Jeremiah 4
1 O Israel, if thou returne, returne vnto me, saith the Lord: and if thou put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remoue.
If thou will return, O Israel, says Jehovah, if thou will return to me, and if thou will put away thine abominations out of my sight, then thou shall not be removed.
2 And thou shalt sweare, The Lord liueth in trueth, in iudgement, and in righteousnesse, and the nations shall be blessed in him, and shall glorie in him.
And thou shall swear, As Jehovah lives, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. And the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him they shall glory.
3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Iudah, and to Ierusalem,
For thus says Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4 Breake vp your fallowe ground, and sowe not among the thornes: be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskinnes of your hearts, ye men of Iudah, and inhabitants of Ierusalem, lest my wrath come foorth like fire, and burne, that none can quenche it, because of the wickednesse of your inuentions.
Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Declare in Iudah, and shewe forth in Ierusalem, and say, Blowe the trumpet in the lande: cry, and gather together, and say, Assemble your selues, and let vs goe into strong cities.
Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem, and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land. Cry aloud and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.
6 Set vp the standart in Zion: prepare to flee, and stay not: for I will bring a plague from the North, and a great destruction.
Set up a standard toward Zion. Flee for safety, do not stay. For I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 The lyon is come vp from his denne, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is departed, and gone forth of his place to lay thy land waste, and thy cities shalbe destroyed without an inhabitant.
A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations. He is on his way, he has gone forth from his place, to make thy land desolate, that thy cities be laid waste, without inhabitant.
8 Wherefore girde you with sackecloth: lament, and howle, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is not turned backe from vs.
For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of Jehovah is not turned back from us.
9 And in that day, saith the Lord, the heart of the King shall perish, and the heart of the princes and the Priestes shall be astonished, and the Prophets shall wonder.
And it shall come to pass at that day, says Jehovah, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the rulers, and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10 Then saide I, Ah, Lord God, surely thou hast deceiued this people and Ierusalem, saying, Ye shall haue peace, and the sworde perceth vnto the heart.
Then I said, Ah, lord Jehovah! Surely thou have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace, whereas the sword reaches to the life.
11 At that time shall it bee saide to this people and to Ierusalem, A dry winde in the hie places of the wildernes commeth towarde ye daughter of my people, but neither to fanne nor to clense.
At that time it shall be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow, nor to cleanse,
12 A mightie winde shall come vnto me from those places, and nowe will I also giue sentence vpon them.
a full wind from these shall come for me. Now I will also utter judgments against them.
13 Beholde, he shall come vp as the cloudes, and his charets shalbe as a tempest: his horses are lighter then eagles. Woe vnto vs, for wee are destroyed.
Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots as the whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! For we are ruined.
14 O Ierusalem, wash thine heart from wickednes, that thou maiest be saued: how long shall thy wicked thoughtes remaine within thee?
O Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou may be saved. How long shall thine evil thoughts lodge within thee?
15 For a voyce declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes evil from the hills of Ephraim:
16 Make ye mention of the heathen, and publish in Ierusalem, Beholde, the skoutes come from a farre countrey, and crie out against the cities of Iudah.
Make ye mention to the nations. Behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 They haue compassed her about as the watchmen of the fielde, because it hath prouoked me to wrath, saith the Lord.
They are as keepers of a field against her round about, because she has been rebellious against me, says Jehovah.
18 Thy wayes and thine inuentions haue procured thee these things, such is thy wickednesse: therefore it shall be bitter, therefore it shall perce vnto thine heart.
Thy way and thy doings have procured these things to thee. This is thy wickedness, for it is bitter, for it reaches to thy heart.
19 My bely, my bely, I am pained, euen at the very heart: mine heart is troubled within me: I cannot be still: for my soule hath heard the sounde of the trumpet, and the alarme of the battell.
My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart. My heart is disquieted in me. I cannot hold my peace, because thou have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 Destruction vpon destruction is cryed, for the whole lande is wasted: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtaines in a moment.
Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, and my curtains in a moment.
21 Howe long shall I see the standert, and heare the sounde of the trumpet?
How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 For my people is foolish, they haue not knowen me: they are foolish children, and haue none vnderstanding: they are wise to doe euill, but to doe well they haue no knowledge.
For my people are foolish. They do not know me. They are sottish sons, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 I haue looked vpon the earth, and loe, it was without forme and voide: and to the heauens, and they had no light.
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void, and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I behelde the mountaines: and loe, they trembled and all the hilles shooke.
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro.
25 I behelde, and loe, there was no man, and all the birdes of the heauen were departed.
I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I behelde, and loe, the fruitfull place was a wildernesse, and all the cities thereof were broken downe at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce wrath.
I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, and before his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lord saide, The whole lande shall be desolate: yet will I not make a full ende.
For thus says Jehovah: The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not make a full end.
28 Therefore shall the earth mourne, and the heauens aboue shall be darkened, because I haue pronounced it: I haue thought it, and will not repent, neither will I turne backe from it.
For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be black, because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not relented, nor will I turn back from it.
29 The whole citie shall flee, for the noyse of the horsemen and bowemen: they shall goe into thickets, and clime vp vpon the rockes: euery citie shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
Every city flees for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen. They go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks. Every city is forsaken, and not a man dwells in it.
30 And when thou shalt be destroyed, what wilt thou doe? Though thou clothest thy selfe with skarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of golde, though thou paintest thy face with colours, yet shalt thou trimme thy selfe in vaine: for thy louers will abhorre thee and seeke thy life.
And thou, when thou are made desolate, what will thou do? Though thou clothe thyself with scarlet, though thou deck thee with ornaments of gold, though thou enlarge thine eyes with paint, in vain thou make thyself fair. Thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.
31 For I haue heard a noyse as of a woman trauailing, or as one labouring of her first child, euen the voyce of the daughter Zion that sigheth and stretcheth out her handes: woe is me nowe: for my soule fainteth because of the murtherers.
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her who brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who gasps for breath, who spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! For my soul faints before the murderers.
