Jeremiah 4:5-9
New English Translation
Warning of Coming Judgment
5 The Lord said,[a]
“Announce[b] this in Judah and proclaim it in Jerusalem:
‘Sound the trumpet[c] throughout the land!’
Shout out loudly,
‘Gather together! Let us flee into the fortified cities!’
6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion.[d]
Run for safety! Do not delay!
For I am about to bring disaster out of the north.
It will bring great destruction.[e]
7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair[f]
the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base.[g]
He is coming out to lay your land waste.
Your cities will become ruins and lie uninhabited.
8 So put on sackcloth!
Mourn and wail, saying,
‘The fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us!’[h]
9 When this happens,”[i] says the Lord,
“the king and his officials will lose their courage.
The priests will be struck with horror,
and the prophets will be speechless in astonishment.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 4:5 tn The words “The Lord said” are not in the text, but it is obvious from v. 6 and v. 9 that he is the speaker. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Jeremiah 4:5 tn It is unclear who the addressees of the masculine plural imperatives are here. They may be the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah who are sounding the alarm to others. However, the first person reference to the Lord in v. 6 and Jeremiah’s response in v. 10 suggest that this is a word from the Lord that he is commanded to pass on to the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah. If the imperatives are not merely rhetorical plurals, they may reflect the practice referred to in Jer 23:18, 22; Amos 3:7. A similar phenomenon also occurs in Jer 5:1 and Isa 40:1-2. This may also be the explanation for the plural imperatives in Jer 31:6. For further discussion see the translator’s note on Jer 5:1.
- Jeremiah 4:5 tn Heb “ram’s horn.” But the modern equivalent is “trumpet” and is more readily understandable.
- Jeremiah 4:6 tn Heb “Raise up a signal toward Zion.”
- Jeremiah 4:6 tn Heb “out of the north, even great destruction.”
- Jeremiah 4:7 tn Heb “A lion has left its lair.” The metaphor is turned into a simile for clarification. The word translated “lair” has also been understood to refer to a hiding place. However, it appears to be cognate in meaning to the word translated “lair” in Ps 10:9; Jer 25:38, a word which also refers to the abode of the Lord in Ps 76:3.
- Jeremiah 4:7 tn Heb “his place.”
- Jeremiah 4:8 tn Or “wail because the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from us.” The translation does not need to assume a shift in speaker as the alternate reading does.
- Jeremiah 4:9 tn Heb “In that day.”
Jeremiah 4:5-9
New Living Translation
5 “Shout to Judah, and broadcast to Jerusalem!
Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the land:
‘Run for your lives!
Flee to the fortified cities!’
6 Raise a signal flag as a warning for Jerusalem[a]:
‘Flee now! Do not delay!’
For I am bringing terrible destruction upon you
from the north.”
7 A lion stalks from its den,
a destroyer of nations.
It has left its lair and is headed your way.
It’s going to devastate your land!
Your towns will lie in ruins,
with no one living in them anymore.
8 So put on clothes of mourning
and weep with broken hearts,
for the fierce anger of the Lord
is still upon us.
9 “In that day,” says the Lord,
“the king and the officials will tremble in fear.
The priests will be struck with horror,
and the prophets will be appalled.”
Footnotes
- 4:6 Hebrew Zion.
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