Jeremiah 4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
4 If you return, O Israel,
says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you remove your abominations from my presence
and do not waver,(A)
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then nations shall be blessed[a] by you,[b]
and by you[c] they shall boast.(B)
3 For thus says the Lord to the people of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
Break up your fallow ground,
and do not sow among thorns.(C)
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or else my wrath will go forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it,
because of the evil of your doings.(D)
Invasion and Desolation of Judah Threatened
5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
Blow the trumpet through the land;
shout aloud[d] and say,
“Gather together, and let us go
into the fortified cities!”(E)
6 Raise a standard toward Zion;
flee for safety; do not delay,
for I am bringing evil from the north
and a great destruction.(F)
7 A lion has gone up from its thicket;
a destroyer of nations has set out;
he has gone out from his place
to make your land a waste;
your cities will be ruins
without inhabitant.(G)
8 Because of this put on sackcloth,
lament and wail:
“The fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.”(H)
9 On that day, says the Lord, courage shall fail the king and the officials; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.(I) 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, how utterly you have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ even while the sword is at the throat!”(J)
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights[e] in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse,(K) 12 a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.(L)
13 Look! He comes up like clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind;
his horses are swifter than eagles—
woe to us, for we are ruined!(M)
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart clean of wickedness
so that you may be saved.
How long shall your evil schemes
lodge within you?(N)
15 For a voice declares from Dan
and proclaims disaster from Mount Ephraim.
16 Tell the nations, “Here they are!”
Proclaim against Jerusalem,
“Besiegers come from a distant land;
they shout against the cities of Judah.(O)
17 They have closed in around her like watchers of a field
because she has rebelled against me,
says the Lord.(P)
18 Your ways and your doings
have brought this upon you.
This is your doom; how bitter it is!
It has reached your very heart.”(Q)
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[f] hear the sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war.(R)
20 Disaster overtakes disaster;
the whole land is laid waste.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my curtains in a moment.(S)
21 How long must I see the standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For my people are foolish;
they do not know me;
they are stupid children;
they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil
but do not know how to do good.”(T)
23 I looked on the earth, and it was complete chaos,
and to the heavens, and they had no light.(U)
24 I looked on the mountains, and they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.(V)
25 I looked, and there was no one at all,
and all the birds of the air had fled.(W)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert,
and all its cities were laid in ruins
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(X)
27 For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not make a full end.(Y)
28 Because of this the earth shall mourn
and the heavens above grow black,
for I have spoken; I have purposed;
I have not relented, nor will I turn back.(Z)
29 At the noise of horseman and archer
every town takes to flight;
they enter thickets; they climb among rocks;
all the towns are forsaken,
and no one lives in them.(AA)
30 And you, O desolate one,
what do you mean that you dress in crimson,
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.(AB)
31 For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
anguish as of one bringing forth her first child,
the cry of daughter Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands,
“Woe is me! I am fainting before killers!”(AC)
Jeremiah 4
International Standard Version
Instructions for True Repentance
4 “Israel, if you return to me,”
declares the Lord,
“Return to me,
remove your detestable idols from my presence,
and don’t waver.
2 If you swear, ‘as surely as the Lord lives,’
in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,
then nations will be blessed[a] by him,
and in him they will boast.”
3 For this is what the Lord says
to the men[b] of Judah and Jerusalem,
“Break up your unplowed ground,
and don’t sow among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord
and remove the foreskin of your heart,
you men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem,
or else my wrath will break out like fire
and burn with no one to put it out,
because of your evil deeds.”
Warning of the Coming Disaster
5 Declare in Judah, make known in Jerusalem, by saying,
“Blow the trumpet in the land, cry out, and say,
‘Gather together
and let’s go to the fortified cities!’
6 Raise a standard in the direction of Zion.
Flee! Don’t stand around!
For I’m bringing calamity from the north,
along with great destruction.
7 A lion has gone up from his thicket,
and a destroyer of nations has set out.
He has left his place
to make your land a waste.
Your cities will be ruined,
and without inhabitants.
8 So, put on sackcloth,
mourn and wail,
because the burning anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.”
9 “On that day,” declares the Lord,
“the courage of the king and the leaders will fail.
The priests will be appalled
and the prophets astounded.”
10 Then I replied, “Ah, Lord God, you have completely deceived this people and Jerusalem when you said, ‘You will have peace,’ while the sword is at their[c] throat!”
The Scorching Wind of Judgment
11 At that time, it will be told this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert is coming[d] toward my people, and it’s not for winnowing or cleansing. 12 A wind too strong for that is coming at my bidding.[e] Now I’m judging them as I speak.”
The People’s Response to Judgment
13 Look, he comes up like clouds,
and his chariots are like a whirlwind.
His horses are as swift as eagles.
Woe to us—we’re destroyed!
14 Jerusalem, wash your evil from your heart
so that you may be delivered.
How long will you harbor
evil schemes within you?
15 For a voice announces from Dan
and declares disaster from Mount Ephraim.
The Lord Speaks
16 “Tell the nations, ‘Here they come!’[f]
Proclaim to Jerusalem,
‘The besieging forces are coming from a distant land.
They cry out[g] against the cities of Judah.
17 They have surrounded her like those guarding a field
because they have rebelled against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your lifestyles and your actions
have brought these things on you.
This is your calamity—it is indeed bitter,
for it has reached your heart!”
Jeremiah’s Lament for His People
19 “My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain.
Oh, the aching[h] of my heart!
My heart pounds within me;
I cannot keep silent.
For I hear the sound of the trumpet,[i]
the alarm for war.
20 Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed,
for the entire land is devastated.
Suddenly, my tent is destroyed,
in a moment my curtains.
21 How long will I see the battle standard
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
The Lord’s Complaint about His People
22 “For my people are foolish,
they don’t know me.
They’re stupid children,
they have no understanding.
They’re skilled at doing evil,
but how to do good, they don’t know.”
A Vision of Chaos
23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void,[j]
at the heavens, and there was no light there.
24 I looked at the mountains; they were quaking,
and all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I looked, and no people were there.
All the birds of the sky had gone.
26 I looked, and the fruitful land[k] had become a desert.
All its towns were broken down
because of the Lord,
because of his burning anger.
27 For this is what the Lord says:
“The entire land will be devastated,
but I won’t completely destroy[l] it.
28 Because of this, the land will mourn,
and the heavens above will be dark.
Because I have spoken and decided,
I won’t turn back from doing it.”
A Lament for Zion
29 At the sound of the horseman and the archer
the entire city flees.
Its residents go into the thickets and climb among the rocks.
Every city is abandoned, and no one lives in them.
30 You are ruined! What are you doing
dressing in scarlet,
putting on golden ornaments,
and highlighting your eyes with makeup?
You are making yourself beautiful in vain.
Your lovers reject you—
they’re out to kill you.
31 I heard a cry like that of a woman in labor,
anguish like one giving birth to her firstborn,
the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for air,
stretching out her hand:
“Woe is me! I’m about to faint in front of killers!”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 4:2 Or bless themselves
- Jeremiah 4:3 Or people
- Jeremiah 4:10 Lit. the
- Jeremiah 4:11 The Heb. lacks is coming
- Jeremiah 4:12 Lit. coming to me
- Jeremiah 4:16 The Heb. lacks they come
- Jeremiah 4:16 I.e. battle cries
- Jeremiah 4:19 Lit. walls
- Jeremiah 4:19 I.e. the signal for the troops to attack
- Jeremiah 4:23 Cf. Gen 1:2
- Jeremiah 4:26 Or Carmel
- Jeremiah 4:27 Lit. do
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