1 I f thou wilt return, O Israel, saith Jehovah, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not be a wanderer;

¶ If thou wilt return unto me, O Israel, said the LORD, thou shalt have rest; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then thou shalt not go into captivity.

2 — and thou shalt in truth, in justice, and in righteousness swear, Jehovah liveth! and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

And thou shalt swear, The LORD lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteous ness; and the Gentiles shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

3 F or thus saith Jehovah to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up for you a fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

¶ For thus has the LORD said to every man of Judah and of Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns.

4 C ircumcise yourselves for Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my fury come forth like fire and burn, and there be none to quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem lest my fury come forth like fire and burn so that no one can quench it because of the evil of your doings.

5 D eclare ye in Judah, and cause it to be heard in Jerusalem, and say, … and blow the trumpet in the land, cry aloud and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced cities.

¶ Declare ye in Judah and publish in Jerusalem and say, Blow ye the shofar in the land; cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.

6 S et up a banner toward Zion; take to flight, stay not! For I am bringing evil from the north, and a great destruction.

Set up the banner in Zion: come together, do not delay: for I bring evil from the north wind, and a great destruction.

7 T he lion is come up from his thicket, the destroyer of the nations is on his way; he is gone forth from his place, to make thy land desolate; thy cities shall be laid waste, without inhabitant.

The lion is come up from his den, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

8 F or this, gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl! for the fierce anger of Jehovah is not turned away from us.

For this, gird yourselves with sackcloth; lament and howl; for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.

9 A nd it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be amazed.

And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

10 A nd I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.

(Then I said, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; when the sword reaches unto the soul.)

11 A t that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from the heights in the wilderness, on the way of the daughter of my people, not for fanning, nor for cleansing.

At that time it shall be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places of the wilderness came toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse.

12 A wind more vehement than that shall come from me: now will I also pronounce judgments against them.

A wind much more violent than these shall come unto me; for now I will also speak judgments against them.

13 B ehold, he cometh up as clouds, and his chariots are as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are destroyed.

Behold, he shall come up as a cloud, and his chariots as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us, for we are given over to be spoiled!

14 W ash thy heart, Jerusalem, from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness that thou may be saved. How long shalt thou entertain the thoughts of thy iniquity within thee?

15 F or a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.

For the voice is heard from him who brings the news from Dan and from him who causes to hear the affliction from Mount Ephraim.

16 I nform the nations; behold, make Jerusalem to hear: Besiegers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah.

Say ye of the Gentiles; behold, cause it to be heard upon Jerusalem, Watchmen come from a far country and shall give out their voice upon the cities of Judah.

17 A s keepers of a field are they against her round about; for she hath been rebellious against me, saith Jehovah.

As the watchmen of the heritages, they were upon her round about because she has been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.

18 T hy way and thy doings have procured these unto thee; this is thy wickedness, yea, it is bitter, yea, it reacheth unto thy heart.

Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness because it is bitter, because it reaches unto thine heart.

19 M y bowels! my bowels! I am in travail! the walls of my heart! My heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace: for thou hearest, my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the clamour of war.

¶ My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the shofar, the alarm of war.

20 D estruction upon destruction is proclaimed; for the whole land is wasted: suddenly are my tents laid waste, my curtains, in a moment.

Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is destroyed; suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment.

21 H ow long shall I see the standard, hear the sound of the trumpet?

How long shall I see the banner and hear the voice of the shofar?

22 F or my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have no intelligence; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

For my people are foolish; the ignorant sons with no understanding have not known me; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

23 I beheld the earth, and lo, it was waste and empty; and the heavens, and they had no light.

I beheld the earth, and, behold, it was without order, and empty; and the heavens, and they had no light.

24 I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills shook violently.

I beheld the mountains, and, behold, they trembled, and all the hills were destroyed.

25 I beheld, and lo, man was not, and all the fowl of the heavens were fled.

I beheld, and, behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled.

26 I beheld, and lo, the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down, before Jehovah, before his fierce anger.

I beheld, and, behold, Carmel was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the LORD and by his fierce anger.

27 F or thus saith Jehovah: The whole land shall be a desolation; but I will not make a full end.

For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end.

28 F or this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back therefrom.

For this shall the earth be made desolate, and the heavens above be darkened because I spoke; I purposed and did not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

29 A t the noise of the horsemen and bowmen, every city fleeth; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city is forsaken and no man dwelleth therein.

The whole city fled from the thunder of the horsemen and bowmen; they went into the thickets of the forests and climbed up upon the rocks; every city was forsaken, and not a man dwells therein.

30 — And thou, wasted one, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rendest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair: lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

And thou who art destroyed, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothe thyself with crimson, though thou deck thee with ornaments of gold, though thou paint thy eyes with antimony, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee; they will seek thy life.

31 F or I hear a voice, as of a woman in travail, anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion: she moaneth, she spreadeth forth her hands,, Woe unto me! for my soul faileth because of murderers.

For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewails herself, that spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is faint because of the murderers.