Jeremiah 4

1If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith Jehovah, if thou wilt return unto me, and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight; then shalt thou not be removed;

1The LORD says, "If you will return, O Israel, if you will truly return to me and get rid of your disgusting idols, then you will not be uprooted.

2and thou shalt swear, As Jehovah liveth, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

2And if you swear, 'As the LORD lives,' with truth, justice, and honesty, then the nations will find blessing in him, and they will honor him."

3For thus saith Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

3For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Plow your unplanted ground, and do not sow your seeds among the thorns.

4Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

4Dedicate yourselves to the LORD and clear the evil out of your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Otherwise, my anger will break out like a fire and burn so hot that no one can put it out, because of the wicked things you have done.

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 fortified cities.

5Announce this in Judah and proclaim it in Jerusalem: 'Blow the trumpet throughout the land!' Shout out loud and say, 'Gather together! Let us run to the protected cities!'

6Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, stay not; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

6Raise a signal flag toward Zion! Run for safety and do not wait! For I am bringing disaster from the north—a massive 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.

7A lion has come up from his hiding place; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his home to turn your land into a wasteland. Your cities will be ruined and left without anyone living in them.

8For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of Jehovah is not turned back from us.

8Because of this, put on sackcloth, weep, and wail, for the LORD’S burning anger has not turned away from us.

9And it shall come to pass at that day, saith Jehovah, 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.

9"In that day," says the LORD, "the king and his officials will lose their courage. The priests will be terrified and the prophets will be shocked."

10Then said I, Ah, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the life.

10Then I said, "O Lord GOD! You have truly deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'You will have peace,' when a sword is actually at our throats."

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 winnow, nor to cleanse;

11At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: "A scorching wind from the high desert hills blows toward my people. It is not a gentle breeze for sifting or cleaning grain.

12a full wind from these shall come for me: now will I also utter judgments against them.

12A wind too strong for that is coming at my command. Now I will pass my sentence 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 ruined.

13Look! He comes up like the clouds, his chariots are like a whirlwind, and his horses are faster than eagles. We are doomed! We are ruined!

14O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thine evil thoughts lodge within thee?

14O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart so that you may be saved. How long will you keep your wicked thoughts?

15For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth evil from the hills of Ephraim.

15A voice announces news from Dan and proclaims disaster 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.

16"Tell the nations! Proclaim it against Jerusalem: 'Besiegers are coming from a distant land, shouting their battle cry against the cities of Judah.

17As keepers of a field are they against her round about, because she hath been rebellious against me, saith Jehovah.

17They surround her like men guarding a field because she has rebelled against me,'" says 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 thy heart.

18"Your own conduct and your own actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! It pierces you right to the heart."

19My anguish, my anguish! 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.

19Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. My heart is pounding within me; I cannot keep quiet. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.

20Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment.

20One disaster follows another; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed; my shelters are torn down in an instant.

21How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

21How long must I see the battle flag and hear the sound of the trumpet?

22For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

22The LORD says, "My people are foolish; they do not know me. They are senseless children who have no understanding. They are experts at doing evil, but they have no idea how to do good."

23I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

23I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; I looked at the heavens, and their light was gone.

24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro.

24I looked at the mountains, and they were shaking; all the hills were swaying back and forth.

25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

25I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away.

26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, and before his fierce anger.

26I looked, and the fertile land had become a desert. All its cities were torn down before the LORD and his burning anger.

27For thus saith Jehovah, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.

27This is what the LORD says: "The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely.

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.

28Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above will grow dark, because I have spoken and I have decided. I will not change my mind, and I will not turn back."

29Every 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.

29At the noise of the horsemen and archers, every city flees. People crawl into the thickets and climb up among the rocks. Every city is abandoned; not a single person lives in them.

30And thou, when thou art made desolate, 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.

30And you, ruined one, what are you doing? Why do you dress in scarlet and put on gold jewelry? Why do you paint your eyes? You are making yourself beautiful for nothing. Your lovers despise you; they are trying to kill you.

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.

31I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a scream like someone having her first child. It is the cry of Jerusalem gasping for breath and reaching out her hands, saying, "Poor me! I am fainting before these murderers."