Jeremiah 6:22-26
Expanded Bible
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an ·army [people] is coming
from the land of the north [C Babylon];
a great nation is ·coming [L stirred up]
from the far sides of the earth.
23 ·The soldiers carry [L They grasp/seize] bows and ·spears [javelins].
They are ·cruel [fierce] and show no ·mercy [compassion].
They sound like the roaring ·ocean [sea; C symbol of chaos]
when they ride their horses.
That army is ·coming lined up [or equipped] for battle,
ready to attack you, ·Jerusalem [L daughter of Zion; C the location of the Temple].”
24 We have heard the news about ·that army [L them]
and ·are helpless from fear [L our hands grow limp].
We are gripped by our ·pain [distress],
like a woman ·having a baby [writhing in childbirth].
25 Don’t go out into the fields
or walk down the ·roads [paths],
because the enemy has swords.
There is terror on every side.
26 ·My people [L Daughter of my people], put on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap]
and roll in the ashes [C mourning rituals].
·Cry loudly for those who are dead,
as if your only son were dead [L Make mourning/Wail for your only son, a bitter lamentation],
because the destroyer
will ·soon [or suddenly] come against us.
Jeremiah 6:22-26
Amplified Bible
The Enemy from the North
22
Thus says the Lord,
“Behold, a people is coming from the north country,
And a great nation shall be stirred up and put into action from the remote parts of the earth.
23
“They seize bow and spear;
They are cruel and inhuman and have no mercy.
Their voice sounds like the roaring sea;
They ride [in formation] on horses,
Arrayed as a man for battle
Against you, O Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem)!”
24
We have heard the report of it;
Our hands become limp and helpless.
Anguish has gripped us,
Pain like that of a woman in childbirth.
25
Do not go out into the field
Nor walk on the road,
For the enemy is armed with the sword;
Terror is on every side.
26
O daughter of my people [says Jeremiah],
Clothe yourself in sackcloth and wallow in ashes;
Mourn [aloud] as for an only son,
A most bitter cry [of sorrow and regret],
For suddenly the destroyer will come upon us [on both prophet and people].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
