4 The Lord says this:
‘People of Israel, you should return to me.
If you want to do that,
you must throw away your idols.
Remove those disgusting things
and do not turn away from me again.
2 You must be honest and do what is right.
You must do what you promise to do.
You can show that your promise is true
when you add, “As surely as the Lord is alive.”
Then other nations will see that I have blessed you.
They will pray that I will bless them too.
and they will praise me.’
3 The Lord says this to the people of Jerusalem and all Judah:
‘Prepare yourselves, like a farmer who ploughs his fields.
Do not plant your seeds where weeds are growing.
4 Give yourselves to me, the Lord ,
and agree to serve me faithfully.
Remove from your lives everything that is not right,
so that you obey my covenant.
If you do not do that,
I will be very angry with you.
I will punish you like a hot fire that destroys things.
Nobody will be able to stop my anger.
People of Judah and Jerusalem,
if you continue to do wicked things,
I will certainly punish you.’
5 The Lord said:
‘Shout this message to the people in Jerusalem and in all Judah:
“Make a loud noise with trumpets in all the land!”
Shout loudly, “Come together!
We must all run to the cities with strong walls!”
6 Lift up a flag that shows the way to Zion!
Run quickly to a safe place! Do not wait!
I will soon bring great trouble from the north.
An enemy will destroy your country.
7 Yes, a strong army is coming,
like a lion that has left its cave. [ a ]
It has come out to destroy many nations.
It will attack your whole land.
Your cities will become heaps of stones,
and nobody will live in them.
8 So wear rough sackcloth!
Weep and cry aloud.
Say, “The Lord is still very angry with us.” ’
9 The Lord says:
‘When this happens, the king and his officers will be afraid.
The priests will shake with fear.
The prophets will be unable to speak.’
10 Then I said, ‘ Lord God, that is terrible! You have deceived the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You told them, “You will live in peace.” But now an enemy is ready to attack us!’
11 The Lord will tell the people at that time, ‘A hot wind will blow from the hills in the desert. It will not be a little wind that blows chaff from wheat. It will be a strong storm that blows away the people that I love. 12 I will send a strong wind of punishment on my people.’
13 Look! The enemy army is coming like dark clouds!
Their chariots make the noise of a storm.
Their horses move faster than eagles in the sky.
Terrible trouble has come. We will all die!
14 People of Jerusalem, remove the evil things from your lives.
Then the Lord may save you.
Do not continue to have wicked ideas.
15 People are bringing a message from Dan
and from the hill country of Ephraim.
The message says that great trouble is coming. [ b ]
16 They say, ‘Warn all the nations that the enemy is coming!’
Shout this message in Jerusalem:
‘An army is coming from a country that is far away.
They will attack the towns in Judah.
17 Their soldiers are all around Jerusalem's walls,
like guards around a farmer's field.’
The Lord says, ‘This will happen because the people of Judah have turned against me. 18 I will punish you very much, because that is what you deserve. You have lived in a wicked way and you have done evil things. My punishment will give you pain that goes all through you.’
19 I am so upset!
My body is shaking with pain.
My heart beats hard inside me.
I cannot keep still.
I cannot keep quiet.
I have heard the noise of the enemy's trumpets
and the shouts of their soldiers.
20 They are winning one battle after another!
They are destroying the whole land.
Our homes are becoming heaps of stones.
They quickly knock down our tents.
21 How long will our enemy continue to attack us?
How long will I see their flags and hear their trumpets?
22 The Lord says,
‘My people are fools.
They do not know me.
They are like children who do not know anything.
They understand nothing.
They are very clever at doing evil things.
But they do not know how to do what is good.’
23 I looked at the earth.
It had no shape and it was empty.
I looked at the sky.
Its light had disappeared.
24 I looked at the mountains.
They were shaking.
All the hills were moving around.
25 When I looked, I saw no people.
All the birds had flown away.
26 The land where crops had grown was now a desert.
All the cities had become heaps of stones.
The Lord had caused this to happen
because he was very angry.
27 The Lord had said,
‘The whole land will become like a desert,
but I will not completely destroy it.
28 So the earth will be sad and weep.
The sky will become dark. [ c ]
I have said what I will do.
And I will not change my thoughts.
I will do as I have decided.’
29 When the enemy attacks a town,
the people will run away to escape.
