Jeremiah 4
4
1“If you will return, O Israel, return to Me,” declares Adonai. “If you will put your detestable things out of My sight. Then you will not waver.
2You will swear, ‘As Adonai lives!’ in truth, in justice and in righteousness. The nations will bless themselves in Him and in Him they will glory.”
3Thus says Adonai to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.
4Circumcise yourselves to Adonai and remove the foreskins of your heart, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Else My wrath will break out like fire and blaze, with no one to quench it, because of your evil deeds!”
Imminent Invasion from the North
5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, saying: “Blow the shofar in the land!” Cry aloud and say, “Assemble yourselves! Let us go into the fortified cities.”
6“Raise a banner toward Zion! Take refuge! Do not delay! For I bring calamity from the north, even terrible destruction.
7A lion has come up from his thicket— a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to make your land a wasteland. Your cities will lie in ruins, without inhabitant.
8Therefore, put on sackcloth— lament and wail! For the fierce anger of Adonai has not turned away from us.”
9“It will happen in that day” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “that the king’s heart will fail, as will the heart of the princes. The kohanim will be appalled, and the prophets will be stunned.”
10Then I said, “Alas, Adonai Elohim! How completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem saying, ‘You will have shalom,’ until the sword touches the soul!”
11At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the barren hills in the wilderness blows toward My people, but not to winnow or to sift—
12a wind too strong for these things will come from Me. Now even I will pronounce judgments against them.”
13See, he comes up like clouds, and his chariots like whirlwinds. His horses are swifter than eagles— “Oy ! We are ruined!”
14O Jerusalem, purify your heart from wickedness, so that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
15A voice announces from Dan and proclaims calamity from the hills of Ephraim,
16“Remind the nations, proclaim over Jerusalem! Besiegers are soon coming from a far country, raising their voice against the cities of Judah.
17Like keepers of a field they surround her, because she has been rebellious against Me.” It is a declaration of Adonai.
18Your conduct and your deeds have brought these things on you. This is your calamity! How bitter it is! How it smites your heart!
19My stomach, my stomach! I writhe in anguish! The pain of my heart! My heart is pounding within me! I cannot keep silent because I have heard, O my soul, the sound of the shofar, the battle-cry of war.
20Disaster on disaster is reported. So the whole land is ruined. My tents are suddenly ravaged, my curtains in an instant.
21How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the shofar?
22“For My people are foolish. They do not know Me. They are senseless children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they do not know.”
23I looked at the earth and behold, it was deserted and desolate, and at the heavens and they had no light.
24I looked at the mountains— behold, they were shaking and all the hills swaying to and fro.
25I looked and behold, no people! All the birds of the sky had fled.
26I looked and behold, the fruitful field was a wilderness and all of its cities were in ruins before Adonai, before His fierce anger.
27For thus says Adonai, “The whole land will be wasteland, yet I will not totally destroy it.
28Therefore, the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow black. For I have spoken, I have purposed, nor will I relent, nor turn from it.
29At the sound of horsemen and archers the whole city flees. They go into the thickets and climb up on the rocks. The whole city is deserted— no one dwells in it.
30And you, O desolate one, what will you do? Though you dress in scarlet, though you adorn yourself with gold ornaments though you enlarge your eyes with paint—in vain you make yourself beautiful— your lovers despise you, they seek your life.
31For I heard a cry like one in labor, the anguish of one giving birth to her first child— the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands saying, “Oy , now to me! For my soul faints before murderers.”
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
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.