1 “ If you will return, O Israel,” declares the Lord, “ Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, And will not waver,

If 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;

2 A nd you will swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ In truth, in justice and in righteousness; Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.”

—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.

3 F or thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “ Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.

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

4 “ Circumcise yourselves to the Lord And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.”

Circumcise 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.

5 D eclare in Judah and proclaim 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 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.

6 “ Lift up a standard toward Zion! Seek refuge, do not stand still, For I am bringing evil from the north, And great destruction.

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

7 “ A lion has gone up from his thicket, And a destroyer of nations has set out; He has gone out from his place To make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins Without inhabitant.

The 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.

8 “ For this, put on sackcloth, Lament and wail; For the fierce anger of the Lord Has not turned back from us.”

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

9 “ It shall come about in that day,” declares the Lord, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.”

And 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.

10 T hen I said, “Ah, Lord God! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘ You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the throat.”

And 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.

11 I n that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse,

At 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.

12 a wind too strong for this—will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.

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

13 “ Behold, he goes up like clouds, And his chariots like the whirlwind; His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!”

Behold, 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.

14 W ash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts Lodge within you?

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

15 F or a voice declares from Dan, And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.

For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.

16 “ Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim over Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers come from a far country, And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.

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

17 ‘ Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about, Because she has rebelled against Me,’ declares the Lord.

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

18 “ Your ways and your deeds Have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!” Lament over Judah’s Devastation

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

19 M y soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.

My 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.

20 D isaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant.

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

21 H ow long must I see the standard And hear the sound of the trumpet?

How long shall I see the standard, hear the sound of the trumpet?

22 “ For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, But to do good they do not know.”

For 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.

23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light.

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

24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro.

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

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

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

26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.

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

27 F or thus says the Lord, “The whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

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

28 “ For this the earth shall mourn And the heavens above be dark, Because I have spoken, I have purposed, And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”

For 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.

29 A t the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees; They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; Every city is forsaken, And no man dwells in them.

At 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.

30 A nd you, O desolate one, what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful. Your lovers despise you; They seek your life.

—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.

31 F or I heard a cry as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child, The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, Stretching out her hands, saying, “Ah, woe is me, for I faint before murderers.”

For 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.