1 I f 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.

“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 A nd 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.

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

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 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.'

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 L ift up an ensign Zionward, Strengthen yourselves, stand not still, For evil I am bringing in 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 G one 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.

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 on sackcloth, lament and howl, For the fierce anger of Jehovah hath not turned back 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 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.'

“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 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!'

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 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,)

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

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

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 is declaring from Dan, And sounding sorrow from mount Ephraim.

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

16 M ake 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.

“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 the keepers of a field They have been against her round about, For with Me she hath been rebellious, An affirmation of 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 done these to thee, This thy vexation, for bitter, For it hath struck 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 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!

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

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

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

22 F or 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.

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

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

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

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

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

26 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.

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

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

28 F or 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.

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 F rom 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.

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 A nd 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.

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 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!'

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.”