Jeremiah 15:19

Revised Standard Version

Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, this is what the Lord says:

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore thus says the LORD, If you return, then will I bring you again, that you may stand before me; and if you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth: they shall return to you, but you shall not return to them.

King James Version
Therefore thus saith the Lord , If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.

English Standard Version
Therefore thus says the Lord : "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.

New American Standard Bible
Therefore, this is what the LORD says: "If you return, then I will restore you— You will stand before Me; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They, for their part, may turn to you, But as for you, you are not to turn to them.

New Century Version
So this is what the Lord says: "If you change your heart and return to me, I will take you back. Then you may serve me. And if you speak things that have worth, not useless words, then you may speak for me. Let the people of Judah turn to you, but you must not change and be like them.

Amplified Bible
Therefore, thus says the LORD [to Jeremiah], "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 before Me [as My obedient representative]; And 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].

World English Bible
Therefore thus says Yahweh, If you return, then will I bring you again, that you may stand before me; and if you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth: they shall return to you, but you shall not return to them.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou returne, then wil I bring thee againe, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take away the precious from the vile, thou shalt be according to my worde: let them returne vnto thee, but returne not thou vnto them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore thus says Yahweh,"If you return, then I will cause you to return—Before Me you will stand;And if you extract the precious from the worthless,You will become My mouthpiece.They for their part may turn to you,But as for you, you must not turn to them.

Berean Standard Bible
Therefore this is what the LORD says: "If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must return to you, but you must not return to them.

Contemporary English Version
Then the Lord told me: Stop talking like a fool! If you turn back to me and speak my message, I will let you be my prophet once again. I hope the people of Judah will accept what you say. But you can ignore their threats,

Complete Jewish Bible
This is Adonai 's answer: "If you return — if I bring you back — you will stand before me. If you separate the precious from the base, you will be my spokesman. It will then be they who turn to you, not you who turn to them.

Darby Translation
Therefore thus saith Jehovah: If thou return, then will I bring thee again, thou shalt stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. Let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord said, "Jeremiah, if you change and come back to me, I will not punish you. If you change and come back to me, then you may serve me. If you speak important things, not worthless words, then you may speak for me. The people of Judah should change and come back to you. But don't you change and be like them.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore thus says the LORD, If you repent, then I will bring you back again, and you shall stand before me; and if you bring forth the precious words and not the vile, you shall be as my mouth, says the LORD; the people shall turn to you; but you shall not turn to them.

Good News Translation
To this the Lord replied, "If you return, I will take you back, and you will be my servant again. If instead of talking nonsense you proclaim a worthwhile message, you will be my prophet again. The people will come back to you, and you will not need to go to them.

Lexham English Bible
Therefore thus says Yahweh, "If you turn back, then I will take you back. You will stand before me. And if you utter what is precious and not what is worthless, you will be as my mouth. They will turn back to you, and you will not turn back to them.

Literal Translation
So Jehovah says this: If you return, then I will bring you again; you shall stand before Me. And if you take the precious from the worthless, you shall be as My mouth. Let them turn back to you, but do not return to them.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Vpon these wordes, thus sayde the LORDE vnto me: Yf thou wilt turne agayne, I shal set the in my seruyce: and yf thou wilt take out the thinge that is precious from the vyle, thou shalt be euen as myne owne mouth. They shal conuerte vnto the, but turne not thou vnto the:

American Standard Version
Therefore thus saith Jehovah, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, that thou mayest stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them.

Bible in Basic English
For this cause the Lord has said, If you will come back, then I will again let you take your place before me; and if you give out what is of value and not that which has no value, you will be as my mouth: let them come back to you, but do not go back to them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore thus saith the LORD: if thou return, and I bring thee back, thou shalt stand before Me; and if thou bring forth the precious out of the vile, thou shalt be as My mouth; let them return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them.