The enemy soldiers will ride on horses,
and they will shoot arrows.
When the people hear them,
some of them will hide among trees.
Some of them will climb up among the rocks.
All the towns will become empty.
Nobody will live in them.
30 Yes, Jerusalem, an enemy has destroyed you!
You tried to make friends,
like a woman who wears a beautiful dress.
You wore your gold and your jewels.
You painted around your eyes.
But all that has not helped you.
The nations that you wanted to be your lovers have turned against you.
Now they want to kill you.
31 I can hear people who are calling out.
It sounds like a woman who is giving birth to her first baby.
She is calling out with great pain.
It is Jerusalem who is crying!
She is calling out for help.
She says, ‘Help me! I am very weak.
These murderers have come to kill me!’
4 This message is from the Lord .
“Israel, if you want to come back,
then come back to me.
Throw away your idols.
Don’t wander farther away from me.
2 If you do these things, you will be able to use my name to make a promise.
You will be able to say, ‘As the Lord lives.’
You will be able to use these words in a truthful, honest, and right way.
If you do these things, the nations will be blessed by the Lord.
They will brag about what the Lord has done.”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Your fields have not been plowed.
Plow those fields!
Don’t plant seeds among the thorns.
4 Become the Lord ’s people.
Change your hearts. [ a ]
Men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, if you don’t change,
then I will become very angry.
My anger will spread fast like a fire,
and it will burn you up.
No one will be able to put out that fire
because of the evil you have done.”
5 “Give this message to the people of Judah:
Tell everyone in the city of Jerusalem:
‘Blow the trumpet all over the country.’
Shout out loud and say,
‘Come together!
Let us all escape to the strong cities for protection.’
6 Raise the signal flag toward Zion.
Run for your lives! Don’t wait!
Do this because I am bringing disaster from the north. [ b ]
I am bringing terrible destruction.”
7 A lion has come out of his cave.
A destroyer of nations has begun to march.
He has left his home to destroy your land.
Your towns will be destroyed.
There will be no one left to live in them.
8 The Lord is angry with us,
so put on sackcloth and cry out loud!
9 The Lord says, “When this happens,
the king and his officers will lose their courage.
The priests will be filled with fear,
and the prophets will be shocked.”
10 Then I, Jeremiah, said, “Lord God , you have tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You said to them, ‘You will have peace.’ But now the sword is pointing at their throats!”
11 At that time this message will be given
to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“A hot wind blows from the bare hills.
It comes from the desert to my people.
It is not like the gentle wind that is used
to separate the grain from the chaff.
12 It is a stronger wind than that,
and it comes from me.
Now I will announce my judgment
against the people of Judah.”
13 Look! The enemy rises up like a cloud.
His chariots look like a windstorm.
His horses are faster than eagles.
It will be very bad for us!
We are ruined!
14 People of Jerusalem,
wash the evil from your hearts.
Make your hearts pure so that you can be saved.
Don’t continue making evil plans.
15 Listen! The voice of a messenger
from the land of Dan [ c ] is speaking.
Someone is bringing bad news
from the hill country of Ephraim [ d ] :
16 “Report it to this nation. [ e ]
Spread the news to the people in Jerusalem.
Enemies are coming from a faraway country.
They are shouting words of war against the cities of Judah.
17 The enemy has surrounded Jerusalem
like men guarding a field.
Judah, you turned against me,
so the enemy is coming against you.”
This message is from the Lord .
18 “The way you lived and the things you did
brought this trouble to you.
It is your evil that made your life so hard.
Your evil life brought the pain that hurts deep in your heart.”
19 My sadness and worry is making my stomach hurt.
I am bent over in pain.
I am so afraid.
My heart is pounding inside me.
I cannot keep quiet, because I have heard the trumpet blow.
The trumpet is calling the army to war.
20 Disaster follows disaster.
The whole country is destroyed.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed.
My curtains are torn down!
21 How long must I see the war flags?
How long must I hear the war trumpets?
22 The Lord said, “My people are foolish.
They don’t know me.
They are stupid children.
They don’t understand.
They are skillful at doing evil,
but they don’t know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth.
It was empty; there was nothing on it.
I looked at the sky,
and its light was gone. [ f ]
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were shaking.
All the hills were trembling.
25 I looked, but there were no people.
All the birds of the sky had flown away.
