Jeremiah 4
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Calls Israel to Return to Him
4 “If you will (A)return, O Israel,” declares Yahweh,
“Then you should return to Me.
And (B)if you will put away your detested things from My presence
And will not waver
2 And you will (C)swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’
(D)In truth, in justice, and in righteousness;
Then the (E)nations will [a]be blessed in Him,
And (F)in Him they will boast.”
3 For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
“[b](G)Break up your fallow ground,
And (H)do not sow among thorns.
4 (I)Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh
And remove the foreskins of your heart,
Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My (J)wrath go forth like fire
And burn with (K)none to quench it
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
Evil from the North
5 Declare in Judah and make it heard in Jerusalem and say,
“(L)Blow the trumpet in the land;
Call out, make your voice full, and say,
‘(M)Gather yourselves, and let us go
Into the fortified cities.’
6 Lift up a (N)standard toward Zion!
Seek safety, do not stand still,
For I am bringing (O)evil from the north,
And great destruction.
7 A (P)lion has gone up from his thicket,
And a (Q)destroyer of nations has set out;
He has gone out from his place
To (R)make your land a desolation.
Your cities will be turned into ruins
Without inhabitant.
8 For this, (S)I gird myself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail;
For the (T)burning anger of Yahweh
Has not turned back from us.”
9 “It will be in that day,” declares Yahweh, “that the (U)heart of the king and the heart of the princes will perish; and the priests will be appalled, and the (V)prophets will be astonished.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely You have utterly (W)deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘(X)You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the [c]throat.”
11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A [d](Y)scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness along the way of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too full for these things—will come [e]for My purpose; now I will also speak judgments against them.
13 Behold, he (Z)goes up like clouds,
And his (AA)chariots like the whirlwind;
His horses are (AB)swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for (AC)we are devastated!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
That you may be saved.
How long will your (AD)wicked thoughts
Lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from (AE)Dan,
And makes wickedness heard from Mount Ephraim.
16 “Make mention of it to the nations, saying, ‘Behold!’
Make it heard over Jerusalem,
‘Besiegers come from a (AF)far country,
And (AG)give forth their voices against the cities of Judah.
17 Like watchmen of a field they are (AH)against her round about
Because she has (AI)rebelled against Me,’ declares Yahweh.
18 Your (AJ)ways and your deeds
Have done these things to you.
This is your evil. How (AK)bitter!
How it has touched your heart!”
Anguish over Judah’s Desolation
19 (AL)My [f]soul, my [g]soul! I am in anguish! [h]Oh, my heart!
My (AM)heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent
Because [i]you have heard, O my soul,
The (AN)sound of the trumpet,
The shout of war.
20 (AO)Destruction upon destruction is called out,
For the (AP)whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my (AQ)tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “(AR)For My people are ignorant fools,
They know Me not;
They are simpleminded children
And have no understanding.
They are wise to (AS)do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”
23 I saw on the earth, and behold, it was [j](AT)formless and void;
And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I saw on the mountains, and behold, they were (AU)quaking,
And all the hills [k]moved to and fro.
25 I saw, and behold, there was no man,
And all the (AV)birds of the sky had fled.
26 I saw, and behold, [l]the (AW)fruitful orchard was a wilderness,
And all its cities were torn down
Before Yahweh, before His burning anger.
27 For thus says Yahweh,
“The (AX)whole land shall be a desolation,
Yet I will (AY)not execute a complete destruction.
28 For this the (AZ)earth shall mourn
And the (BA)heavens above be dark
Because I have (BB)spoken; I have purposed,
And I will not [m]relent, nor will I turn from it.”
29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman (BC)every city flees;
They (BD)go into the thickets and climb up among the rocks;
(BE)Every city is forsaken,
And no man inhabits them.
30 And you, O devastated one, (BF)what will you do?
Although you dress in scarlet,
Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,
Although you (BG)enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you make yourself beautiful.
Your [n](BH)lovers despise you;
They seek your life.
31 For I heard a sound as of a woman in labor pains,
The distress as of one giving birth to her first child,
The sound of the daughter of Zion (BI)gasping for breath,
(BJ)Stretching out her [o]hands, saying,
“Ah, woe is me, for my soul faints before murderers.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 4:2 Or experience blessing repeatedly, bless themselves
- Jeremiah 4:3 Lit Plow for yourselves plowed ground
- Jeremiah 4:10 Or life
- Jeremiah 4:11 Lit shimmering
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit for Me
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit inward parts
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit The walls of my heart
- Jeremiah 4:19 Or I, my soul, heard
- Jeremiah 4:23 Or a waste and emptiness
- Jeremiah 4:24 Lit moved lightly
- Jeremiah 4:26 Or Carmel
- Jeremiah 4:28 Or regret, cf. 1 Sam 15:11, 29, 3
- Jeremiah 4:30 Lit paramours
- Jeremiah 4:31 Lit palms
Jeremiah 4
Revised Standard Version
4 “If you return, O Israel,
says the Lord,
to me you should return.
If you remove your abominations from my presence,
and do not waver,
2 and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then nations shall bless themselves in him,
and in him shall they glory.”
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
“Break up your fallow ground,
and sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem;
lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of the evil of your doings.”
Invasion and Desolation of Judah Threatened
5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
“Blow the trumpet through the land;
cry aloud and say,
‘Assemble, and let us go
into the fortified cities!’
6 Raise a standard toward Zion,
flee for safety, stay not,
for I bring evil from the north,
and great destruction.
7 A lion has gone up from his thicket,
a destroyer of nations has set out;
he has gone forth from his place
to make your land a waste;
your cities will be ruins
without inhabitant.
8 For this gird you with sackcloth,
lament and wail;
for the fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned back from us.”
9 “In that day, says the Lord, courage shall fail both king and princes; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.” 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, surely thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you’; whereas the sword has reached their very life.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse, 12 a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them.”
13 Behold, he comes up like clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind;
his horses are swifter than eagles—
woe to us, for we are ruined!
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness,
that you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts
lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares from Dan
and proclaims evil from Mount E′phraim.
16 Warn the nations that he is coming;
announce to Jerusalem,
“Besiegers come from a distant land;
they shout against the cities of Judah.
17 Like keepers of a field are they against her round about,
because she has rebelled against me,
says the Lord.
18 Your ways and your doings
have brought this upon you.
This is your doom, and it is bitter;
it has reached your very heart.”
Sorrow for a Doomed Nation
19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain!
Oh, the walls of my heart!
My heart is beating wildly;
I cannot keep silent;
for I hear the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war.
20 Disaster follows hard on disaster,
the whole land is laid waste.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my curtains in a moment.
21 How long must I see the standard,
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For my people are foolish,
they know me not;
they are stupid children,
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil,
but how to do good they know not.”
23 I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void;
and to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.
25 I looked, and lo, there was no man,
and all the birds of the air had fled.
26 I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert,
and all its cities were laid in ruins
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.
28 For this the earth shall mourn,
and the heavens above be black;
for I have spoken, I have purposed;
I have not relented nor will I turn back.”
29 At the noise of horseman and archer
every city takes to flight;
they enter thickets; they climb among rocks;
all the cities are forsaken,
and no man dwells in them.
30 And you, O desolate one,
what do you mean that you dress in scarlet,
that you deck yourself with ornaments of gold,
that you enlarge your eyes with paint?
In vain you beautify yourself.
Your lovers despise you;
they seek your life.
31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in travail,
anguish as of one bringing forth her first child,
the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands,
“Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers.”
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Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.