New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Jeremiah 15
1
Then the Lord said to me, "Suppose Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me. Even then my heart would not feel sorry for these people. Send them away from me! Let them go!
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 11:14
Jeremiah 23:39
References Lord
Ezekiel 14:14
Jeremiah 14:11
Psalm 99:6
1 Samuel 12:23
1 Samuel 7:9
2 Kings 17:20
Jeremiah 52:3
References Moses
Psalm 106:23
2
"Suppose they ask you, 'Where should we go?' "Then tell them, 'The Lord says, " ' "Those I have appointed to die will die. Those I have appointed to be killed with swords will be killed with swords. Those I have appointed to die of hunger will die of hunger. Those I have appointed to be taken away as prisoners will be taken away." '
Reference
3
"I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," announces the Lord. "Swords will kill them. Dogs will drag them away. Birds of the air will eat them up. And wild animals will destroy them.
Reference
4
"I will make all of the kingdoms on earth hate them. That will happen because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. He was king of Judah and the son of Hezekiah.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 24:9
Jeremiah 29:18
Deuteronomy 28:25
Jeremiah 34:17
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 23:46
Leviticus 26:33
2 Kings 21:2
5
"Jerusalem, who will have pity on you? Who will sob over you? Who will stop to ask how you are doing?
Reference
6
You have said no to me," announces the Lord. "You keep on turning away from me. So I will destroy you with my own hands. I can't show you my tender love anymore.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 7:24
Zephaniah 1:4
Zechariah 7:11
Hosea 11:7
Jeremiah 6:19
Jeremiah 1:16
References Lord
Isaiah 1:4
Jeremiah 2:17
Jeremiah 6:11
Ezekiel 25:7
7
I will stand at the city gates of the land. I will separate the straw from the grain. I will destroy my people. I will bring great sorrow on them. They have not changed their ways.
Reference
8
I will increase the number of their widows. They will be more than the grains of sand on the seashore. At noon I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of the young men among my people. All at once I will bring down on them great suffering and terror.
9
Mothers who have many children will grow weak. They will take their last breath. The sun will set on them while it is still day. They will be dishonored and put to shame. All those who are left alive I will kill with swords. I will have their enemies do it," announces the Lord.
Reference
10
My mother, I wish I had never been born! The whole land opposes me. They fight against me. I haven't made loans to anyone. And I haven't borrowed anything. But everyone still calls down curses on me.
Reference
11
The Lord said, "Jeremiah, I will keep you safe for a good purpose. I will make your enemies ask you to pray for them. They will make their appeal to you when they are in great trouble.
Reference
12
"People of Judah, the armies of Babylonia will come from the north. They are as strong as iron and bronze. Can anyone break their power?
13
I will give away your wealth and your treasures. Your enemies will carry off everything. And they will not pay anything for it. That will happen because you have sinned so much. You have done it all through your country.
Reference
14
I will make you slaves to your enemies. You will serve them in a land you have not had anything to do with before. My anger will start a fire that will burn you up."
Reference
15
Lord, you understand how much I'm suffering. Show concern for me. Take care of me. Pay back those who are trying to harm me. You are patient. Don't take my life away from me. Think about how much shame I suffer because of you.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 17:16
Nehemiah 13:22
Psalm 119:84
Nehemiah 5:19
Matthew 10:22
Luke 21:17
References Lord
Jeremiah 12:3
Jeremiah 20:12
Psalm 106:4
Jeremiah 20:8
16
When I received your words, I ate them. They filled me with joy. My heart took delight in them. Lord God who rules over all, I belong to you.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 19:10
Psalm 119:111
References Lord
Jeremiah 14:9
Word
Job 23:12
Psalm 119:97
Psalm 119:72
17
I never sat around with those who go to wild parties. I never had a good time with them. I sat alone because you had put your powerful hand on me. Your anger against sin was burning inside me.
Reference
18
Why does my pain never end? Why is my wound so deep? Why can't I ever get well? To me you are like a stream that runs dry. You are like a spring that doesn't have any water.
