that you may stand ^(C2)before Me as My obedient representative;
And ^(C3)if you separate the precious from the worthless examining yourself and cleansing your heart from unwarranted doubt concerning My faithfulness,
You will become My spokesman.
Let the people turn to you and learn to value My values—
But you, you must not turn to them with regard for their idolatry and wickedness.

²⁰ "And I will ^(C1)make you to this people
A fortified wall of bronze;
They will fight against you,
But they will not prevail over you,
For ^(C2)I am with you always to save you
And ^(F1)protect you," says the LORD.

²¹ "So I will ^(C1)rescue you out of the hand of the wicked,
And I will ^(C2)redeem you from the grasping palm of the terrible and ruthless tyrant."