26 I looked, and the good land had become a desert.
All the cities in that land were destroyed
by the Lord and his great anger.
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole country will be ruined,
but I will not completely destroy the land.
28 So the people in the land will cry for the dead.
The sky will grow dark.
I have spoken and will not change.
I have made a decision, and I will not change my mind.”
29 The people of Judah will hear the sound
of the horse soldiers and the archers,
and the people will run away!
Some of them will hide in caves; [ g ]
some will hide in the bushes;
some will climb up into the rocks.
All the cities of Judah will be empty.
No one will live in them.
30 Judah, you have been destroyed.
So what are you doing now?
Why are you putting on your best red dress?
Why are you putting on your gold jewelry?
Why are you putting on your eye makeup?
You make yourself beautiful,
but it is a waste of time.
Your lovers hate you.
They are trying to kill you.
31 I hear a cry like a woman in labor,
a scream like a woman giving birth to her first baby.
It is the cry of daughter Zion. [ h ]
She is lifting her hands in prayer, saying,
“Oh! I am about to faint!
Murderers are all around me!”
4 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord , return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
2 And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord , and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the Lord , that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10 Then said I, Ah, Lord God ! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
15 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
16 Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the Lord .
18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord , and by his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
4 “If you will ( A ) return, Israel,” declares the Lord ,
“ Then you should return to Me.
And ( B ) if you will put away your detestable things from My presence,
And will not waver,
2 And if you will ( C ) swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
( D ) In truth, in justice, and in righteousness;
Then the ( E ) nations will bless themselves in Him,
And ( F ) in Him they will boast.”
3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“ [ a ] ( G ) Break up your uncultivated ground,
And ( H ) do not sow among thorns.
4 ( I ) Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
And remove the foreskins of your hearts,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My ( J ) wrath will spread like fire
And burn with ( K ) no one to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“ ( L ) Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry aloud and say,
‘ ( M ) Assemble, and let’s go
Into the fortified cities.’
6 Raise a ( N ) flag toward Zion!
Take refuge, do not stand still ,
For I am bringing ( O ) evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7 A ( P ) lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a ( Q ) destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To ( R ) make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruins,
Without an inhabitant.
8 For this, ( S ) put on sackcloth,
Mourn and wail;
For the ( T ) fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned away from us.”
9 “And it shall come about on that day,” declares the Lord , “that the ( U ) heart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will fail; and the priests will tremble, and the ( V ) prophets will be astonished.”
10 Then I said, “Oh, Lord [ b ] God ! Surely You have utterly ( W ) deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘ ( X ) You will have peace’; yet a sword touches the [ c ] throat.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A ( Y ) scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness, in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too [ d ] strong for [ e ] this—will come [ f ] at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.”
13 “Behold, he ( Z ) goes up like clouds,
And his ( AA ) chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are ( AB ) swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for ( AC ) we are ruined!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, Jerusalem,
So that you may be saved.
How long will your ( AD ) wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from ( AE ) Dan,
And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.
16 “Report it to the nations, now!
Proclaim to Jerusalem,
‘ [ g ] Enemies are coming from a ( AF ) remote country,
And ( AG ) they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 Like watchmen of a field they are ( AH ) against her all around,
Because she has ( AI ) rebelled against Me,’ declares the Lord .
18 Your ( AJ ) ways and your deeds
Have [ h ] brought these things upon you.
This is your evil. How ( AK ) bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”
19 ( AL ) My [ i ] soul, my [ j ] soul! I am in anguish! [ k ] Oh, my heart!
My ( AM ) heart is pounding in me;
I cannot keep silent,
Because, [ l ] my soul, you have heard
The ( AN ) sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 ( AO ) Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed,
For the ( AP ) whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my ( AQ ) tents are devastated,
And my curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the flag
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “ ( AR ) For My people are foolish,
They do not know Me;
They are foolish children
And have no understanding.
They are skillful at ( AS ) doing evil,
But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth, and behold, it was a [ m ] ( AT ) formless and desolate emptiness;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were ( AU ) quaking,
And all the hills jolted back and forth.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no human,
And all the ( AV ) birds of the sky had fled.
26 I looked, and behold, [ n ] the ( AW ) fruitful land was a wilderness,
And all its cities were pulled down
Before the Lord , before His fierce anger.
