Jeremiah 4
4
1If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, unto me shalt thou return: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not be removed; 2and thou shalt swear, As the LORD liveth, in truth, in judgement, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury go forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry aloud and say? Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fenced cities. 6Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. 7A lion is gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations; he is on his way, he is gone forth from his place; to make thy land desolate, that thy cities be laid waste, without inhabitant. 8For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us. 9And 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. 10Then 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. 11At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse; 12a full wind from these shall come for me: now will I also utter judgements against them. 13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as the whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. 14O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thine evil thoughts lodge within thee? 15For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth evil from the hills of Ephraim: 16make 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. 17As keepers of a field are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD. 18Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness; for it is bitter, for it reacheth unto thine heart.
19My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I cannot hold my peace; because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22For my people is foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro. 25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and before his fierce anger. 27For thus saith the LORD, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end. 28For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it. 29The whole city fleeth for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city is forsaken, and not a man dwelleth therein. 30And thou, when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou enlargest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair; thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life. 31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that gaspeth for breath, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul fainteth before the murderers.
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Jeremiah 4
4
Judah Threatened with Invasion
1If you will return, O Israel, # Jer 3:22; Joel 2:12
says the Lord,
return to Me.
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
then you shall not be moved.
2You shall swear, “As the Lord lives,”
in truth, in justice, and in righteousness;
then the nations shall bless themselves in Him, # Ge 22:18; Isa 65:16
and in Him they shall glory. # Jer 9:24
3For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up your fallow ground, # Hos 10:12
and do not sow among thorns. # Mt 13:7
4Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
and take away the foreskins of your heart, # Dt 10:16; Jer 9:26
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 deeds.
5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
Blow the trumpet in the land.
Cry aloud and say,
“Assemble yourselves,
and let us go into the fortified cities.” # Jos 10:20; Jer 8:14
6Set up the standard toward Zion. # Jer 50:2
Seek refuge, do not delay.
For I will bring disaster from the north,
and a great destruction. # Jer 1:13–15
7The lion has come up from his thicket,
and the destroyer of the nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
to make your land desolate.
And your cities shall be laid waste
without an inhabitant. # Isa 1:7; Jer 2:15
8For this gird yourself with sackcloth,
lament and howl. # Isa 22:12; Jer 6:26
For the fierce anger of the Lord
is not turned back from us.
9It shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord,
that the heart of the king will fail and the heart of the officials;
and the priests will be astonished
and the prophets will wonder. # Isa 29:9–10
10Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shall have peace,’ whereas the sword reaches the throat.” # Jer 5:12
11At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness # Eze 17:10; Hos 13:15 toward the daughter of My people, not to fan or to cleanse, 12even a full wind from those places, will come to Me. Now also I will pronounce judgments against them. # Jer 1:16
13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, # Isa 19:1
and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind. # Isa 5:28
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are ruined!
14O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, # Jas 4:8 that you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? # Pr 1:22
15For a voice declares from Dan, # Jer 8:16
and proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim:
16“Report it to the nations, now!”
Indeed, proclaim against Jerusalem:
“Besiegers come from a far country, # Jer 5:15
and lift their voices against the cities of Judah. # Eze 21:22
17As watchmen of a field, they are against her all around, # 2Ki 25:1–4
because she has been rebellious against Me, # Jer 5:23
says the Lord.
18Your way and your deeds
have procured these things to you. # Ps 107:17; Isa 50:1
This is your wickedness.
How bitter it is! # Jer 2:19
How it touches your heart!”
Sorrow for a Doomed Nation
19My soul, my soul!
I am pained at my very heart. # Isa 22:4
My heart makes a noise in me. # Isa 16:11
I cannot hold my peace,
because you have heard, O my soul,
the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20Destruction upon destruction is proclaimed, # Ps 42:7
for the whole land is devastated.
Suddenly are my tents devastated,
and my curtains in a moment.
21How long shall I see the standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22“For My people are foolish,
they have not known Me.
They are foolish children, # 1Co 14:20
and they have no understanding.
They are wise to do evil,
but to do good they have no knowledge.” # Ro 16:19
23I looked on the earth,
And behold, it was without form and void. # Ge 1:2
And to the heavens,
and they had no light. # Isa 5:30
24I looked on the mountains,
and behold, they trembled, # Isa 5:25; Eze 38:20
and all the hills moved to and fro.
25I looked, and behold, there was no man,
and all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26I looked, and behold, the fruitful place was a wilderness, # Ps 107:34
and all the cities were broken down
at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.
27For thus says the Lord:
The whole land shall be desolate.
Yet I will not make a full end. # Jer 5:10, 18
28For this the earth shall mourn,
and the heavens above be black, # Isa 50:3
because I have spoken it, I have purposed it,
and will not relent, nor will I turn back from it. # Nu 23:19
29The whole city shall flee
for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
They shall go into thickets
and climb up upon the rocks. # Isa 2:19–21
Every city shall be forsaken,
and not a man dwell in it. # Jer 4:7
30When you are devastated, what will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold,
though you enlarge your eyes with paint, # 2Ki 9:30
in vain you will make yourself fair.
Your lovers will despise you;
they will seek your life. # La 1:2
31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor,
and the anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,
the voice of the daughter of Zion,
that bewails herself, that spreads her hands, # Isa 1:15; La 1:17 saying,
“Ah, woe is me,
for my soul is wearied because of murderers.”
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