Jeremiah — Chapter 4

If you return, O Israel—declares GOD—If you return to Me,If you remove your abominations from My presenceAnd do not waver,

And swear, “As GOD lives,”aswear, “As GOD lives” I.e., profess the worship of GOD. In sincerity, justice, and righteousness—Nations shall bless themselves by youbyou Heb. “him.” And praise themselves by you.cyou Heb. “him.”

For thus said GOD to the citizenry of Judah and to Jerusalem:Break up the untilled ground,And do not sow among thorns.

OpendOpen Lit. “circumcise”; cf. Deut. 10.16; 30.6. your hearts to GOD,Remove the thickening about your hearts—O citizenry of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem—Lest My wrath break forth like fire,And burn, with none to quench it,Because of your wicked acts.

Proclaim in Judah,Announce in Jerusalem,And say:“Blow the horn in the land!”Shout aloud and say:“Assemble, and let us goInto the fortified cities!”

Set up a signpost: To Zion.Take refuge, do not delay!For I bring evil from the north,And great disaster.

The lioneThe lion I.e., the invader from the north, as GOD’s agent of destruction. has come up from its thicket:The destroyer of nations has set out,Has departed from its place,To make your land a desolation;Your cities shall be ruined,Without inhabitants.

For this, put on sackcloth,Mourn and wail;For GOD’s blazing anger Has not turned away from us.

And in that day—declares GOD—The mind of the kingAnd the mind of the nobles shall fail,The priests shall be appalled,And the prophets shall stand aghast.

And I said:fAnd I said Septuagint reads “And they shall say.” Ah, my Sovereign GOD! Surely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying:It shall be well with you—Yet the sword threatens the very life!

At that time, it shall be said concerning this people and Jerusalem:The conduct of My poor peoplegMy poor people Lit. “the daughter that is My people”; so, frequently, in poetry. is like searing windFrom the bare heights of the desert—It will not serve to winnow or to fan.

A full blast from them comes against Me:Now I in turn will bring charges against them.

Lo, the destroyerhdestroyer Heb. “it,” i.e., the invader of v. 7. ascends like clouds,Its chariots are like a whirlwind,Its horses are swifter than eagles.Woe to us, we are ruined!

Wash your heart clean of wickedness,O Jerusalem, that you may be rescued.How long will you harbor within youYour evil designs?

Hark, one proclaims from DanAnd announces calamity from Mount Ephraim!

Tell the nations: Here theyithey I.e., the invading forces of v. 7. are!Announce concerning Jerusalem:WatchersjWatchers See preceding note. are coming from a distant land,They raise their voices against the towns of Judah.

Like guards of fields, they surround her on every side.For she has rebelled against Me—declares GOD.

Your conduct and your actsHave brought this upon you;This is your bitter punishment;It pierces your very heart.

Oh, my suffering,ksuffering Lit. “entrails.” my suffering!How I writhe!Oh, the walls of my heart!My heart moans within me,I cannot be silent;For I hearlI hear Lit. “you, O my being, hear.” Change of vocalization yields “I hear the blare of horns, / My inner being, alarms of war.” the blare of horns,Alarms of war.

Disaster overtakes disaster,For all the land has been ravaged.Suddenly my tents have been ravaged,In a moment, my tent cloths.

How long must I see standardsAnd hear the blare of horns?

For My people are stupid,They give Me no heed;They are foolish children,They are not intelligent.They are clever at doing wrong,But unable to do right.

I look at the earth,It is unformed and void;At the skies,And their light is gone.

I look at the mountains,They are quaking;And all the hills are rocking.

I look: no human is left,And all the birds of the sky have fled.

I look: the farmland is desert,And all its towns are in ruin—Because of GOD,Because of God’s blazing anger.

(For thus said GOD:The whole land shall be desolate,But I will not make an end of it.)

For this the earth mourns,And skies are dark above—Because I have spoken, I have planned,And I will not relent or turn back from it.

At the shout of horseman and bowmanThe whole city flees.They enter the thickets,They clamber up the rocks.The whole city is deserted,Nobody remains there.

And you, who are doomed to ruin,What do you accomplish by wearing crimson,By decking yourself in jewels of gold,By enlarging your eyes with kohl?You beautify yourself in vain:Lovers despise you,They seek your life!

I hear a voice as of one in travail,Anguish as of a woman bearing her first child,The voice of Fair ZionPanting, stretching out her hands:“Alas for me! I faintBefore the killers!”