⁴ “Prepare for battle against her!
    Arise, let us attack at noon!^(I)
But, alas, the daylight is fading,
    and the shadows of evening grow long.
⁵ So arise, let us attack at night
    and destroy her fortresses!”

“Cut down the trees^(J)
    and build siege ramps^(K) against Jerusalem.
This city must be punished;
    it is filled with oppression.^(L)
7 As a well pours out its water,
    so she pours out her wickedness.
Violence^(M) and destruction^(N) resound in her;
    her sickness and wounds are ever before me.
⁸ Take warning, Jerusalem,
    or I will turn away^(O) from you
and make your land desolate
    so no one can live in it.”

“Let them glean the remnant^(P) of Israel
    as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
    like one gathering grapes.”

¹⁰ To whom can I speak and give warning?
    Who will listen^(Q) to me?
Their ears are closed^[a](R)
    so they cannot hear.^(S)
The word^(T) of the Lord is offensive to them;
    they find no pleasure in it.
¹¹ But I am full of the wrath^(U) of the Lord,
    and I cannot hold it in.^(V)

“Pour it out on the children in the street
    and on the young men^(W) gathered together;
both husband and wife will be caught in it,
    and the old, those weighed down with years.^(X)
12 Their houses will be turned over to others,^(Y)
    together with their fields and their wives,^(Z)
when I stretch out my hand^(AA)
    against those who live in the land,”
declares the Lord.
¹³ “From the least to the greatest,
    all^(AB) are greedy for gain;^(AC)
prophets and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.^(AD)
14 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace.^(AE)
15 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.^(AF)
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when I punish^(AG) them,”
says the Lord.

“Stand at the crossroads and look;
    ask for the ancient paths,^(AH)
ask where the good way^(AI) is, and walk in it,
    and you will find rest^(AJ) for your souls.
    But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
¹⁷ I appointed watchmen^(AK) over you and said,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’^(AL)
    But you said, ‘We will not listen.’^(AM)
18 Therefore hear, you nations;
    you who are witnesses,
    observe what will happen to them.
¹⁹ Hear, you earth:^(AN)
    I am bringing disaster^(AO) on this people,
    the fruit of their schemes,^(AP)
because they have not listened to my words^(AQ)
    and have rejected my law.^(AR)
20 What do I care about incense from Sheba^(AS)
    or sweet calamus^(AT) from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;^(AU)
    your sacrifices^(AV) do not please me.”^(AW)

“I will put obstacles before this people.
    Parents and children alike will stumble^(AX) over them;
    neighbors and friends will perish.”

“Look, an army is coming
    from the land of the north;^(AY)
a great nation is being stirred up
    from the ends of the earth.^(AZ)
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
    they are cruel and show no mercy.^(BA)
They sound like the roaring sea^(BB)
    as they ride on their horses;^(BC)
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Zion.^(BD)”

²⁴ We have heard reports about them,
    and our hands hang limp.^(BE)
Anguish^(BF) has gripped us,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.^(BG)
25 Do not go out to the fields
    or walk on the roads,
for the enemy has a sword,
    and there is terror on every side.^(BH)
26 Put on sackcloth,^(BI) my people,
    and roll in ashes;^(BJ)
mourn with bitter wailing^(BK)
    as for an only son,^(BL)
for suddenly the destroyer^(BM)
    will come upon us.

²⁷ “I have made you a tester^(BN) of metals
    and my people the ore,
that you may observe
    and test their ways.
²⁸ They are all hardened rebels,^(BO)
    going about to slander.^(BP)
They are bronze and iron;^(BQ)
    they all act corruptly.
²⁹ The bellows blow fiercely
    to burn away the lead with fire,
but the refining^(BR) goes on in vain;
    the wicked are not purged out.
³⁰ They are called rejected silver,^(BS)
    because the Lord has rejected them.”^(BT)

“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?^(FS)
    When someone turns away,^(FT) do they not return?
⁵ Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;^(FU)
    they refuse to return.^(FV)
6 I have listened^(FW) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent^(FX) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course^(FY)
    like a horse charging into battle.
⁷ Even the stork in the sky
    knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
    observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know^(FZ)
    the requirements of the Lord.

⁸ “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
    for we have the law^(GA) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
    has handled it falsely?
⁹ The wise^(GB) will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed^(GC) and trapped.^(GD)
Since they have rejected the word^(GE) of the Lord,
    what kind of wisdom^(GF) do they have?
¹⁰ Therefore I will give their wives to other men
    and their fields to new owners.^(GG)
From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;^(GH)
prophets^(GI) and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.^(GJ)
11 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
    when there is no peace.^(GK)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame^(GL) at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when they are punished,^(GM)
says the Lord.^(GN)

¹³ “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
    There will be no grapes on the vine.^(GO)
There will be no figs^(GP) on the tree,
    and their leaves will wither.^(GQ)
What I have given them
    will be taken^(GR) from them.^[c]’”

¹⁴ Why are we sitting here?
    Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities^(GS)
    and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
    and given us poisoned water^(GT) to drink,
    because we have sinned^(GU) against him.
¹⁵ We hoped for peace^(GV)
    but no good has come,
for a time of healing
    but there is only terror.^(GW)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses^(GX)
    is heard from Dan;^(GY)
at the neighing of their stallions
    the whole land trembles.^(GZ)
They have come to devour^(HA)
    the land and everything in it,
    the city and all who live there.

¹⁷ “See, I will send venomous snakes^(HB) among you,
    vipers that cannot be charmed,^(HC)
    and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.

¹⁸ You who are my Comforter^[d] in sorrow,
    my heart is faint^(HD) within me.
¹⁹ Listen to the cry of my people
    from a land far away:^(HE)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    Is her King^(HF) no longer there?”

“Why have they aroused^(HG) my anger with their images,
    with their worthless^(HH) foreign idols?”^(HI)

²⁰ “The harvest is past,
    the summer has ended,
    and we are not saved.”

²¹ Since my people are crushed,^(HJ) I am crushed;
    I mourn,^(HK) and horror grips me.
²² Is there no balm in Gilead?^(HL)
    Is there no physician^(HM) there?
Why then is there no healing^(HN)
    for the wound of my people?