15
1 Then said Hashem unto me, Though Moshe and Shmuel stood before Me, yet My Nefesh could not be toward HaAm Hazeh; cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. 2 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Where shall we go forth? Then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith Hashem:
Such as are for mavet, to mavet;
and such as are for the cherev, to the cherev;
and such as are for the ra'av (famine), to the ra'av (famine);
and such as are for shevi (captivity, Golus), to the shevi.
3 And I will appoint over them four mishpechot (families, categories ),* saith Hashem; the cherev to slay, and the kelevim to drag off, and the oph HaShomayim, and the behemat ha'aretz, to devour and destroy. 4 And I will cause them to be a horrific sight to kol mamlechot ha'aretz, because of Menasheh Ben Yechizkiyahu Melech Yehudah, for that which he did in Yerushalayim.
5 For who shall have pity upon thee, O Yerushalayim?
Or who shall mourn thee?
Or who shall go aside to inquire regarding the shalom of thee?
6 Thou hast forsaken Me,
saith Hashem,
thou keepeth going backward;
therefore will I stretch out My yad against thee, and destroy thee;
I am weary with relenting.
7 And I will winnow them with a mizreh (winnowing fork)
in the sha'arei ha'aretz;
I will bereave them, I will destroy My people
since they turn not from their drakhim.
8 Their almanot (widows) are increased before Me above the chol (sand) of the seas;
I have brought upon them, against the em bochur (mother of youth),
a shoded (plunderer) at noonday;
I let fall upon her suddenly, yissurim and terrors.
9 She that bore shivah (seven) [sons] languisheth;
she hath gasped for her nefesh;
her shemesh is gone down while it was yet day;
she hath been humiliated and disgraced;
and the she'erit (remnant) of them
will I deliver to the cherev before their oyevim,
saith Hashem.
10 Oy li, immi, that thou bore me, an ish riv (a man of strife) and an ish madon (a man of contention) to kol ha'aretz (the whole land)! I have neither lent, neither have any lent to me; yet every one of them doth curse me. 11 Hashem said: Verily I will deliver thee for tov; verily I will cause the oyev (enemy) to supplicate thee in the time of ra'ah and in the time of tzarah (distress). 12 Shall barzel (iron) break, barzel (iron) from tzafon (north)? Or nechoshet?
13 Thy wealth and thy otzerot (treasures) will I give as plunder without mekhir (price), and that for all thy chataim (sins), even in all thy territories. 14 And I will make thee to pass over thine oyevim (enemies) into an eretz which thou knowest not; for eish is kindled in Mine anger, which shall burn against you.†
15 Hashem, Thou knowest;
remember me, and visit me,
and take vengeance for me of my [pursuing] persecutors;
in Thy patient forbearance take me not away;
know that for Thy sake I have suffered cherpah (reproach).
16 Thy Devarim were found,
and I did eat them;
and Thy Davar was unto me
the sasson and simchat levavi;
for I am called by Thy Shem,
Hashem Elohei Tzva'os.
17 I sat not in the sod (company) of merrymakers,
nor rejoiced;
I sat alone because of Thy yad;
for Thou hast filled me with za'am (indignation).
18 Why is my pain netzach (perpetual, never ending) and my wound incurable,
which refuseth to be healed?
Wilt Thou be altogether unto me like achzav (deception)
and mayim lo ne'emanu (waters that have not proved reliable)?
19 Therefore thus saith Hashem:
If thou make teshuva (repentance), then will I restore thee,
and thou shalt stand before Me;‡
and if thou bring forth [utterance] of the precious rather than the worthless,
thou shalt be as My Peh (Mouth):
let them turn unto thee;
but turn not thou unto them.
20 And I will make thee unto HaAm Hazeh (this people)
a fortified chomat nechoshet;
and they shall fight against thee,
but they shall not prevail against thee;
for I am with thee to save thee
and to deliver thee,
saith Hashem.
21 And I will save thee out of the yad of the ra'im (wicked),
and I will redeem thee out of the clutches of the ruthless.
* 15:3 of covenant reprisal † 15:14 plural ‡ 15:19 for service, ministry