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Jeremiah Complains

10 I wish I had never been born!
I'm always in trouble
    with everyone in Judah.
I never lend or borrow money,
but everyone curses me
    just the same.

11 Then the Lord replied,
“I promise to protect you,
    and when disaster comes,
even your enemies
    will beg you for help.”[a]

The Enemy Cannot Be Defeated

The Lord told me to say:

12 People of Judah,
just as you can't break iron
    mixed with bronze,
you can't defeat the enemies
that will attack
    from the north.

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Footnotes

  1. 15.11 help: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 11.

10 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth,(A)
    a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!(B)
I have neither lent(C) nor borrowed,
    yet everyone curses(D) me.

11 The Lord said,

“Surely I will deliver you(E) for a good purpose;
    surely I will make your enemies plead(F) with you
    in times of disaster and times of distress.

12 “Can a man break iron—
    iron from the north(G)—or bronze?

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