Jeremias 4

1 Um du vender um, Israel, segjer Herren, då skal du få venda attende til meg, og um du hev dine styggjor burt frå mi åsyn, skal du ikkje ljota liva i fredløysa.

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 um du sver: «So sant som Herren liver, » i sanning, med rett og rettferd, då skal heidningfolk velsigna seg i honom og rosa seg i honom.

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 so segjer Herren med Juda-mennerne og med Jerusalem: Brjot dykk nybrot, og så ikkje millom klunger!

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 Umskjer dykk for Herren, og tak burt dykkar hjartans fyrehud, de Juda-menner og Jerusalems-buar, so at harmen min ikkje skal fara ut som eld og brenna so ingen kann sløkkja, for dykkar vonde verk skuld.

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 Kunngjer i Juda og send bod til Jerusalem og seg: «Blås i lur i landet!» Ropa alt med de vinn, og seg: «Samla dykk og lat oss ganga inn i dei faste borger!»

“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 Set upp hermerke burtåt Sion! Fly undan, stana ikkje! For eg let ulukka koma frå nord med stort tjon.

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 Ei løva hev rise upp or kjørri si, og ein folke-tynar hev teke ut, er faren heimanfrå og vil gjera landet ditt til ei audn; byarne dine vert lagde i øyde so ingen bur 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 Gyrd dykk difor i sekk, barma dykk og øya dykk! For Herrens brennande vreide hev ikkje vendt seg frå 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 den dagen, segjer Herren, skal kongen og hovdingarne standa rådlause, prestarne skal ræddast og profetarne verta vitskræmde.

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 Då sagde eg: «Å, Herre, Herre! Ille hev du svike dette folk og Jerusalem då du sagde: «Fred skal de hava» - og no gjeng sverd inn til sjæli.»

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 I den tidi skal det verta sagt med dette folk og med Jerusalem: Ein glodheit vind frå snaudkollarne i øydemarki kjem imot mitt folks dotter, ikkje til å kasta korn med og ikkje til å dryfta 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 Ein vind, sterkare enn til slikt, vil eg lata koma; no vil eg og segja domen mot deim.

[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”

13 Sjå, lik skyer kjem han upp farande, og lik eit stormver er hans vogner, fljotare enn ørnar er hans hestar: Usæle me! Det er ute med oss.

[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 Två vondskapen av ditt hjarta, Jerusalem, so du kann verta frelst. Kor lenge skal dine synduge tankar bu i ditt brjost?

[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 ei røyst kjem med tiend frå Dan og med usæle-bod frå Efraimsheidi.

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 Lat folki få vita det, sjå til og lat Jerusalem få høyra det; umlægringsmenner kjem frå eit land langt undan og set i og ropar mot byarne i Juda.

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 Likeins som markevaktarar sit dei og gjæter på henne rundt ikring; for mot meg hev ho vore tråssug, segjer 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 Di åtferd og dine gjerningar hev valda deg dette; dette hev du for vondskapen din, at det er beiskt, at det gjeng alt inn til ditt hjarta.

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 Å bringa mi, bringa mi! Eg skjelv av verk, hjarteverk. Mitt hjarta bankar i meg, eg kann ikkje tegja. For lurljom, herrop hev du høyrt, mi sjæl.

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 Tjon på tjon vert det ropa, for alt landet er i øyde lagt; dåtteleg er tjeldi mine øydelagde, i ein augneblink tjelddukarne mine.

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 Kor lenge skal eg sjå hermerke, høyra lurljom?

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 lyden min er fåvis, meg kjenner dei ikkje; uvituge born er dei, og dei er utan skyn; vise er dei til å gjera vondt, men dei hev ikkje vit på å gjera godt.

[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 Eg såg jordi, og sjå, ho var aud og øydi, og til himmelen såg eg, og ljoset hans var kvorve.

[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 Eg såg fjelli, og sjå, dei bivra, og alle haugarne rugla.

I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.

25 Eg såg, og sjå, det fanst ikkje eit menneskje, og alle himmelens fuglar hadde floge burt.

I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.

26 Eg såg, og sjå, det grøderike landet var ei øydemark, og alle byarne var nedrivne av Herren, av hans brennande harm.

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 so segjer Herren: Ei audn skal heile landet verta, men reint audt vil eg ikkje gjera det.

This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.

28 Difor skal landet syrgja og himmelen der uppe klæda seg i svart, av di eg hev sagt det, tenkt det so, og eg angrar det ikkje og gjer det ikkje um att.

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 gnyen av ridarar og bogeskyttarar flyr kvar ein by; dei gjeng inn i skogarne og stig upp på hamrarne. Alle byar er folketome, ingen bur i deim.

[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 vert øydelagd, kva vil du då gjera? Endå um du klæder deg i purpur og pryder deg med gull-prydnad og gjer augo dine store med sminka, so er det fåfengt at du gjer deg fager; dine elskarar vanvyrdar deg, dei stend deg etter livet.

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 eg høyrer rop nett som av ei kvinna i barnsnaud, naudrop som av kvinna når ho fær fyrste barnet, rop av dotteri Sion. Ho styn, ho retter ut henderne sine: Eie meg! Sjæli mi sig vanmegtig i mordar-vald.

[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!”