King James Version (1611)
Therfore thus saith the Lord; If thou returne, then will I bring thee againe, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them returne vnto thee, but returne not thou vnto them.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Upon these wordes, thus sayde the Lorde vnto me, If thou wylt turne agayne, I shall set thee in my seruice, and yf thou wylt take out the thynges that is precious from the vile, thou shalt be euen as myne owne mouth: they shall conuert vnto thee, but turne not thou vnto them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Therefore thus saith the Lord, If thou wilt return, then will I restore thee, and thou shalt stand before my face: and if thou wilt bring forth the precious from the worthless, thou shalt be as my mouth: and they shall return to thee; but thou shalt not return to them.

English Revised Version
Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, that thou mayest stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For this thing the Lord seith these thingis, If thou turnest, Y schal turne thee, and thou schalt stonde bifore my face; and if thou departist preciouse thing fro vijl thing, thou schalt be as my mouth; thei schulen be turned to thee, and thou schalt not be turned to hem.

Update Bible Version
Therefore thus says Yahweh, If you return, then I will bring you again, that you may stand before me; and if you take forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth: they shall return to you, but you shall not return to them.

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou shalt return, then will I bring thee again, [and] thou shalt stand before me: and if thou shalt separate the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return to thee; but return not thou to them.

New English Translation
Because of this, the Lord said, "You must repent of such words and thoughts! If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me. If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless, I will again allow you to be my spokesman. They must become as you have been. You must not become like them.

New King James Version
Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, You shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you, But you must not return to them.

New Living Translation
This is how the Lord responds: "If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!

New Life Bible
So the Lord says, "If you return, then I will let you take your place again, standing before Me. And if you take out what is of worth from what is of no worth, then you will speak for Me. Let these people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.

New Revised Standard
Therefore thus says the Lord : If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Wherefore Thus, saith Yahweh - If thou wouldst return, I will cause thee to return Before me, shalt thou stand, Yea if thou wilt bring out the precious from among the vile, As mine own mouth shalt thou be, - Let them return unto thee, But thou, shalt not return unto them;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore thus saith the Lord: If thou wilt be converted, I will convert thee, and thou shalt stand before my face; and thou wilt separate the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall be turned to thee, and thou shalt not be turned to them.

Young's Literal Translation
Therefore, thus said Jehovah: If thou turnest back, then I bring thee back, Before Me thou dost stand, And if thou bringest out the precious from the vile, As My mouth thou art! They -- they turn back unto thee, And thou dost not turn back unto them.

THE MESSAGE
This is how God answered me: "Take back those words, and I'll take you back. Then you'll stand tall before me. Use words truly and well. Don't stoop to cheap whining. Then, but only then, you'll speak for me. Let your words change them. Don't change your words to suit them. I'll turn you into a steel wall, a thick steel wall, impregnable. They'll attack you but won't put a dent in you because I'm at your side, defending and delivering." God 's Decree. "I'll deliver you from the grip of the wicked. I'll get you out of the clutch of the ruthless."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore, thus says the LORD, "If you return, then I will restore you— Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ O LORD, thou knowest; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In thy forbearance take me not away; know that for thy sake I bear reproach. ¹⁶ Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by thy name, O LORD, God of hosts. ¹⁷ I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because thy hand was upon me, for thou hadst filled me with indignation. ¹⁸ Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Wilt thou be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the LORD: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. ²⁰ And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the LORD. ²¹ I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

return: Jeremiah 15:10-18, Jeremiah 20:9, Exodus 6:29, Exodus 6:30, Jonah 3:2

stand: Jeremiah 15:1, 1 Kings 17:1, Proverbs 22:29, Zechariah 3:7, Luke 1:19, Luke 21:36, Jude 1:24

take: Leviticus 10:10, Isaiah 32:5, Isaiah 32:6, Ezekiel 22:26, Ezekiel 44:23, Hebrews 5:14

as my: Exodus 4:12, Exodus 4:15, Exodus 4:16, Luke 10:16, Luke 12:12, Luke 21:15

let them: Jeremiah 38:20, Jeremiah 38:21, Ezekiel 2:7, Ezekiel 3:10, Ezekiel 3:11, Acts 20:27, 2 Corinthians 5:16, Galatians 1:10, Galatians 2:5

