Liber Ieremiae, 4

1. si converteris Israël ait Dominus ad me convertere si abstuleris offendicula tua a facie mea non commoveberis

1. If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return to me: if thou wilt take away thy stumblingblocks out of my sight, thou shalt not be moved.

2. et jurabis vivit Dominus in veritate et in judicio et in justitia et benedicent eum gentes ipsumque laudabunt

2. And thou shalt swear: As the Lord liveth, in truth, and in judgement, and in justice: and the Gentiles shall bless him, and shall praise him.

3. hæc enim dicit Dominus viro Juda et Hierusalem novate vobis novale et nolite serere super spinas

3. For thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda and Jerusalem: Break up anew your fallow ground, and sow not upon thorns:

4. circumcidimini Domino et auferte præputia cordium vestrorum vir Juda et habitatores Hierusalem ne forte egrediatur ut ignis indignatio mea et succendatur et non sit qui extinguat propter malitiam cogitationum vestrarum

4. Be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, ye men of Juda, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my indignation come forth like fire, and burn, and there be none that can quench it: because of the wickedness of your thoughts.

5. adnuntiate in Juda et in Hierusalem auditum facite loquimini et canite tuba in terra clamate fortiter dicite congregamini et ingrediamur civitates munitas

5. Declare ye in Juda, and make it heard in Jerusalem: speak, and sound with the trumpet in the land: cry aloud, and say: Assemble yourselves, and let us go into strong cities.

6. levate signum in Sion confortamini nolite stare quia malum ego adduco ab aquilone et contritionem magnam

6. Set up the standard in Sion. Strengthen yourselves, stay not: for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction.

7. ascendit leo de cubili suo et prædo gentium se levavit egressus est de loco suo ut ponat terram tuam in desolationem civitates tuæ vastabuntur remanentes absque habitatore

7. The lion is come up out of his den, and the robber of nations hath roused himself: he is come forth out of his place, to make thy land desolate: thy cities shall be laid waste, remaining without an inhabitant.

8. super hoc accingite vos ciliciis plangite et ululate quia non est aversa ira furoris Domini a nobis

8. For this gird yourselves with haircloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned away from us.

9. et erit in die illa dicit Dominus peribit cor regis et cor principum et obstupescent sacerdotes et prophetæ consternabuntur

9. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord: That the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes: and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be amazed

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

10. And I said: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God, hast thou then deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: You shall have peace: and behold the sword reacheth even to the soul?

11. in tempore illo dicetur populo huic et Hierusalem ventus urens in viis quæ sunt in deserto viæ filiæ populi mei non ad ventilandum et ad purgandum

11. At that time it shall be said to this people, and to Jerusalem: A burning wind is in the ways that are in the desert of the way of the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse.

12. spiritus plenus ex his veniet mihi et nunc ego sed loquar judicia mea cum eis

12. A full wind from these places shall come to me: and now I will speak my judgments with them.

13. ecce quasi nubes ascendet et quasi tempestas currus ejus velociores aquilis equi illius væ nobis quoniam vastati sumus

13. Behold he shall come up as a cloud, and his chariots as a tempest: his horses are swifter than eagles: woe unto us, for we are laid waste.

14. lava a malitia cor tuum Hierusalem ut salva fias usquequo morabuntur in te cogitationes noxiæ

14. Wash thy heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayst be saved: how long shall hurtful thoughts abide in thee?

15. vox enim adnuntiantis a Dan et notum facientis idolum de monte Ephraim

15. For a voice of one declaring from Dan, and giving notice of the idol from mount Ephraim.

16. concitate gentes ecce auditum est in Hierusalem custodes venire de terra longinqua et dare super civitates Juda vocem suam

16. Say ye to the nations: Behold it is heard in Jerusalem, that guards are coming from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Juda.

17. quasi custodes agrorum facti sunt super eam in gyro quia me ad iracundiam provocavit ait Dominus

17. They are set round about her, as keepers of fields: because she hath provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord.

18. viæ tuæ et cogitationes tuæ fecerunt hæc tibi ista malitia tua quia amara quia tetigit cor tuum

18. They ways, and thy devices have brought these things upon thee: this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it hath touched thy heart.

19. ventrem meum ventrem meum doleo sensus cordis mei turbati sunt in me non tacebo quoniam vocem bucinæ audivit anima mea clamorem prœlii

19. My bowels, my bowels are in pain, the senses of my heart are troubled within me, I will not hold my peace, for my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, the cry of battle.

20. contritio super contritionem vocata est et vastata est omnis terra repente vastata sunt tabernacula mea subito pelles meæ

20. Destruction upon destruction is called for, and all the earth is laid waste: my tents are destroyed on a sudden, and my pavilions in a moment.

21. usquequo videbo fugientem audiam vocem bucinæ

21. How long shall I see men fleeing away, how long shall I hear the sound of the trumpet?

22. quia stultus populus meus me non cognovit filii insipientes sunt et vecordes sapientes sunt ut faciant mala bene autem facere nescierunt

22. For my foolish people have not known me: they are foolish and senseless children: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

23. aspexi terram et ecce vacua erat et nihili et cælos et non erat lux in eis

23. I beheld the earth, and lo it was void, and nothing: and the heavens, and there was no light in them.

24. vidi montes et ecce movebantur et omnes colles conturbati sunt

24. I looked upon the mountains, and behold they trembled: and all the hills were troubled.

25. intuitus sum et non erat homo et omne volatile cæli recessit

25. I beheld, and lo there was no man: and all the birds of the air were gone.

26. aspexi et ecce Carmelus desertus et omnes urbes ejus destructæ sunt a facie Domini et a facie iræ furoris ejus

26. I looked, and behold Carmel was a wilderness: and all its cities were destroyed at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of the wrath of his indignation.

27. hæc enim dicit Dominus deserta erit omnis terra sed tamen consummationem non faciam

27. For thus saith the Lord: All the land shall be desolate, but yet I will not utterly destroy.

28. lugebit terra et mærebunt cæli desuper eo quod locutus sum cogitavi et non pænituit me nec aversus sum ab eo

28. The earth shall mourn, and the heavens shall lament from above: because I have spoken, I have purposed, and I have not repented, neither am I turned away from it.

29. a voce equitis et mittentis sagittam fugit omnis civitas ingressi sunt ardua et ascenderunt rupes universæ urbes derelictæ sunt et non habitat in eis homo

29. At the voice of the horsemen, and the archers, all the city is fled away; they have entered into thickets and have climbed up the rocks: all the cities are forsaken, and there dwelleth not a man 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 quærent

30. But when thou art spoiled what wilt thou do? though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, and paintest thy eyes with stibic stone, thou shalt dress thyself out in vain: thy lovers have despised thee, they will seek thy life.

31. vocem enim quasi parturientis audivi angustias ut puerperæ vox filiæ Sion intermorientis expandentisque manus suas væ mihi quia defecit anima mea propter interfectos

31. For I have heard the voice as of a woman in travail, anguishes as of a woman in labor of a child. The voice of the daughter of Sion, dying away, spreading her hands: Woe is me, for my soul hath fainted because of them that are slain.