Jeremías 4
1 Palabra de Yavé: Cuando quieras regresar, oh Israel, regresa a Mí, si apartas de delante de Mí tus repugnancias y no vagas de una parte a otra.
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 Si juras en verdad, en justicia y equidad: Vive Yavé, entonces las naciones se congratularán con Él. En Él se ufanarán.
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 Porque Yavé dice así a los varones de Judá y de Jerusalén: Abran surcos y no siembren entre espinos.
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 Circuncídense ante Yavé. Quiten el prepucio de su corazón, oh varones de Judá y habitantes de Jerusalén, no sea que mi ira salga como fuego y arda, y no haya quien la apague.
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 Anuncien en Judá y proclamen en Jerusalén: ¡Toquen la trompeta en la tierra! Proclamen, reúnanse y digan: ¡Reúnanse y entremos en las ciudades fortificadas!
“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 Levanten el estandarte hacia Sion. Busquen refugio y no se detengan. Porque Yo traigo del norte la aflicción, una gran destrucción.
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 El león sube de la espesura. El destructor de naciones está en marcha. Salió de su lugar para convertir tu tierra en desolación. Tus ciudades quedarán en ruinas, sin habitante.
[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 Por eso átense tela áspera, lamenten y giman, porque el ardor de la ira de Yavé no se apartó de nosotros.
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 Sucederá en aquel día, dice Yavé, que el corazón del rey desfallecerá y el corazón de los magistrados. Los sacerdotes estarán horrorizados y los profetas asombrados.
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 Entonces dije: ¡Oh ʼAdonay Yavé! En verdad engañaste muchísimo a este pueblo y a Jerusalén al decir: ¡Tendrán paz! mientras la espada penetra hasta el alma.
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 En aquel tiempo se dirá a este pueblo y a Jerusalén: Un viento caliente viene de las alturas del desierto a la hija de mi pueblo, no para aventar ni para limpiar.
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 Un viento aun más fuerte vendrá a Mí, y ahora Yo pronunciaré mis juicios contra ellos.
[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
13 Miren: Suben como nube, y sus carruajes, como tormenta. Sus caballos son más ligeros que las águilas. ¡Ay de nosotros, porque estamos arruinados!
[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 ¡Oh Jerusalén! Lava tu corazón de perversidad para que seas salvada. ¿Hasta cuándo se alojarán dentro de ti tus perversos pensamientos?
[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 Porque una voz trae las noticias desde Dan, y anuncia la perversidad desde la montaña de Efraín.
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 Anuncien a las naciones: Miren, proclamen en Jerusalén: ¡Vienen guardias de tierras lejanas y lanzarán su voz contra las ciudades de Judá!
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 Como guardias de campo la rodean, porque se rebeló contra Mí, dice Yavé.
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 Tus caminos y tus hechos te trajeron estas cosas. Ésta es tu aflicción. ¡Qué amarga! ¡Cómo penetra en tu corazón!
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 ¡Mis órganos internos, mis órganos internos! Me duelen las fibras de mi corazón. Mi corazón se agita dentro de mí. No puedo callarme porque escuché el sonido de trompeta y el pregón de la guerra.
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 Se anuncia quebrantamiento sobre quebrantamiento, porque toda la tierra está devastada. Súbitamente son destruidas mis tiendas, y mis cortinas, en un momento.
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 ¿Hasta cuándo tendré que ver la bandera y oír el sonido de trompeta?
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 Porque mi pueblo es necio. No me conocieron. Son hijos ignorantes. No son entendidos. Son expertos para hacer el mal, pero no saben hacer el bien.
[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 Miré la tierra y ciertamente estaba deformada y vacía. [Miré] los cielos y no tenían luz.
[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 Miré las montañas y en verdad temblaban. Todas las colinas se estremecían.
I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
25 Miré, y ciertamente no había hombre. Todas las aves del cielo huyeron.
I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
26 Miré, y en verdad la tierra fértil era un desierto. Todas sus ciudades fueron destruidas ante la Presencia de Yavé, ante el ardor de su ira.
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 Porque Yavé dice: Toda la tierra será asolada, pero no la destruiré por completo.
This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Por eso se enluta la tierra y se oscurecen los cielos arriba. Pues hablé, lo pensé. No cambiaré de parecer ni desistiré de ello.
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 Al estruendo de jinetes y de flecheros toda ciudad huye. Entran en la espesura de los bosques y suben a las peñas. Todas las ciudades están abandonadas. No queda algún habitante en ellas.
[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 Y tú, oh desolada, ¿qué harás? Aunque te cubras de color rojo, aunque te adornes con oro, aunque te agrandes tus ojos con pintura, en vano te embelleces. Tus amantes te desprecian. Ellos buscan tu vida.
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 Porque oí un grito como de mujer que está de parto, la angustia como de primeriza. Es el grito angustiado de la hija de Sion que clama, extiende sus brazos y dice: ¡Ay de mí! ¡Mi alma desfallece ante los asesinos!
[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!”
