Jeremiah 4
Complete Jewish Bible
4 “Isra’el, if you will return,” says Adonai,
“yes, return to me; and if you will banish
your abominations from my presence
without wandering astray again;
2 and if you will swear, ‘As Adonai lives,’
in truth, justice and righteousness;
then the nations will bless themselves by him,
and in him will they glory.”
3 For here is what Adonai says
to the people of Y’hudah and Yerushalayim:
“Break up your ground that hasn’t been plowed,
and do not sow among thorns.”
4 “People of Y’hudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim,
circumcise yourselves for Adonai,
remove the foreskins of your heart!
Otherwise my fury will lash out like fire,
burning so hot that no one can quench it,
because of how evil your actions are.
5 “Announce in Y’hudah, proclaim in Yerushalayim;
say: ‘Blow the shofar in the land!’
Shout the message aloud: ‘Assemble!
Let us go to the fortified cities!’
6 Set up a signal toward Tziyon,
head for cover without delay.
For I will bring disaster from the north,
yes, dire destruction.
7 A lion has risen from his lair,
a destroyer of nations has set out,
left his own place to ruin your land,
to demolish and depopulate your cities.”
8 So wrap yourselves in sackcloth,
lament and wail, for Adonai’s fierce anger
has not turned away from us.
9 “When that day comes,” says Adonai,
“the king’s heart will fail him,
likewise the princes’;
the cohanim will be appalled
and the prophets stupefied.”
10 Then I said, “Oh, Adonai Elohim! Surely you have sadly deceived this people and Yerushalayim by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our very throats!”
11 “At that time it will be said
of this people and of Yerushalayim:
‘A scorching wind from the desert heights
is sweeping down on my people.’
It is not coming to winnow or cleanse;
12 this wind of mine is too strong for that.
Now I will pass sentence on them.”
13 Here he comes, like the clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind,
his horses faster than eagles!
Woe to us, we are doomed!
14 Wash the evil from your heart, Yerushalayim,
so that you can be saved.
How long will you harbor within yourselves
your evil thoughts?
15 For a voice is announcing the news from Dan,
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Efrayim:
16 “Report it to the nations,
proclaim about Yerushalayim:
‘[Enemies] are coming from a distant country,
watching and shouting their war cry
against the cities of Y’hudah.’
17 Like guards in a field they surround her,
because she has rebelled against me,” says Adonai.
18 “Your own ways and your actions
have brought these things on yourselves.
This is your wickedness, so bitter!
It has reached your very heart.”
19 My guts! My guts! I’m writhing in pain!
My heart! It beats wildly — I can’t stay still! —
because I have heard the shofar sound;
it’s the call to war.
20 The news is disaster after disaster!
All the land is ruined!
My tents are suddenly destroyed,
my tent curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see that signal
and hear the shofar sound?
22 “It is because my people are foolish —
they do not know me; they are stupid children,
without understanding, wise when doing evil;
but they don’t know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the land — it was unformed and void —
and at the sky — it had no light.
24 I looked at the mountains, and they shook —
all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I looked, and there was no human being;
all the birds in the air had fled.
26 I looked, and the fertile fields were a desert,
all the land’s cities were razed to the ground
at the presence of Adonai,
before his burning anger.
27 For here is what Adonai says:
“The whole land will be desolate
(although I will not destroy it completely).
28 Because of this, the land will mourn
and the sky above be black;
for I have spoken, I have decided,
I will not change my mind, I will not turn back.”
29 At the noise of the horsemen and archers,
the entire city flees —
some plunge into thickets; others climb rocks;
all cities are deserted; no one lives there.
30 And you, who are doomed to be plundered,
what do you mean by putting on crimson,
decking yourselves with jewels and gold,
enlarging your eyes with eye make-up?
You beautify yourself in vain —
your lovers despise you, they seek your life!
31 For I have heard a sound like a woman in labor,
in anguish giving birth to her first child.
It is the sound of the daughter of Tziyon
gasping for breath as she spreads her hands:
“Woe to me! Everything in me
is so weary before the killers.”
