Jeremiah 4
4
1 "O Israel, if you would return, says the Lord, then be converted to me. If you remove your offense from before my face, then you will not be shaken.
2 And you will swear, 'As the Lord lives,' in truth and in judgment and in justice." And the Gentiles will bless him, and they will praise him.
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and of Jerusalem: "Break new ground, and do not choose to sow upon thorns.
4 Be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskins from your hearts, O men of Judah, O inhabitants of Jerusalem. Otherwise my indignation may burst forth and flare up like a fire. And then there will be no one who can extinguish it, because of the wickedness of your thoughts.
5 Declare it in Judah, and make it known in Jerusalem! Speak out and sound the trumpet in the land! Cry out strongly and say: 'Gather yourselves! And let us go forth to fortified cities!'
6 Lift up a standard in Zion. Be strengthened! Do not choose to stand still. For I am bringing an evil from the north, with great destruction.
7 The lion has ascended from his den, and the pillager of the nations has lifted himself up. He has gone forth from his place, so that he may set your land in desolation. Your cities will be laid waste, remaining without an inhabitant.
8 Concerning this, wrap yourselves in haircloth, mourn and wail: 'For the wrath of the fury of the Lord has not been turned away from us.'
9 And this shall be in that day, says the Lord: The heart of the king will perish, with the heart of the princes. And the priests will be stupefied, and the prophets will be in consternation."
10 And I said: "Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God! Could it be that you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: 'Peace shall be yours,' while, behold, the sword reaches even to the soul?"
11 "In that time, it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: 'A burning wind is in the ways that are in the desert, along the way of the daughter of my people, but not to winnow and not to cleanse.'
12 A full spirit from these places will come to me. And now I will speak my judgments over them.
13 Behold, he will ascend like a cloud, and his chariot will ascend like a tempest. His horses are swifter than eagles. 'Woe to us! For we are being devastated!'
14 Wash your heart from malice, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will harmful thoughts abide in you?
15 For there is a voice, of someone announcing from Dan, and he is making known the idol from mount Ephraim.
16 Say to the nations: 'Behold, it has been heard in Jerusalem! Guardians are coming from a far away land, to utter their voice against the cities of Judah.'
17 They have been stationed over her, like the guardians of fields, all around. For she has provoked me to wrath, says the Lord.
18 Your ways and your thoughts have brought these things upon you. This is your own wickedness. And it is bitter, because it has touched your heart.
19 I am afflicted in my heart, in my heart. The senses of my heart have been stirred up within me. I will not remain silent. For my soul has heard the voice of the trumpet, the clamor of the battle.
20 Destruction upon destruction has been called forth. And the entire earth has been devastated. My tabernacles have been destroyed suddenly, and my tents in an instant.
21 How long shall I watch those who are fleeing, and listen to the voice of the trumpet?
22 For my foolish people have not known me. They are foolish and mad sons. They are clever in doing evil, but they do not know how to do good.
23 I gazed upon the earth, and behold, it was empty and brought to nothing. And I gazed upon the heavens, but there was no light in them.
24 I watched the mountains, and behold, they trembled, and all the hills were shaken.
25 I looked, and there was no man. And all the flying things of the air had gone away.
26 I gazed, and behold, Carmel was a desert, and all its cities were destroyed before the face of the Lord, and before the face of the wrath of his fury."
27 For thus says the Lord: "All the earth will be desolate, but I will not yet bring about its consummation.
28 The earth will mourn, and the heavens will lament from above. For I have spoken, I have decided, and I have not regretted. Neither will I be turned away from it.
29 Before the voice of the horsemen and of those who send forth arrows, the entire city has fled. They have entered steep places, and they have ascended the cliffs. All of the cities have been abandoned, and no man lives within them.
30 So then, when you have been devastated, what will you do? Though you will clothe yourself with scarlet, though you will adorn yourself with a gold necklace and tint your eyes with cosmetics, you will be dressing yourself up in vain. Your lovers have spurned you; they will be seeking your life.
31 For I have heard a voice, like that of a woman giving birth, during the difficulties of labor. It is the voice of the daughter of Zion, dying, extending her hands: 'Woe to me! For my soul is failing because of those who have been slain!' "
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Jeremiah 4
4
Blessing or Curse
1If you return, # Or Repent Israel —
this is the Lord’s declaration —
you will return to Me, # Zch 1:3
if you remove your detestable idols # Jr 7:30; 16:18; 32:34
from My presence
and do not waver,
2then you can swear, “As the Lord lives,” # Dt 6:13; 10:20; Jr 5:2
in truth, # Is 65:16 in justice, and in righteousness, # Hs 2:19
then the nations will be blessed # Or will bless themselves by Him # Gn 26:3-4
and will pride themselves in Him. # Gn 12:1-3; 18:18; 22:18; 1Co 1:31
3For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up the unplowed ground; # Hs 10:12
do not sow among the thorns. # Mt 13:7
4Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;
remove the foreskin of your hearts, # Gn 17:14; Dt 10:16; Jr 9:25; Rm 2:28-29
men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.
Otherwise, My wrath will break out like fire
and burn with no one to extinguish it # Is 1:31; Jr 21:12; Am 5:6; Mal 4:1
because of your evil deeds.
Judgment from the North
5Declare in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
Blow the ram’s horn throughout the land. # Jr 6:1; Hs 5:8; Jl 2:1; 1Th 4:16-17
Cry out loudly and say:
Assemble yourselves,
and let’s flee to the fortified cities.
