Jeremiah 15:3

The NET Bible®

"I will punish them in four different ways: I will have war kill them. I will have dogs drag off their dead bodies. I will have birds and wild beasts devour and destroy their corpses.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“I will ordain four kinds of judgment for them”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land to devour and destroy.

Hebrew Names Version
I will appoint over them four kinds, says the LORD: the sword to kill, and the dogs to tear, and the birds of the sky, and the animals of the eretz, to devour and to destroy.

King James Version
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord : the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

English Standard Version
I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord : the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

New American Standard Bible
"And I will appoint over them four kinds of doom," declares the LORD: "the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth to devour and destroy.

New Century Version
"I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the Lord . "I will send war to kill, dogs to drag the bodies away, and the birds of the air and wild animals to eat and destroy the bodies.

Amplified Bible
"I will appoint four kinds of destroyers over them," says the LORD, "the sword to slay, the dogs to tear and drag away, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy.

World English Bible
I will appoint over them four kinds, says Yahweh: the sword to kill, and the dogs to tear, and the birds of the sky, and the animals of the earth, to devour and to destroy.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And I wil appoint ouer them foure kindes, sayth the Lord, the sworde to slay, and the dogs to teare in pieces, and the soules of the heauen, and the beastes of the earth to deuoure, and to destroy.

Legacy Standard Bible
I will appoint over them four kinds of doom," declares Yahweh: "the sword to kill, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and bring to ruin.

Berean Standard Bible
I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

Contemporary English Version
I will punish you in four different ways: You will be killed in war and your bodies dragged off by dogs, your flesh will be eaten by birds, and your bones will be chewed on by wild animals.

Complete Jewish Bible
"I will assign them four kinds [of scourges]," says Adonai , "the sword to kill, dogs to drag away, birds in the air and wild animals to devour and destroy.

Darby Translation
For I will visit them with four kinds [of punishments], saith Jehovah: the sword to slay, and dogs to tear, and the fowl of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy.

Easy-to-Read Version
I will send four kinds of destroyers against them.' This message is from the Lord . ‘I will send the enemy with a sword to kill. I will send the dogs to drag their bodies away. I will send birds of the air and wild animals to eat and destroy their bodies.

George Lamsa Translation
And I will decree against them four kinds of afflictions, says the LORD: The sword to slay, the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the air and the wild beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

Good News Translation
I, the Lord , have decided that four terrible things will happen to them: they will be killed in war; their bodies will be dragged off by dogs; birds will eat them, and wild animals will devour what is left over.

Lexham English Bible
"And I will summon over them four types of calamity," declares Yahweh, "the sword to kill, and the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and the wild animals of the earth to devour and to destroy.

Literal Translation
And I will set over them four kinds, says Jehovah: the sword to kill, and the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the heaven and the beast of the earth to devour and destroy.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For I will bringe foure plages vpon them, saieth the LORDE. The swearde shal stragle them, the dogges shal deuoure them, the foules of the ayre ad beestes of the earth shal eate them vp, and destroye them.

American Standard Version
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith Jehovah: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy.

Bible in Basic English
And I will put over them four divisions, says the Lord: the sword causing death, dogs pulling the dead bodies about, and the birds of heaven, and the beasts of the earth to take their bodies for food and put an end to them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to drag, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy.

King James Version (1611)
And I will appoint ouer them foure kindes, saith the Lord, the sword to slay, and the dogs to teare, and the foules of the heauen, and the beasts of the earth to deuoure and destroy.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For I wyll bryng foure plagues vpon them, saith the Lorde: The sworde shal slay them, the dogges shall teare them in peeces, the foules of the ayre and beastes of the earth shall eate them vp, and destroy them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
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.

English Revised Version
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y schal visite on hem foure spices, seith the Lord; a swerd to sleeynge, and doggis for to reende, and volatilis of the eir, and beestis of the erthe to deuoure and to distrie.

Update Bible Version
And I will appoint over them four kinds, says Yahweh: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the LORD: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.

New King James Version
"And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction," says the LORD: "the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

New Living Translation
"I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the Lord . "I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left.

New Life Bible
I will set over them four kinds of destroyers," says the Lord: "The sword to kill, the dogs to take away, and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth to eat and destroy.

New Revised Standard
And I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, says the Lord : the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the air and the wild animals of the earth to devour and destroy.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And I will set in charge over them - four species Declareth Yahweh, The sword to slay, and The dogs to trail along, - and The bird of the heavens and The beast of the earth to devour and to destroy.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I will visit them with four kinds, saith the Lord: The sword to kill, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy.

Revised Standard Version
"I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, says the LORD: the sword to slay, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

Young's Literal Translation
And I have appointed over them four kinds, an affirmation of Jehovah, The sword to slay, and the dogs to drag, And the fowl of the heavens, And the beast of the earth, to consume and to devour.

THE MESSAGE
"I've arranged for four kinds of punishment: death in battle, the corpses dropped off by killer dogs, the rest picked clean by vultures, the bones gnawed by hyenas. They'll be a sight to see, a sight to shock the whole world—and all because of Manasseh son of Hezekiah and all he did in Jerusalem.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I will appoint over them four kinds of doom," declares the LORD: "the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.