Reciprocal: Exodus 8:1 - Go Leviticus 14:57 - teach Deuteronomy 10:8 - to stand Ezra 8:17 - I told them Job 36:2 - I have yet to speak Isaiah 8:11 - instructed Isaiah 49:2 - made me Isaiah 58:1 - spare Jeremiah 35:19 - stand Daniel 1:5 - stand Daniel 1:19 - therefore Micah 3:8 - I am Zechariah 3:1 - standing Malachi 2:7 - the priest's Mark 12:14 - carest Acts 23:11 - the Lord 2 Timothy 2:21 - purge Revelation 9:20 - and idols

Cross-References

Genesis 15:21
the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Gir'gashites and the Jeb'usites."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore thus saith the Lord, if thou return,.... From thine unbelief, diffidence, and impenitence, and repent of them; expressed in the preceding verses:

then will I bring thee again; or, "restore thee s"; pardon his sin, and return him to his post and place, to his office and ministry in it, and confirm and establish him therein:

and thou shalt stand before me; not only as a petitioner for the people; see Jeremiah 15:1, but as a servant of the Lord, attending to his word, and waiting his orders, and ready to execute them. It denotes his stability in his office:

and if thou wilt take forth the precious from the vile; take precious truths, comparable to gold, silver, and precious stones; truths more valuable and desirable than thousands of gold and silver, from those doctrines which are worthless and contemptible, comparable to wood, hay, and stubble, and everything that is mean and vile; these faithful ministers should separate one from the other, and not mix and blend them together: or precious souls, truly gracious ones, who are precious in the sight of God, are redeemed by Christ, by his precious blood, and are adorned with the graces of the Spirit; these are to be distinguished from the vile, from sinners impenitent and unbelieving, that live in sin, in defiance of the law, and in contempt of the Gospel; a difference is to be made between them; delivering out comfortable words to the one, and denouncing severe threatenings to the other; doing the reverse of the false prophets, Ezekiel 13:22:

thou shalt be as my mouth; to the people; speak what I command thee, and whatsoever thou sayest shall be as if I had spoken it myself:

let them return unto thee, but return not thou unto them; this is said of the people of the Jews, to whom the prophet was sent; and the sense is, that he should not at all comply with them, or conform to their humours, or flatter and sooth them in their sins, as the false prophets did; but if they returned to him, attended on his ministry, received his words and messages, and agreed and conformed to him, and followed his directions and example, it would be very well; but otherwise he was not in the least to give way to them, or go into any sinful compliance with them, either with respect to doctrine or practice,

s אשיבך "restituam te", Tigurine version.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Jeremiah had questioned God’s righteousness (see Jeremiah 12:1 note); he is told, “If thou return,” if thou repent thee of thy doubts, and think only of thy duty, “then will I bring thee again, then will I cause thee again to stand before Me.” To stand before a person means to be his chief officer or vicegerent. It implies therefore the restoration of Jeremiah to the prophetic office.

If thou take forth the precious from the vile - i. e., if thou cause the precious metal to come forth from the dross. Jeremiah was to separate in himself what was divine and holy from the dross of human passion. Let him abandon this mistrust, this sensitiveness, this idea that God did not deal righteously with him, and then “he shall be as God’s mouth, i. e., as the organ by which God speaks.

Let them return ... - Rather, “they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them.” A flattering prophet perishes with the people whom his soft speeches have confirmed in their sin: but the truthful speaking of God’s word saves both.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 15:19. If thou return — By repentance unto me, -

Then will I bring thee again — Restore thee to thy own country. But some think the words are spoken to the prophet in reference to his ministry. He had greatly repined because of the persecutions which he endured. The Lord reprehends him, and is about to take from him the prophetic gift; but exhorts him first to take the precious from the vile - not to attend to the deceitful words of the people, but boldly declare the message he had given him; not to return unto the people, but let the people return unto him. And then he should be as God's mouth - his words should appear to be what they were, the genuine words of God; and the people should be obliged to acknowledge them as such.