Jeremiæ 4
1 si converteris Israhel ait Dominus ad me convertere si abstuleris offendicula tua a facie mea non commoveberis
Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
2 et iurabis vivit Dominus in veritate et in iudicio et in iustitia et benedicent eum gentes ipsumque laudabunt
and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
3 haec enim dicit Dominus viro Iuda et Hierusalem novate vobis novale et nolite serere super spinas
This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
4 circumcidimini Domino et auferte praeputia cordium vestrorum vir Iuda et habitatores Hierusalem ne forte egrediatur ut ignis indignatio mea et succendatur et non sit qui extinguat propter malitiam cogitationum vestrarum
Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
5 adnuntiate in Iuda et in Hierusalem auditum facite loquimini et canite tuba in terra clamate fortiter dicite congregamini et ingrediamur civitates munitas
“Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
6 levate signum in Sion confortamini nolite stare quia malum ego adduco ab aquilone et contritionem magnam
Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
7 ascendit leo de cubili suo et praedo gentium se levavit egressus est de loco suo ut ponat terram tuam in desolationem civitates tuae vastabuntur remanentes absque habitatore
[An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
8 super hoc accingite vos ciliciis plangite et ululate quia non est aversa ira furoris Domini a nobis
So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
9 et erit in die illa dicit Dominus peribit cor regis et cor principum et obstupescent sacerdotes et prophetae consternabuntur
Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
10 et dixi heu heu heu Domine Deus ergone decepisti populum istum et Hierusalem dicens pax erit vobis et ecce pervenit gladius usque ad animam
Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
11 in tempore illo dicetur populo huic et Hierusalem ventus urens in viis quae sunt in deserto viae filiae populi mei non ad ventilandum et ad purgandum
When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
12 spiritus plenus ex his veniet mihi et nunc ego sed loquar iudicia mea cum eis
[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
13 ecce quasi nubes ascendet et quasi tempestas currus eius velociores aquilis equi illius vae nobis quoniam vastati sumus
[Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
14 lava a malitia cor tuum Hierusalem ut salva fias usquequo morabuntur in te cogitationes noxiae
[You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
15 vox enim adnuntiantis a Dan et notum facientis idolum de monte Ephraim
From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
16 concitate gentes ecce auditum est in Hierusalem custodes venire de terra longinqua et dare super civitates Iuda vocem suam
Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
17 quasi custodes agrorum facti sunt super eam in gyro quia me ad iracundiam provocavit ait Dominus
They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
18 viae tuae et cogitationes tuae fecerunt haec tibi ista malitia tua quia amara quia tetigit cor tuum
You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
19 ventrem meum ventrem meum doleo sensus cordis mei turbati sunt in me non tacebo quoniam vocem bucinae audivit anima mea clamorem proelii
I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
20 contritio super contritionem vocata est et vastata est omnis terra repente vastata sunt tabernacula mea subito pelles meae
Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
21 usquequo videbo fugientem audiam vocem bucinae
How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
22 quia stultus populus meus me non cognovit filii insipientes sunt et vecordes sapientes sunt ut faciant mala bene autem facere nescierunt
[Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
23 aspexi terram et ecce vacua erat et nihili et caelos et non erat lux in eis
[God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
24 vidi montes et ecce movebantur et omnes colles conturbati sunt
I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
25 intuitus sum et non erat homo et omne volatile caeli recessit
I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
26 aspexi et ecce Carmelus desertus et omnes urbes eius destructae sunt a facie Domini et a facie irae furoris eius
I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
27 haec enim dicit Dominus deserta erit omnis terra sed tamen consummationem non faciam
This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
28 lugebit terra et maerebunt caeli desuper eo quod locutus sum cogitavi et non paenituit me nec aversus sum ab eo
I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
29 a voce equitis et mittentis sagittam fugit omnis civitas ingressi sunt ardua et ascenderunt rupes universae urbes derelictae sunt et non habitat in eis homo
[When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
30 tu autem vastata quid facies cum vestieris te coccino cum ornata fueris monili aureo et pinxeris stibio oculos tuos frustra conponeris contempserunt te amatores tui animam tuam quaerent
So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
31 vocem enim quasi parturientis audivi angustias ut puerperae vox filiae Sion intermorientis expandentisque manus suas vae mihi quia defecit anima mea propter interfectos
[It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
