Jeremiah, 4

1. 'If you come back, Israel, Yahweh declares, if you come back to me, if you take your Horrors out of my sight, if you go roving no more,

1. "If you return, O Israel, says the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your abominations from my presence, and do not waver,

2. if you swear, "As Yahweh lives!" truthfully, justly, uprightly, then the nations will bless themselves by him and glory in him.

2. and if you swear, `As the LORD lives,' in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory."

3. 'For Yahweh says this to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, "Clear the ground that lies neglected, do not sow among thorns.

3. For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

4. Circumcise yourselves for Yahweh, apply circumcision to your hearts, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will leap out like a fire and burn with no one to quench it, in return for the wickedness of your deeds." '

4. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your doings."

5. Announce it in Judah, proclaim it in Jerusalem, say, 'Sound the trumpet in the countryside, shout the message aloud: Mobilise! Take to the fortified towns!

5. Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, "Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, `Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!'

6. Signpost the way to Zion! Run! Do not delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, an immense calamity.

6. Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction.

7. The lion is up from his thicket, the destroyer of nations is on his way, he has come from his home to reduce your land to a desert; your towns will be in ruins, uninhabited.

7. A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone forth from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.

8. So wrap yourselves in sackcloth, lament and wail, since Yahweh's burning anger has not turned away from us.

8. For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned back from us."

9. 'That day,' Yahweh declares, 'the king's heart will fail him, the princes' hearts will fail them too, the priests will stand aghast, the prophets stupefied.'

9. "In that day, says the LORD, courage shall fail both king and princes; the priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded."

10. Then I said, 'Ah, Lord Yahweh, how sadly you deceived this people and Jerusalem when you used to say, "You will have peace," whereas the sword is now at our throats!

10. Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD, surely thou hast utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, `It shall be well with you'; whereas the sword has reached their very life."

11. When that time comes, this will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: The scorching wind from the desert heights comes towards the daughter of my people -and not to winnow or to cleanse!

11. At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse,

12. A gale of wind comes to me from over there. Now I myself shall pass sentence on them!'

12. a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them."

13. Look, he is advancing like the clouds, his chariots like a hurricane, his horses swifter than eagles. Disaster for us! We are lost!

13. Behold, he comes up like clouds, his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles -- woe to us, for we are ruined!

14. Wash your heart clean of wickedness, Jerusalem, and so be saved. How long will you go on harbouring your pernicious thoughts?

14. O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?

15. For a voice from Dan shouts the news, proclaims disaster from the highlands of Ephraim.

15. For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims evil from Mount E'phraim.

16. Report it to the nations, proclaim it to Jerusalem, 'Enemies are coming from a distant country, shouting their war cry against the towns of Judah;

16. Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, "Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah.

17. they surround her like watchmen round a field because she has rebelled against me', Yahweh declares.

17. Like keepers of a field are they against her round about, because she has rebelled against me, says the LORD.

18. 'Your own behaviour and actions have brought this on yourself. Your wickedness, how bitter, has stabbed you to the heart!'

18. Your ways and your doings have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart."

19. In the pit of my stomach how great my agony! Walls of my heart! My heart is throbbing! I cannot keep quiet, for I have heard the trumpet call, the battle cry.

19. My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent; for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

20. Ruin on ruin is the news: the whole land is laid waste, my tents are suddenly destroyed, in one moment all that sheltered me.

20. Disaster follows hard on disaster, the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my curtains in a moment.

21. How long must I see the standard and hear the trumpet call?

21. How long must I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

22. 'This is because my people are stupid, they do not know me, they are slow-witted children, they have no understanding, they are clever enough at doing wrong, but do not know how to do right.'

22. "For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but how to do good they know not."

23. I looked to the earth -- it was a formless waste; to the heavens, and their light had gone.

23. I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light.

24. I looked to the mountains -- they were quaking and all the hills rocking to and fro.

24. I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro.

25. I looked -- there was no one at all, the very birds of heaven had all fled.

25. I looked, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled.

26. I looked -- the fruitful land was a desert, all its towns in ruins before Yahweh, before his burning anger.

26. I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger.

27. Yes, Yahweh has said this, 'The whole country will be laid waste, though I shall not annihilate it completely.

27. For thus says the LORD, "The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.

28. For this, the earth will go into mourning and the heavens above grow dark. For I have spoken, I have decided, I shall not change my mind or go back on it.'

28. For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be black; for I have spoken, I have purposed; I have not relented nor will I turn back."

29. At the din of horseman and archer the entire city takes to flight: some plunge into the thickets, others scale the rocks; every town is abandoned, not a single person is left there.

29. At the noise of horseman and archer every city takes to flight; they enter thickets; they climb among rocks; all the cities are forsaken, and no man dwells in them.

30. And, once despoiled, what are you going to do? You may dress yourself in scarlet, put on ornaments of gold, enlarge your eyes with paint but you make yourself pretty in vain. Your former lovers disdain you, your life is what they are seeking.

30. And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.

31. Yes, I hear screams like those of a woman in labour, anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first child; they are the screams of the daughter of Zion, gasping, hands outstretched, 'Unhappy me! I am dying, the murderers have killed me!'

31. For I heard a cry as of a woman in travail, anguish as of one bringing forth her first child, the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands, "Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers."