Jeremiah 4
4
1“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,
#Jer. 3:1, 22; 15:19; Joel 2:12“Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.
2#Deut. 10:20; Is. 45:23; 65:16; Jer. 12:16And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’
#Is. 48:1; Zech. 8:8In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;
#(Gen. 22:18); Ps. 72:18; Is. 65:16; Jer. 3:17; (Gal. 3:8)The nations shall bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they shall #Is. 45:25; Jer. 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17glory.”
3For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
#Hos. 10:12“Break up your fallow ground,
And #Matt. 13:7do not sow among thorns.
4#Deut. 10:16; 30:6; Jer. 9:25, 26; (Rom. 2:28, 29; Col. 2:11)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.”
An Imminent Invasion
5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
#Jer. 6:1; Hos. 8:1“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, #Josh. 10:20; Jer. 8:14‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
6Set up the standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the #Jer. 1:13–15; 6:1, 22; 50:17north,
And great destruction.”
7#2 Kin. 24:1; Dan. 7:4The lion has come up from his thicket,
And #Jer. 25:9; Ezek. 26:7–10the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
#Is. 1:7; 6:11; Jer. 2:15To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant.
8For this, #Is. 22:12; Jer. 6:26clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
9“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,
“That the heart of the king shall perish,
And the heart of the princes;
The priests shall be astonished,
And the prophets shall wonder.”
10Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!
#2 Kin. 25:10–12; Ezek. 14:9; 2 Thess. 2:11Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
#Jer. 5:12; 14:13Saying, ‘You shall have peace,’
Whereas the sword reaches to the heart.”
11At that time it will be said
To this people and to Jerusalem,
#Jer. 51:1; Ezek. 17:10; Hos. 13:15“A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness
Toward the daughter of My people—
Not to fan or to cleanse—
12A wind too strong for these will come for Me;
Now #Jer. 1:16I will also speak judgment against them.”
13“Behold, he shall come up like clouds,
And #Is. 5:28his chariots like a whirlwind.
#Deut. 28:49; Lam. 4:19; Hos. 8:1; Hab. 1:8His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are plundered!”
14O Jerusalem, #Prov. 1:22; Is. 1:16; Jer. 13:27; James 4:8wash your heart from wickedness,
That you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
15For a voice declares #Jer. 8:16; 50:17from Dan
And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim:
16“Make mention to the nations,
Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem,
That watchers come from a #Is. 39:3; Jer. 5:15far country
And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.
17#2 Kin. 25:1, 4Like keepers of a field they are against her all around,
Because she has been rebellious against Me,” says the Lord.
18“Your#Ps. 107:17; Is. 50:1; Jer. 2:17, 19 ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you.
This is your wickedness,
Because it is bitter,
Because it reaches to your heart.”
Sorrow for the Doomed Nation
19O my #2 Kin. 25:11; 2 Chr. 36:20; Is. 15:5; 16:11; 21:3; 22:4; Jer. 9:1, 10; 20:9soul, my soul!
I am pained in my very heart!
My heart makes a noise in me;
I cannot hold my peace,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20#Ps. 42:7; Ezek. 7:26Destruction upon destruction is cried,
For the whole land is plundered.
Suddenly #Jer. 10:20my tents are plundered,
And my curtains in a moment.
21How long will I see the standard,
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22“For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are silly children,
And they have no understanding.
#Jer. 9:3; 13:23; Rom. 16:19; 1 Cor. 14:20They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.”
23#Is. 24:19I beheld the earth, and indeed it was #Gen. 1:2without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24#Is. 5:25; Jer. 10:10; Ezek. 38:20I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And #Jer. 9:10; 12:4; Zeph. 1:3all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a #Jer. 9:10wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.
27For thus says the Lord:
“The whole land shall be desolate;
#Jer. 5:10, 18; 30:11; 46:28Yet I will not make a full end.
28For this #Jer. 12:4, 11; 14:2; Hos. 4:3shall the earth mourn,
And #Is. 5:30; 50:3; Joel 2:30, 31the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have #Is. 46:10, 11; (Dan. 4:35)purposed and #(Num. 23:19); Jer. 7:16; 23:30; 30:24will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.
