1 “ Run away to be safe, O sons of Benjamin! Run from Jerusalem! Blow the horn in Tekoa, and light a fire in Beth-haccerem. For a sinful power is coming down from the north, that will destroy much.

Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem! And blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise a signal over Beth-haccherem! For evil is looking forth with eagerness from the north, and great destruction.

2 I will cut off the beautiful and fine ones, the people of Zion.

The comely and delicate one, the Daughter of Zion, I will destroy.

3 S hepherds and their flocks will come to her. They will set up their tents around her and feed their flocks there, each in his place.

Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her; they shall pitch their tents round about her; they shall pasture, each one in his place.

4 M ake war against her. Rise up, let us go and fight her at noon. It is bad for us, for the day is passing! The shadows of the evening are longer!

Prepare yourselves for war against her; up, let us attack her at noon! But alas, the day declines, the evening shadows lengthen.

5 R ise up, let us go and fight in the night and destroy her strong houses!”

Arise, let us go by night and destroy her palaces!

6 F or the Lord of All says, “Cut down her trees, and build a battle-wall against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished. There is nothing but a sinful power that makes hard times for others within her.

For the Lord of hosts has said, Hew down her trees and cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city which must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.

7 A s a well keeps its water good for drinking, so Jerusalem keeps going on in her sin. The sounds of those who fight and those who destroy are heard in her. Sickness and sorrow are always before Me.

As a fountain wells up and casts forth its waters and keeps them fresh, so she is casting forth wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard within her; sickness and wounds are continually before Me.

8 L isten about the danger, O Jerusalem, or I will become a stranger to you. I will make you a waste, a land with no people.” Israel Will Not Listen

Be corrected, reformed, instructed, and warned, O Jerusalem, lest I be alienated and parted from you, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land.

9 T he Lord of All says, “They will gather all the people of Israel who are left like gathering from the vine. Pass your hand over the branches again like one who gathers grapes.”

Thus says the Lord of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean as a vine what is left of Israel; turn back your hand again and again into the baskets, like a grape gatherer, and strip the tendrils.

10 W hom should I tell of the danger, that they may hear? See, their ears are closed and they cannot listen. They have become ashamed of the Word of the Lord. They have no joy in it.

To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear or obey. Behold, the word of the Lord has become to them a reproach and the object of their scorn; they have no delight in it.

11 B ut I am full of the anger of the Lord. I am tired of holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, and on the young men gathered together. For both husband and wife will be taken, the old and those who have lived a very long time.

Therefore I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary of restraining it. I will pour it out on the children in the street and on the gathering of young men together; for even the husband with the wife will be taken, the aged with the very old.

12 T heir houses, their fields and their wives will be given to others. I will put out My hand against the people of the land,” says the Lord.

And their houses will be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, says the Lord.

13 “ For from the least to the greatest of them, every one is always wanting something. And from the man of God to the religious leader, every one lies to get what he wants.

For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness (to greed for unjust gain); and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.

14 T hey have healed the hurt of My people only a little, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

They have healed also the wound of the daughter of My people lightly and neglectfully, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

15 W ere they ashamed because of the sinful things they had done? No, they were not ashamed at all. They did not even know how to turn red. So they will fall among those who fall. When I punish them, they will be brought down,” says the Lord. Israel Will Not Go God’s Way

Were they brought to shame because they had committed abominations (extremely disgusting and vile things)? No, they were not at all ashamed, nor could they blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them they shall be overthrown, says the Lord.

16 T he Lord says, “Stand by where the roads cross, and look. Ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk in it!

17 I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the horn!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hear and obey the sound of the trumpet! But they said, We will not listen or obey.

18 S o hear, O nations, and know, O people, what will happen to them.

Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O congregation, what to them.

19 H ear, O earth. See, I am bringing much trouble upon these people. It is the fruit of their plans, because they have not listened to My words. And they have turned away from My law.

Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing evil upon this people, the fruit of their thoughts (their schemes and devices) because they have not listened and obeyed My words, and as for My law, they have rejected it.

20 W hy does special perfume come to Me from Sheba, or sweet spices from a far away land? I will not receive your burnt gifts on the altar in worship. The gifts you give on the altar are not pleasing to Me.”

To what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor are your sacrifices sweet or pleasing to Me.

21 S o the Lord says, “See, I am laying things in front of these people, and they will fall over them. Fathers and sons will fall together, and neighbor and friend will die.” Armies from the North

Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people. And the fathers and the sons together will stumble against them; the neighbor and his friend will perish.

22 T he Lord says, “See, a people is coming from the north country. A great nation is being raised up from the farthest parts of the earth.

Thus says the Lord: Behold, a people is coming from the north country, and a great nation is arousing itself from the ends of the earth.

23 T hey take hold of bow and spear. They are hard on people and have no pity. Their voice sounds like the sea. They ride on horses, dressed as a man for battle against you, O people of Zion!”

They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel (ruthless and inhuman) and have no mercy. Their voice sounds like the roaring sea; they ride on horses, every one set in array as a man for battle against you, O Daughter of Zion!

24 W e have heard about it. Our hands fall weak. Suffering has taken hold of us, like the pain of a woman giving birth.

We have heard the report of it; our hands become feeble and helpless. Anguish has taken hold of us, pangs like that of a woman in childbirth.

25 D o not go out into the field, and do not walk on the road. For the one who hates us has a sword. Fear is all around us.

Go not out into the field nor walk on the road, for the enemy is armed with the sword; terror is on every side.

26 O daughter of my people, dress in cloth made from hair and roll in ashes. Have sorrow as if you lost your only son. Cry with a bitter cry. For all at once the destroyer will come upon us.

O daughter of my people, gird yourself with sackcloth and wallow in ashes; make mourning as for an only son, a most bitter lamentation, for the destroyer will suddenly come upon us.

27 “ I have asked you to test My people, that you may know and test their ways.”

I have set you as an assayer and a prover of ore among My people, that you may know and try their doings and be like a watchtower.

28 A ll of them are strongwilled in turning to their own way, going about telling stories to hurt people. They are brass and iron. All of them are sinful.

They are all the worst of rebels and utter and total revolters against God, going about publishing slander. They are bronze and iron; they are all corrupters.

29 A ir is blown hard on the fire to burn up the lead. It is of no use because the sinful ones are not taken away.

The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain do they continue refining, for the wicked are not removed.

30 T hey are called waste silver, because the Lord has turned away from them.

Men will call them reprobate and rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.