1 I f you will return, O Israel, says the Lord, if you will return to Me, and if you will put away your abominable false gods out of My sight and not stray or waver,

If thou dost turn back, O Israel, An affirmation of Jehovah, unto Me turn back, And if thou dost turn aside Thine abominations from My face, Then thou dost not bemoan.

2 A nd if you swear, As the Lord lives, in truth, in judgment and justice, and in righteousness (uprightness in every area and relation), then the nations will bless themselves in Him and in Him will they glory.

And thou hast sworn -- Jehovah liveth, In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness, And blessed themselves in Him have nations, And in Him they boast themselves.

3 F or thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up your ground left uncultivated for a season, so that you may not sow among thorns.

For thus said Jehovah, To the man of Judah, and to Jerusalem: Till for yourselves tillage, And do not sow unto the thorns.

4 C ircumcise yourselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My wrath go forth like fire and burn so that no one can quench it because of the evil of your doings.

Be circumcised to Jehovah, And turn aside the foreskins of your heart, O man of Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My fury go out as fire, and hath burned, And there is none quenching, Because of the evil of your doings.

5 D eclare in Judah and publish in Jerusalem and say: Blow the trumpet in the land; cry aloud and say: Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.

Declare in Judah, and in Jerusalem sound, And say ye, `Blow a trumpet in the land,' Call ye fully, and say ye: `Be gathered, and we go in to the fenced city.'

6 R aise a standard toward Zion! Flee for safety, stay not, for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction.

Lift up an ensign Zionward, Strengthen yourselves, stand not still, For evil I am bringing in from the north, And a great destruction.

7 A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place to make your land a desolate waste; and your cities shall be left in ruins without an inhabitant.

Gone up hath a lion from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations hath journeyed, He hath come forth from his place To make thy land become a desolation, Thy cities are laid waste, without inhabitant.

8 F or this, gird yourselves with sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned back from us.

For this, gird on sackcloth, lament and howl, For the fierce anger of Jehovah hath not turned back from us.

9 A nd it shall be in that day, says the Lord, that the understanding and courage of the king shall fail (be paralyzed), and also that of the princes; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded and dazed with horror.

And it hath come to pass, in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah: `Perish doth the heart of the king, And the heart of the princes, And astonished have been the priests, And the prophets do wonder.'

10 T hen I said, Alas, Lord God! Surely You have greatly deceived and misled this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace, whereas the sword has reached to life.

And I say, `Ah, Lord Jehovah, Surely thou hast entirely forgotten this people and Jerusalem, saying, Peace is for you, And struck hath a sword unto the soul!'

11 A t that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness against the daughter of My people—not to fan or cleanse

At that time it is said of this people, And of Jerusalem: `A dry wind of high places in the wilderness,' The way of the daughter of My people, (Not for winnowing, nor for cleansing,)

12 A wind too strong and full for winnowing comes at My word. Now I will also speak in judgment against.

A full wind from these doth come for Me, Now, also, I speak judgments with them.

13 B ehold, comes up like clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined (destroyed)!

Lo, as clouds he cometh up, And as a hurricane his chariots, Lighter than eagles have been his horses, Wo to us, for we have been spoiled.

14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved! How long shall your iniquitous and grossly offensive thoughts lodge within you?

Wash from evil thy heart, O Jerusalem, That thou mayest be saved, Till when dost thou lodge in thy heart Thoughts of thy strength?

15 F or a voice declares from Dan and proclaims evil from Mount Ephraim.

For a voice is declaring from Dan, And sounding sorrow from mount Ephraim.

16 W arn the nations; announce to Jerusalem that besiegers are coming from a far country, and they shout against the cities of Judah.

Make ye mention to the nations, Lo, sound ye to Jerusalem: `Besiegers are coming from the land afar off, And they give forth against cities of Judah their voice.

17 L ike keepers of a field they are against her round about, because she has been rebellious against Me, says the Lord.

As the keepers of a field They have been against her round about, For with Me she hath been rebellious, An affirmation of Jehovah.'

18 Y our ways and your doings have brought these things upon you. This is your calamity and doom; surely it is bitter, for surely it reaches your very heart!

Thy way and thy doings have done these to thee, This thy vexation, for bitter, For it hath struck unto thy heart.

19 M y anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart is disquieted and throbs aloud within me; I cannot be silent! For I have heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

My bowels, my bowels! I am pained the walls of my heart, Make a noise for me doth My heart, I am not silent, For the voice of a trumpet I have heard, O my soul -- a shout of battle!

20 N ews of one violent disaster and calamity comes close after another, for the whole land is laid waste; suddenly are my tents spoiled and destroyed, and my curtains ruined in a moment.

Destruction on destruction is proclaimed, For spoiled hath been all the land, Suddenly spoiled have been my tents, In a moment -- my curtains.

21 h ow long must I see the flag and hear the sound of the trumpet ?

Till when do I see an ensign? Do I hear the voice of a trumpet?

22 f or My people are stupid, says the Lord; they do not know and understand Me. They are thickheaded children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

For my people foolish, me they have not known, Foolish sons they, yea, they not intelligent, Wise they to do evil, And to do good they have not known.

23 I looked at the land, and behold, it was waste and vacant (void); and at the heavens, and they had no light.

I looked the land, and lo, waste and void, And unto the heavens, and their light is not.

24 I looked at the mountains, and behold, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly to and fro.

I have looked the mountains, And lo, they are trembling. And all the hills moved themselves lightly.

25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled.

I have looked, and lo, man is not, And all fowls of the heavens have fled.

26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid waste before the Lord’s presence, before His fierce anger.

I have looked, and lo, The fruitful place a wilderness, And all its cities have been broken down, Because of Jehovah, Because of the fierceness of His anger.

27 F or thus says the Lord: The whole land will be a desolation, yet I will not make a full and complete end of it.

For thus said Jehovah: All the land is a desolation, but a completion I make not.

28 F or this will the earth mourn and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken, I have purposed, and I will not relent, nor will I turn back.

For this doth the land mourn, And black have been the heavens above, because I have spoken -- I have purposed, And I have not repented, Nor do I turn back from it.

29 E very city flees because of the noise of the horsemen and bowmen. They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; every city is forsaken, and not a man dwells in them.

From the voice of the horseman, And of him shooting with the bow, all the city is fleeing, They have come into thickets, And on cliffs they have gone up, All the city is forsaken, And there is no one dwelling in them.

30 A nd you, when you are made desolate, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you paint your eyelids and make them look farther apart, in vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers (allies) despise you; they seek your life.

And thou, O spoiled one, what dost thou? For thou puttest on scarlet, For thou adornest thyself ornaments of gold. For thou rendest with pain thine eyes, In vain thou dost make thyself fair, Kicked against thee have doting ones, Thy life they do seek.

31 F or I have heard a cry as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of one who brings forth her first child—the cry of the Daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath, who spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! I am fainting before the murderers.

For a voice as of a sick woman I have heard, Distress, as of one bringing forth a first-born, The voice of the daughter of Zion, She bewaileth herself, she spreadeth out her hands, `Wo to me now, for weary is my soul of slayers!'