29The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks.
Every city shall be forsaken,
And not a man shall dwell in it.
30“And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
#2 Kin. 9:30; Ezek. 23:40Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
#Jer. 22:20, 22; Lam. 1:2, 19; Ezek. 23:9, 10, 22Your lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.
31“For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor,
The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,
The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself;
She #Is. 1:15; Lam. 1:17spreads her hands, saying,
‘Woe is me now, for my soul is weary
Because of murderers!’
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Jeremiah 4: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Jeremias (Jeremiah) 4
4
1If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return to me: if thou wilt take away thy stumbling-blocks out of my sight, thou shalt not be moved.
2And thou shalt swear: As the Lord liveth in truth and in judgement and in justice: and the Gentiles shall bless him and shall praise him.
3For thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda and Jerusalem: Break up anew your fallow ground, and sow not upon thorns.
4Be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, ye men of Juda and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my indignation come forth like fire and burn, and there be none that can quench it: because of the wickedness of your thoughts.
5Declare ye in Juda, and make it heard in Jerusalem: speak, and sound with the trumpet in the land. Cry aloud, and say: Assemble yourselves, and let us go into strong cities.
6Set up the standard in Sion. Strengthen yourselves, stay not: for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction.
7The lion is come up out of his den, and the robber of nations hath roused himself: he is come forth out of his place to make thy land desolate. Thy cities shall be laid waste, remaining without an inhabitant.
8For this, gird yourselves with haircloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned away from us.
9And it shall come to pass in 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 be amazed
10And I said: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God, hast thou then deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: You shall have peace? And, Behold, the sword reacheth even to the soul.
11At that time it shall be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A burning wind is in the ways that are in the desert of the way of the daughter of my people, not to fan nor to cleanse.
12A full wind from these places shall come to me: and now I will speak my judgments with them.
13Behold, he shall come up as a cloud, and his chariots as a tempest: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us, for we are laid waste!
14Wash thy heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayst be saved. How long shall hurtful thoughts abide in thee?
15For a voice of one declaring from Dan, and giving notice of the idol from mount Ephraim.
16Say ye to the nations: Behold, it is heard in Jerusalem that guards are coming from a far country and give out their voice against the cities of Juda.
17They are set round about her, as keepers of fields: because she hath provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord.
18Thy ways and thy devices have brought these things upon thee: this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it hath touched thy heart.
19My bowels, my bowels, are in pain, the senses of my heart are troubled within me. I will not hold my peace, for my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, the cry of battle.
20Destruction upon destruction is called for, and all the earth is laid waste: my tents are destroyed on a sudden and my pavilions in a moment.
21How long shall I see men fleeing away? How long shall I hear the sound of the trumpet?
22For my foolish people have not known me: they are foolish and senseless children. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23I beheld the earth, and lo it was void and nothing: and the heavens, and there was no light in them.
24I looked upon the mountains, and, behold, they trembled: and all the hills were troubled.
25I beheld, and lo there was no man: and all the birds of the air were gone.
26I looked, and, behold, Carmel was a wilderness: and all its cities were destroyed at the presence of the Lord and at the presence of the wrath of his indignation.
27For thus saith the Lord: All the land shall be desolate, but yet I will not utterly destroy.
28The earth shall mourn, and the heavens shall lament from above: because I have spoken, I have purposed and I have not repented, neither am I turned away from it.
29At the voice of the horsemen and the archers, all the city is fled away: they have entered into thickets and have climbed up the rocks. All the cities are forsaken, and there dwelleth not a man in them.
30But when thou art spoiled, what wilt though do? Though thou clothest with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, and paintest thy eyes with stibic stone, thou shalt dress thyself out in vain: thy lovers have despised thee, they will seek thy life.
31For I have heard the voice as of a woman in travail, anguishes as of a woman in labor of a child. The voice of the daughter of Sion, dying away, spreading her hands: Woe is me, for my soul hath fainted because of them that are slain.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.