Jeremias 4
1 Dersom du vender om, Israel, sier Herren, skal du få komme tilbake til mig, og dersom du tar dine vederstyggeligheter bort fra mitt åsyn, skal du ikke vanke hjemløs om,
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 og sverger du: Så sant Herren lever! i sannhet, med rett og rettferdighet, da skal hedningefolk velsigne sig i ham og rose sig av ham.
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 For så sier Herren til Judas menn og til Jerusalem: Bryt eder nytt land og så ikke blandt torner!
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 Omskjær eder for Herren og ta bort eders hjertes forhud, I Judas menn og Jerusalems innbyggere, forat ikke min harme skal fare ut som ild og brenne, uten at nogen slukker, for eders onde gjerningers skyld!
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 Forkynn det i Juda og kunngjør det i Jerusalem og si: Støt i basun i landet! Rop ut med full røst og si: Samle eder og la oss gå inn i de faste byer!
“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 Løft op banner bortimot Sion, flytt bort, stans ikke! Jeg lar ulykke komme fra nord og stor ødeleggelse.
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 En løve er steget op fra sitt kratt, og folkenes ødelegger har brutt op, har draget ut fra sitt hjem for å gjøre ditt land til en ørken; dine byer skal ødelegges, så ingen bor der.
[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 Derfor omgjord eder med sekk, klag og skrik! For Herrens brennende vrede har ikke vendt sig fra oss.
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 Og på den dag, sier Herren, skal kongens forstand og høvdingenes forstand svikte, og prestene skal forferdes og profetene bli fylt av redsel.
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 Da sa jeg: Akk, Herre, Herre! Sannelig, ille har du sveket dette folk og Jerusalem, da du sa: Fred skal bli eder til del. Og nu er sverdet trengt inn i sjelen.
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 På den tid skal det sies til dette folk og til Jerusalem: En brennende vind fra de bare hauger i ørkenen blåser mot mitt folks datter, ikke til å kaste eller rense korn med.
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 Nei, en sterkere vind skal jeg la komme; nu vil også jeg avsi dom over dem.
[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
13 Se, som skyer drar han op, og som stormvind er hans vogner, hans hester er lettere enn ørner; ve oss, vi er ødelagt.
[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 Tvett ondskapen av ditt hjerte, Jerusalem, så du kan bli frelst! Hvor lenge skal dine syndige tanker bo i ditt indre?
[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 For en røst kommer med tidende fra Dan og varsler ondt fra Efra'ims fjell.
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 Forkynn det for folkene, kunngjør det for Jerusalem: Voktere kommer fra det fjerne land, og de lar sin røst høre mot Judas byer.
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 Som markvoktere leirer de sig mot det rundt omkring; for mot mig har det vært gjenstridig, sier Herren.
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 Din ferd og dine gjerninger har voldt dig dette; dette er frukten av din ondskap, at det er bittert, at det når like til ditt hjerte.
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 Mine innvoller, mine innvoller! Jeg pines! Å mitt hjertes vegger! Mitt hjerte bruser i mig, jeg kan ikke tie! For basunlyd, krigsskrik har du hørt, min sjel!
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 Ødeleggelse på ødeleggelse roper de om; for hele landet er ødelagt; brått er mine telt ødelagt, i et øieblikk mine telttepper.
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 Hvor lenge skal jeg se banneret, skal jeg høre basunlyd?
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 For uklokt er mitt folk, mig kjenner de ikke; de er uvettige barn, og uforstandige er de; de er vise til å gjøre det onde, men å gjøre det gode skjønner de ikke.
[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 Jeg så jorden, og se, den var øde og tom; jeg så til himmelen, og dens lys var borte.
[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 Jeg så fjellene, og se, de bevet, og alle haugene skalv.
I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
25 Jeg så, og se, det var intet menneske mere, og alle himmelens fugler var fløiet bort.
I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
26 Jeg så, og se, den fruktbare mark var en ørken, og alle dens byer var brutt ned av Herren, av hans brennende vrede.
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 For så sier Herren: En ørken skal hele landet bli; men jeg vil ikke gjøre aldeles ende på det.
This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Derfor skal jorden sørge, og himmelen der oppe sortne, fordi jeg har talt det og villet det så, og jeg angrer det ikke og tar det ikke tilbake.
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 For larmen av ryttere og bueskyttere er alle byer på flukt; de går inn i skogene og stiger op på fjellene; alle byene er forlatt, det er ingen som bor i dem.
[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 Og du, når du blir ødelagt, hvad vil du da gjøre? Om du klær dig i purpur, om du pryder dig med gullstas, om du gjør dine øine store med sminke, så er det fåfengt at du gjør dig yndig; dine elskere forsmår dig, de vil ta ditt liv.
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 For jeg hører et rop som av en kvinne i barnsnød, et angstskrik som av en kvinne når hun føder sitt første barn; det er Sions datter som roper; hun stønner, hun strekker ut sine hender og sier: Ve mig! Maktløs synker min sjel i morderes vold.
[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!”