6Lift up a signal flag toward Zion. # Is 62:10
Run for cover! Don’t stand still!
For I am bringing disaster from the north —
a great destruction. # Is 14:31; 41:25; Jr 1:13; 4:20; 6:1; 15:12; 47:2; 50:3,9,41; 51:48; Ezk 26:7
7A lion has gone up from his thicket; # Ps 10:9; 17:12; Is 5:29; Jr 2:15; 5:6; 25:38; 49:19; 50:17,44
a destroyer of nations has set out.
He has left his lair
to make your land a waste.
Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins. # Is 1:7; 6:11
8Because of this, put on sackcloth;
mourn and wail, # Jl 1:13
for the Lord’s burning anger # Nm 25:4; Ps 78:49
has not turned away from us.
9“On that day” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless.”
10I said, “Oh no, Lord God, You have certainly deceived # 1Kg 22:22; Ezk 14:9; 2Th 2:11 this people and Jerusalem, by announcing, ‘You will have peace,’ # Jr 6:14; 23:17 while a sword is at # Lit sword touches our throats.”
11“At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A searing wind # Ezk 17:10 blows from the barren heights in the wilderness on the way to My dear # Lit to the daughter of My people. It comes not to winnow or to sift; 12a wind too strong for this comes at My call. # Lit comes for Me Now I will also pronounce judgments against them.’ ” # Jr 1:16; Ezk 5:8
13Look, he advances like clouds; # Rv 1:7
his chariots are like a storm. # Is 5:28; 66:15
His horses are swifter than eagles. # 2Sm 1:23; Jb 9:26; Lm 4:19
Woe to us, for we are ruined! # Lm 5:16
14Wash the evil from your heart, # Ps 51:2,7; Is 1:16; Jr 2:22; Ti 3:5; Jms 4:8 Jerusalem,
so that you will be delivered.
How long will you harbor
malicious thoughts within you? # Ps 119:113
15For a voice announces from Dan,
proclaiming malice from Mount Ephraim.
16Warn the nations: Look!
Proclaim to Jerusalem:
Those who besiege are coming
from a distant land; # Is 39:3
they raise their voices
against the cities of Judah.
17They have her surrounded # 2Kg 25:1-4
like those who guard a field,
because she has rebelled against Me. # Is 1:20
This is the Lord’s declaration.
18Your way of life and your actions
have brought this on you. # Ps 107:17; Pr 1:31; Jr 7:3,5; 17:10; 18:11; 23:22; 25:5; 26:3,13; 32:19; Hs 4:9; 12:2; Zch 1:4,6
This is your punishment. It is very bitter,
because it has reached your heart!
Jeremiah’s Lament
19My anguish, my anguish! # Lit My inner parts, my inner parts I writhe in agony!
Oh, the pain in # Lit the walls of my heart! # Is 16:11; Hab 3:16; Rm 9:1-2
My heart pounds;
I cannot be silent.
For you, my soul,
have heard the sound of the ram’s horn —
the shout of battle.
20Disaster after disaster # Ezk 7:26 is reported
because the whole land is destroyed.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my tent curtains, in a moment.
21How long must I see the signal flag
and hear the sound of the ram’s horn?
22“For My people are fools;
they do not know Me.
They are foolish children,
without understanding. # Ps 82:5; Is 1:3
They are skilled in doing what is evil,
but they do not know how to do what is good.” # Rm 16:19
23I looked at the earth,
and it was formless and empty. # Gn 1:2; Jb 26:7; Is 45:18
I looked to the heavens,
and their light was gone. # Is 5:30; 13:10
24I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking; # Jdg 5:5; Ps 46:1-3
all the hills shook.
25I looked, and no man was left; # Gn 2:5
all the birds of the sky had fled. # Zph 1:3
26I looked, and the fertile field # Jr 2:7 was a wilderness. # Ps 107:34
All its cities were torn down
because of the Lord
and His burning anger. # Ps 76:7
27For this is what the Lord says:
The whole land will be a desolation, # Is 6:11
but I will not finish it off. # Neh 9:31; Jr 5:10,18; Rm 11:1-7
28Because of this, the earth will mourn; # Jr 8:13; 14:2; Hs 4:3
the skies above will grow dark. # Ps 105:28; Is 13:10; 50:3; Ezk 30:18
I have spoken; I have planned,
and I will not relent or turn back from it. # Nm 23:19; Is 46:11; 48:15; Ezk 37:14
29Every city flees # 2Kg 25:4
at the sound of the horseman and the archer.
They enter the thickets
and climb among the rocks. # Is 2:19-21
Every city is abandoned;
no inhabitant is left.
30And you, devastated one, what are you doing # Is 10:3
that you dress yourself in scarlet,
that you adorn yourself with gold jewelry,
that you enlarge your eyes with paint? # 2Kg 9:30
You beautify yourself for nothing.
Your lovers reject you; # Jr 30:14; Lm 1:19
they want to take your life. # Ezk 23:9-10,22
31I hear a cry like a woman in labor, # Ps 48:6; Is 13:8; 21:3; 42:14; Jr 6:24; 13:21; 22:23; 30:6; 50:43; Mc 4:9-10; 1Th 5:3
a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child.
The cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands: # Is 1:15
Woe is me, for my life is weary
because of the murderers!
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