Jeremiah 15:18

15:18 Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish?

Why must I endure the sting of their insults like an incurable wound?

Will you let me down when I need you

like a brook one goes to for water, but that cannot be relied on?” ¹ 

Jeremiah 12:6

12:6 As a matter of fact, ²  even your own brothers

and the members of your own family have betrayed you too.

Even they have plotted to do away with you. ³ 

So do not trust them even when they say kind things ⁴  to you.

Jeremiah 40:14

40:14 They said to him, “Are you at all aware ⁵  that King Baalis of Ammon has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them.

Jeremiah 42:5

42:5 They answered Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not do just as ⁶  the Lord sends you to tell us to do.

¹ tn Heb “Will you be to me like a deceptive (brook), like waters which do not last [or are not reliable].”

² tn This is an attempt to give some contextual sense to the particle “for, indeed” (כִּי, ki).

³ tn Heb “they have called after you fully”; or “have lifted up loud voices against you.” The word “against” does not seem quite adequate for the preposition “after.” The preposition “against” would be Hebrew עַל (’al). The idea appears to be that they are chasing after him, raising their voices along with those of the conspirators to have him killed.

⁴ tn Heb “good things.” See BDB 373 s.v. II טוֹב 2 for this nuance and compare Prov 12:25 for usage.

³ tn The translation is intended to reflect the emphasizing infinitive absolute before the finite verb.

⁴ tn Heb “do according to all the word which.”