27 For this is what the Lord says:
“The ( AX ) whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will ( AY ) not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the ( AZ ) earth will mourn,
And the ( BA ) heavens above will become dark,
Because I have ( BB ) spoken, I have purposed,
And I have not [ o ] changed My mind, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and archer ( BC ) every city flees;
They ( BD ) go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
( BE ) Every city is abandoned,
And no one lives in them.
30 And you, desolate one, ( BF ) what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you adorn yourself with jewelry of gold,
Although you ( BG ) enlarge your eyes with makeup,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your [ p ] ( BH ) lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
31 For I heard a voice cry as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child.
The voice of the daughter of Zion ( BI ) gasping for breath,
( BJ ) Stretching out her [ q ] hands, saying ,
“Ah, woe to me, for [ r ] I faint before murderers.”
4 “If you, Israel, will return, ( A )
then return to me,”
declares the Lord .
“If you put your detestable idols ( B ) out of my sight
and no longer go astray,
2 and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
you swear, ( C ) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ ( D )
then the nations will invoke blessings ( E ) by him
and in him they will boast. ( F ) ”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:
“Break up your unplowed ground ( G )
and do not sow among thorns. ( H )
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord ,
circumcise your hearts, ( I )
you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath ( J ) will flare up and burn like fire ( K )
because of the evil ( L ) you have done—
burn with no one to quench ( M ) it.
5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim ( N ) in Jerusalem and say:
‘Sound the trumpet ( O ) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
‘Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ ( P )
6 Raise the signal ( Q ) to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster ( R ) from the north, ( S )
even terrible destruction.”
7 A lion ( T ) has come out of his lair; ( U )
a destroyer ( V ) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to lay waste ( W ) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins ( X )
without inhabitant.
8 So put on sackcloth, ( Y )
lament ( Z ) and wail,
for the fierce anger ( AA ) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “In that day,” declares the Lord ,
“the king and the officials will lose heart, ( AB )
the priests will be horrified,
and the prophets will be appalled.” ( AC )
10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord ! How completely you have deceived ( AD ) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ ( AE ) when the sword is at our throats!”
11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind ( AF ) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind ( AG ) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments ( AH ) against them.”
13 Look! He advances like the clouds, ( AI )
his chariots ( AJ ) come like a whirlwind, ( AK )
his horses ( AL ) are swifter than eagles. ( AM )
Woe to us! We are ruined! ( AN )
14 Jerusalem, wash ( AO ) the evil from your heart and be saved. ( AP )
How long ( AQ ) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan, ( AR )
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim. ( AS )
16 “Tell this to the nations,
proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land, ( AT )
raising a war cry ( AU ) against the cities of Judah. ( AV )
17 They surround ( AW ) her like men guarding a field,
because she has rebelled ( AX ) against me,’”
declares the Lord .
18 “Your own conduct and actions ( AY )
have brought this on you. ( AZ )
This is your punishment.
How bitter ( BA ) it is!
How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish! ( BB )
I writhe in pain. ( BC )
Oh, the agony of my heart!
My heart pounds ( BD ) within me,
I cannot keep silent. ( BE )
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; ( BF )
I have heard the battle cry. ( BG )
20 Disaster follows disaster; ( BH )
the whole land lies in ruins. ( BI )
In an instant my tents ( BJ ) are destroyed,
my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard ( BK )
and hear the sound of the trumpet? ( BL )
22 “My people are fools; ( BM )
they do not know me. ( BN )
They are senseless children;
they have no understanding. ( BO )
They are skilled in doing evil; ( BP )
they know not how to do good.” ( BQ )
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty; ( BR )
and at the heavens,
and their light ( BS ) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking; ( BT )
all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
every bird in the sky had flown away. ( BU )
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; ( BV )
all its towns lay in ruins ( BW )
before the Lord , before his fierce anger. ( BX )
27 This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined, ( BY )
though I will not destroy ( BZ ) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn ( CA )
and the heavens above grow dark, ( CB )
because I have spoken and will not relent, ( CC )
I have decided and will not turn back. ( CD ) ”
29 At the sound of horsemen and archers ( CE )
every town takes to flight. ( CF )
Some go into the thickets;
some climb up among the rocks. ( CG )
All the towns are deserted; ( CH )
no one lives in them.