耶利米书 4
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
4 耶和华说：“以色列啊，
如果你回转归向我，
回转归向我，
从我眼前除掉可憎的神像，
不再离开我；
2 如果你本着诚实、正直、公义，
凭永活的耶和华起誓，
你必成为万国的祝福，
得到他们的尊敬[a]。”
3 耶和华对犹大人和耶路撒冷人说：
“要开垦你们的荒地，
不要在荆棘中撒种。
4 你们要自行割礼，
除掉心中的污垢，归向耶和华。
不然，我必因你们的恶行而发烈怒，如火燃烧，
无人能够扑灭。
5 “你们要在犹大和耶路撒冷宣告，
‘要在全国吹起号角’，高声呼喊，
‘要集合起来，
我们要逃进坚城。’
6 你们要向锡安举起旗帜，
赶快逃亡，不要迟延，
因为我要从北方降下灾祸，
大肆毁灭。”
7 毁灭列国者已发起攻击，
如狮子冲出巢穴，
要使你们的土地荒凉，
城邑沦为废墟，无人居住。
8 为此，你们要腰束麻布，
嚎啕大哭，
因为耶和华向我们发的烈怒还没有止息。
9 耶和华说：“到那天，君王和官长必丧胆，祭司和先知必惊骇。” 10 我说：“唉！主耶和华啊，你完全欺骗了这群百姓和耶路撒冷人，因为你说，‘你们会安享太平。’其实剑锋已指着他们的咽喉了。”
11 那时，耶和华必对这群百姓和耶路撒冷人说：“一阵热风从荒野光秃的山头吹向我的子民，不是为扬场、吹净糠秕。 12 那是我发出的一阵强风。现在我要宣告我对他们的审判。”
13 看啊，仇敌必如云涌来，
他的战车快如旋风，
他的战马比飞鹰还快。
我们有祸了！
我们灭亡了！
14 耶路撒冷啊，
要洗去你内心的邪恶，
这样你才能得救。
你心怀恶念要到何时呢？
15 从但传来消息，
从以法莲山区报出恶讯。
16 耶和华说：“你们去通知列国，
向耶路撒冷宣告，
‘围攻的人从远方来，
向犹大的城邑高声喊杀，
17 像看守田园一样包围耶路撒冷，
因为耶路撒冷背叛了我。’
这是耶和华说的。
18 你的所作所为给你招致这灾祸，
是你自食恶果，你会痛彻心肺！”
19 我的心啊，我的心啊！
我伤心欲绝，烦躁不安。
我无法保持缄默，
因为我听见了号角声和呐喊声。
20 恶讯频传，山河破碎，
我的帐篷忽然倒塌，
幔子顷刻破裂。
21 我还要看这旌旗、
听这号声到何时呢？
22 耶和华说：“我的子民愚顽，
不认识我，
是蒙昧无知的儿女，
只知行恶，不知行善。”
23 我俯瞰大地，
一片空虚混沌；
我仰望天空，毫无亮光。
24 我眺望群山，大山在颤抖，
小山在摇晃。
25 我四下观看，只见杳无人烟，
飞鸟绝迹。
26 我四下观看，只见良田变荒野，
城邑都在耶和华的烈怒下沦为废墟。
27 耶和华说：“遍地将要荒凉，
然而不会被我彻底毁灭。
28 因此，地要悲哀，
天要昏暗，
因为我言出必行，
决不反悔。”
29 各城的人听到骑兵和弓箭手的呐喊，
都纷纷逃命。
有的跑入丛林，有的爬进岩洞。
各城荒弃，无人居住。
30 你这荒凉的城啊！
你在做什么？
纵然你穿上红袍，
戴上金饰，
描眉画眼，
又有什么用呢？
你的情人藐视你，
要杀害你。
31 我听见好像妇人分娩时的喊叫声，
好像妇人生头胎时的痛苦呻吟。
那是锡安城[b]的喊叫声，
她在喘息，伸出双手说：
“噢！我有祸了，
我要死在杀戮者手上了。”
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.