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 you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, “return to Me. If you will put away your false gods from Me and be faithful to Me,

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 promise, ‘As the Lord lives,’ by what is true and right and good, then the nations will be happy in Him. And in Him they will have honor.”

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 the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, “Break up your ground which has not been planted, and do not plant seeds 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.

Set yourselves apart to the Lord, and put away the flesh from your heart, men of Judah and people of Jerusalem. Or My anger will go out like fire and burn with no one to stop it, because of the sinful things you do.” Armies from the North Are Coming

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.

Make it known in Judah and Jerusalem, and say, “Sound the horns in the land.” Cry out and say, “Gather together, and let us go into the strong cities made ready for battle.”

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.

Lift up a flag toward Zion! Run to a safe place, do not stand still. For I am bringing much trouble from the north that will destroy much.

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.

A lion has gone up from his secret place. A destroyer of nations has begun to move. He has gone out from his place to make your land a waste. Your cities will be destroyed and no people will live in them.

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

Cover yourselves with cloth made from hair because of this. Cry out in sorrow. For the burning anger of the Lord has not turned away 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.

“In that day,” says the Lord, “the heart of the king and the hearts of the rulers will become weak. The religious leaders will be filled with fear. And the men of God will be troubled and filled with 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, “O Lord God, for sure You have fooled these people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when in truth a sword brings danger to their lives.”

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 will be said to these people and Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the open hill-tops in the desert will come toward My people, but not to blow away what is of no worth, and not to make clean.

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

A wind too strong for this will come at My word. Now I will bring punishment against them.” Armies Are All Around Judah

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.

See, he comes up like clouds. His war-wagons come like the strong-wind. His horses are faster than eagles. It is bad for us, for we are destroyed!

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

Wash your heart from sin, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long will your sinful thoughts stay within you?

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

For a voice calls out from Dan, and tells of sin 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.

“Tell it to the nations now! Make it known over all Jerusalem, saying, ‘An army is coming from a far country, and they lift up their voices against 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.

They are against her all around, like watchmen of a field, because she has turned against Me,’ says 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.

“Your ways and what you do have brought these things to you. This is your sin. How bitter it is! It has touched your very heart!” Jeremiah Feels Pain for His People

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 soul, my soul! I am in pain! O, my heart! My heart is beating so hard! It cannot be quiet, for I hear the sound of the horn, telling of the coming 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.

News of much trouble comes again and again, for the whole land is laid waste. All at once my tents and my curtains are destroyed.

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

How long must I see the flag and hear the sound of the horn?

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. They do not know Me. They are children who do not think, and they have no understanding. They know a lot about how to do sinful things, but they do not know how to do good.” Jeremiah Saw What the Future Would Be Like

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

I looked on the earth and saw that it was an empty waste. I looked to the heavens, and they had no light.

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

I looked on the mountains and saw they were shaking, and all the hills moved this way and that.

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

I looked and saw that there were no people. And all the birds of the heavens had left.

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 looked and saw that the rich land was a desert. All its cities were laid waste before the Lord and His burning anger.

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

For the Lord says, “The whole land will be laid waste, yet I will not destroy everything.

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 the earth will be filled with sorrow and the heavens above will be dark, because I have spoken. I have planned it, and will not change My mind or turn back.”

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.

Every city runs as they hear the sound of the horseman and the one who fights with arrows. They go among the trees and the rocks. Every city is left empty, and no one lives in them.

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 you, O destroyed one, what will you do? Even when you dress in red, and wear objects of gold, and color your eyes to make them look bigger, you make yourself beautiful for nothing. Your lovers hate you, and want to kill you.

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.

I heard a cry as of a woman in pain, as if she were giving birth to her first child. It was the cry of the people of Zion, working hard to breathe, holding out hands, and saying, “O, it is bad for me! I am losing strength in front of those who want to kill me.”