Reference
19
So the Lord says, "Turn away from your sins. Then I will heal you. And then you will be able to serve me. Speak words that are worthy, not worthless. Then you will be speaking for me. Let these people turn to you. But you must not turn to them.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 44:23
Leviticus 10:10
Luke 21:15
Ezekiel 22:26
Jude 1:24
Hebrews 5:14
Acts 20:27
Exodus 4:12
References Lord
Zechariah 3:7
Jeremiah 15:1
20
I will make you like a wall to them. I will make you like a strong bronze wall. The people will fight against you. But they will not overcome you. I am with you. I will save you," announces the Lord.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 3:9
Isaiah 41:10
Jeremiah 6:27
References Lord
Psalm 46:11
Psalm 46:7
Jeremiah 1:8
2 Timothy 4:22
21
"I will save you from the hands of evil people. I will set you free from those who treat you badly."
Reference
Evil
Psalm 37:40
Psalm 27:2
Matthew 6:13
Parallel theme
2 Corinthians 1:10
Isaiah 54:17
Isaiah 29:20
Isaiah 29:5
Romans 16:20
Redemption
Jeremiah 50:34
Genesis 48:16
Summary of Jeremiah 15
Jeremiah 15 is one of the most emotionally intense chapters in the book because it combines severe national judgment with Jeremiah's personal struggle.
God begins by telling Jeremiah that the situation has become so serious that even if Moses and Samuel—two of Israel's great intercessors—stood before Him, He would not reverse the announced judgment.
This does not mean that God has suddenly become unwilling to show mercy.
Rather, it communicates how far Judah has gone.
The people have received repeated warnings, opportunities to repent, and prophetic calls to return to God, yet they continue in rebellion.
Judgment has therefore reached a decisive stage.
The people will experience four terrible possibilities: death, the sword, famine, and captivity.
These four outcomes describe the devastating reality of ancient warfare.
Some will die from disease or other causes, some will be killed by invading armies, some will die from hunger, and others will survive only to be taken into exile.
The chapter then identifies an important historical reason for Judah's spiritual decline: King Manasseh.
Manasseh ruled Judah for a very long time, approximately 697–642 BC, and his reign became strongly associated with idolatry and practices that violated the worship of the Lord.
Jeremiah presents the consequences of Judah's accumulated rebellion as something that has developed over generations.
God then describes the devastation that will come upon Jerusalem.
Widows will multiply.
Mothers will lose their children.
Families will be broken.
The population will be scattered.
The language is intentionally severe because Jeremiah wants his listeners to understand that the coming judgment is not merely a change of government—it will be a human catastrophe.
The chapter then turns toward Jeremiah himself.
He asks why his life has become so difficult.
He has tried to faithfully deliver God's message, yet instead of receiving gratitude, he receives hostility.
He is isolated from ordinary social life and finds himself surrounded by conflict.
Nevertheless, God reassures him that his faithfulness is not forgotten.
One particularly interesting image is the comparison to iron and bronze.
God asks whether iron can break iron.
The picture communicates the strength of the opposition Jeremiah faces.
His enemies are not weak.
His ministry will continue to be difficult.
But God promises to make Jeremiah like a fortified wall so that his enemies cannot ultimately overcome him.
Jeremiah then expresses another deep struggle.
He remembers how God's words once brought him joy.
Being called by God's name gave his life meaning.
Yet the same calling has also separated him from others and brought him pain.
He does not join the people's celebrations because he carries God's message and is deeply troubled by their rebellion.
This leads to one of Jeremiah's most honest prayers.
He asks why his pain continues without relief.
He compares God to a stream that appears dependable but suddenly disappears.
In other words, Jeremiah feels that the very source he depends upon seems unreliable.
This is an important moment because Jeremiah does not hide his emotions from God.
He brings his confusion, disappointment, loneliness, and pain directly into prayer.
God's answer is a call back to faithfulness.
Jeremiah must return to God and distinguish what is valuable from what is worthless.
If he remains faithful to his calling, God promises to strengthen him and protect him.
The people may oppose Jeremiah, but they will not ultimately control him.
The chapter closes with a powerful promise that God will rescue Jeremiah from wicked and violent people.
The central message is that Judah's judgment has become unavoidable because generations of rebellion, idolatry, and stubbornness have exhausted the nation's refusal to repent, yet alongside this severe national judgment God addresses Jeremiah's personal suffering, acknowledging the enormous opposition he faces and promising to make him strong enough to endure it; Jeremiah's honesty shows that faithful service to God does not eliminate loneliness, discouragement, or questions, but God's response reminds him that his calling is still valuable and that he must continue separating truth from falsehood, trusting that God will ultimately protect and sustain him even when the people around him reject his message.
God begins by telling Jeremiah that the situation has become so serious that even if Moses and Samuel—two of Israel's great intercessors—stood before Him, He would not reverse the announced judgment.
This does not mean that God has suddenly become unwilling to show mercy.
Rather, it communicates how far Judah has gone.
The people have received repeated warnings, opportunities to repent, and prophetic calls to return to God, yet they continue in rebellion.
Judgment has therefore reached a decisive stage.
The people will experience four terrible possibilities: death, the sword, famine, and captivity.
These four outcomes describe the devastating reality of ancient warfare.
Some will die from disease or other causes, some will be killed by invading armies, some will die from hunger, and others will survive only to be taken into exile.
The chapter then identifies an important historical reason for Judah's spiritual decline: King Manasseh.
Manasseh ruled Judah for a very long time, approximately 697–642 BC, and his reign became strongly associated with idolatry and practices that violated the worship of the Lord.
Jeremiah presents the consequences of Judah's accumulated rebellion as something that has developed over generations.
God then describes the devastation that will come upon Jerusalem.
Widows will multiply.
Mothers will lose their children.
Families will be broken.
The population will be scattered.
The language is intentionally severe because Jeremiah wants his listeners to understand that the coming judgment is not merely a change of government—it will be a human catastrophe.
The chapter then turns toward Jeremiah himself.
He asks why his life has become so difficult.
He has tried to faithfully deliver God's message, yet instead of receiving gratitude, he receives hostility.
He is isolated from ordinary social life and finds himself surrounded by conflict.
Nevertheless, God reassures him that his faithfulness is not forgotten.
One particularly interesting image is the comparison to iron and bronze.
God asks whether iron can break iron.
The picture communicates the strength of the opposition Jeremiah faces.
His enemies are not weak.
His ministry will continue to be difficult.
But God promises to make Jeremiah like a fortified wall so that his enemies cannot ultimately overcome him.
Jeremiah then expresses another deep struggle.
He remembers how God's words once brought him joy.
Being called by God's name gave his life meaning.
Yet the same calling has also separated him from others and brought him pain.
He does not join the people's celebrations because he carries God's message and is deeply troubled by their rebellion.
This leads to one of Jeremiah's most honest prayers.
He asks why his pain continues without relief.
He compares God to a stream that appears dependable but suddenly disappears.
In other words, Jeremiah feels that the very source he depends upon seems unreliable.
This is an important moment because Jeremiah does not hide his emotions from God.
He brings his confusion, disappointment, loneliness, and pain directly into prayer.
God's answer is a call back to faithfulness.
Jeremiah must return to God and distinguish what is valuable from what is worthless.
If he remains faithful to his calling, God promises to strengthen him and protect him.
The people may oppose Jeremiah, but they will not ultimately control him.
The chapter closes with a powerful promise that God will rescue Jeremiah from wicked and violent people.
The central message is that Judah's judgment has become unavoidable because generations of rebellion, idolatry, and stubbornness have exhausted the nation's refusal to repent, yet alongside this severe national judgment God addresses Jeremiah's personal suffering, acknowledging the enormous opposition he faces and promising to make him strong enough to endure it; Jeremiah's honesty shows that faithful service to God does not eliminate loneliness, discouragement, or questions, but God's response reminds him that his calling is still valuable and that he must continue separating truth from falsehood, trusting that God will ultimately protect and sustain him even when the people around him reject his message.