Contextual Overview

¹ Then the Lord said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I would not feel pity for them! Get them away from me! Tell them to go away! ² If they ask you, ‘Where should we go?' tell them the Lord says this: "Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease. Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war. Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation. Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile." ³ "I will punish them in four different ways: I will have war kill them. I will have dogs drag off their dead bodies. I will have birds and wild beasts devour and destroy their corpses. ⁴ I will make all the people in all the kingdoms of the world horrified at what has happened to them because of what Hezekiah's son Manasseh, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem." ⁵ The Lord cried out, "Who in the world will have pity on you, Jerusalem? Who will grieve over you? Who will stop long enough to inquire about how you are doing? ⁶ I, the Lord , say: ‘You people have deserted me! You keep turning your back on me.' So I have unleashed my power against you and have begun to destroy you. I have grown tired of feeling sorry for you!" ⁷ The Lord continued, "In every town in the land I will purge them like straw blown away by the wind. I will destroy my people. I will kill off their children. I will do so because they did not change their behavior. ⁸ Their widows will become in my sight more numerous than the grains of sand on the seashores. At noontime I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their young men. I will cause anguish and terror to fall suddenly upon them. ⁹ The mother who had seven children will grow faint. All the breath will go out of her. Her pride and joy will be taken from her in the prime of their life. It will seem as if the sun had set while it was still day. She will suffer shame and humiliation. I will cause any of them who are still left alive to be killed in war by the onslaughts of their enemies," says the Lord .

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I will: Jeremiah 7:33, Leviticus 26:16, Leviticus 26:22, Leviticus 26:25, Deuteronomy 28:26, 1 Kings 21:23, 1 Kings 21:24, 2 Kings 9:35-37, Isaiah 18:6, Isaiah 56:9, Isaiah 56:10, Ezekiel 14:21, Revelation 6:8, Revelation 19:17, Revelation 19:18

kinds: Heb. families

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:23 - heap mischiefs Deuteronomy 32:24 - the teeth 1 Kings 14:11 - that dieth 2 Kings 17:25 - the Lord sent Psalms 79:2 - General Psalms 79:3 - and there Isaiah 5:25 - torn Isaiah 15:9 - lions Jeremiah 14:12 - but Jeremiah 14:16 - be cast Jeremiah 15:9 - and the Jeremiah 16:4 - die Jeremiah 18:21 - let their wives Jeremiah 22:19 - General Jeremiah 29:17 - Behold Jeremiah 35:17 - Behold Jeremiah 47:6 - thou sword Ezekiel 5:17 - and evil Ezekiel 6:11 - fall Ezekiel 7:15 - General Ezekiel 14:13 - break Ezekiel 14:15 - noisome Ezekiel 22:5 - infamous and much vexed Ezekiel 33:2 - When I bring the sword upon a land Ezekiel 39:4 - I will Amos 4:10 - the stink Amos 5:19 - As if Zephaniah 1:17 - and their blood Zechariah 11:9 - that that dieth

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.

Genesis 13:16
And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted.

Genesis 14:14
When Abram heard that his nephew had been taken captive, he mobilized his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders as far as Dan.

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.

Proverbs 29:21
If someone pampers his servant from youth, he will be a weakling in the end.

Proverbs 30:23
under an unloved woman who is married, and under a female servant who dispossesses her mistress.

Ecclesiastes 2:7
I purchased male and female slaves, and I owned slaves who were born in my house; I also possessed more livestock—both herds and flocks— than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 12:1
Lord , you have always been fair whenever I have complained to you. However, I would like to speak with you about the disposition of justice. Why are wicked people successful? Why do all dishonest people have such easy lives?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord,.... Or four families x, and these very devouring ones; that is, four sorts of punishment; and so the Targum,

"four evil punishments;''

which are after mentioned. These are represented as under God, and at his beck and command; servants of his, that go and come at his pleasure, and do his will; and as being over men, and having power and authority to kill and to destroy by a divine commission:

the sword to slay: the first and chief of the four families or punishments, which had a commission from the Lord to sheath itself in his people, the Jews; even the sword of the enemy, the Chaldeans, drawn against them by a divine order and appointment:

and the dogs to tear; the carcasses of those that are slain with the sword: or "to draw" y; as the word signifies; it being the usual way of dogs to draw and drag the flesh about they are feeding on; this is another of the four families, and a very voracious one it is:

and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy; or "to eat, and to corrupt", the bodies of those that are slain by the sword. The meaning is, that such should not have a burial, but should be the food of fowls and wild beasts: these are the other two destroying families, which have their commission from the Lord for such service.

x ארבע משפחות "quatuor familias, [sive] cognationes", Vatablus, Tigurine version, Calvin. y לסחוב "ad trahendum", Calvin, Pagninus, Montanus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Schmidt so Ben Melech,

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Kinds - literally, as the margin, i. e., classes of things. The first is to destroy the living, the other three to mutilate and consume the dead.

To tear - literally, “to drag along the ground.” It forcibly expresses the contumely to which the bodies of the slain will be exposed.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 15:3. I will appoint over them four kinds — There shall appear four instruments of my justice.

1. The sword to slay.

2. The dogs to tear what is slain.

3. The fowls of the heaven to feed on the dead carcasses. And,

4. The wild beasts to destroy all that the fowls have left.