Let my persecutors be put to shame, but do not let me be put to shame. Let them be terrified, but do not let me be terrified. Bring upon them the day of disaster and shatter them with double destruction.
Parallel translations
- WEB Let them be disappointed who persecute me, but let not me be disappointed; let them be dismayed, but don’t let me be dismayed; bring on them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
- KJV Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
- NKJV Let them be ashamed who persecute me, But do not let me be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, But do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, And destroy them with double destruction!
- NASB Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but as for me, let me not be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. Bring on them a day of disaster, And crush them with double destruction!
- NLT Bring shame and dismay on all who persecute me, but don’t let me experience shame and dismay. Bring a day of terror on them. Yes, bring double destruction upon them!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jeremiah asks that his persecutors, not himself, be put to shame and that God bring judgment upon them. He commits his cause to God's justice.
Overview
This imprecatory prayer asks God to vindicate the prophet and repay his persecutors with the very calamity they deserve. Such prayers entrust vengeance to God rather than seizing it personally, appealing to him as righteous judge. The New Testament both honors this longing for justice and points to Christ, who prayed for his enemies even while leaving final judgment to God (Romans 12:19).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 40:14May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.
- Ps 35:4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.
- Ps 25:2–3in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
- Ps 83:17–18May they be ever ashamed and terrified; may they perish in disgrace.
- Jer 11:20O LORD of Hosts, who judges righteously, who examines the heart and mind, let me see Your vengeance upon them, for to You I have committed my cause.
- Jer 20:11But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten.
- Ps 35:8May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created.
- Ps 70:2May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.
- Jer 18:19–23Attend to me, O LORD. Hear what my accusers are saying!
- Rev 18:6Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.
- Jer 17:16But I have not run away from being Your shepherd; I have not desired the day of despair. You know that the utterance of my lips was spoken in Your presence.
- Ps 71:1In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.
- Jer 16:18And I will first repay them double their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and they have filled My inheritance with their abominations.”
- Job 16:14He breaks me with wound upon wound; He rushes me like a mighty warrior.
- Ps 35:26–27May those who gloat in my distress be ashamed and confounded; may those who exalt themselves over me be clothed in shame and reproach.
- Jer 14:17You are to speak this word to them: ‘My eyes overflow with tears; day and night they do not cease, for the virgin daughter of my people has been shattered by a crushing blow, a severely grievous wound.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 17:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.