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Chapter 4
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Verse 1

If Israel, declares the LORD, you will return to me, you must remove your detestable things from my presence and not wander away.

If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.

Verse 2

Then you will swear, 'As the LORD lives,' in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory.

And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

Verse 3

For this is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among thorns.

For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

Verse 4

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and remove the foreskin of your hearts, men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Otherwise, my wrath will break out like a fire and burn with no one to extinguish it, because of your wicked deeds.

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Verse 5

Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, saying, 'Sound the trumpet throughout the land!' Cry aloud and say, 'Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.'

Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.

Verse 6

Raise a banner toward Zion! Take refuge, do not delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, a great destruction.

Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

Verse 7

A lion has come out of his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has left his place to turn your land into a waste. Your cities will be ruined, without inhabitants.

The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

Verse 8

For this, put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.

For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.

Verse 9

On that day, declares the LORD, the heart of the king and the officials will fail; the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be astonished.

And it shall come to pass at 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 wonder.

Verse 10

Then I said, 'Ah, Lord GOD, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at their throats.'

Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.

Verse 11

At that time, it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A scorching wind from the barren heights of the desert blows toward the daughter of my people—not to winnow or cleanse.

At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,

Verse 12

A wind too strong for these will come from me; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.

Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.

Verse 13

Behold, he comes up like clouds, his chariots are like a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are ruined!

Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

Verse 14

Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

Verse 15

A voice declares from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.

For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.

Verse 16

Warn the nations, proclaim it against Jerusalem: 'Watchers are coming from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.'

Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.

Verse 17

They surround her like men guarding a field because she has rebelled against me, declares the LORD.

As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.

Verse 18

Your own way and your deeds have caused this to you; this is your calamity. How bitter it is! It has reached your very heart.

Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.

Verse 19

My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! My heart pounds within me; I cannot remain silent, for I have heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

Verse 20

Disaster upon disaster is announced, for the whole land is devastated. Suddenly, my tents are ruined, my curtains in a moment.

Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

Verse 21

How long must I see the banner and hear the sound of the trumpet?

How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

Verse 22

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

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Verse 23

I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone.

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Verse 24

I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying.

I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

Verse 25

I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away.

I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

Verse 26

I looked, and behold, the fertile land was a wilderness, and all its cities were torn down before the LORD, in the heat of His fierce anger.

I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

Verse 27

For this is what the LORD says: The whole land will be a desolation, but I will not bring it to complete destruction.

For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Verse 28

Because of this, the earth will mourn, and the heavens above will grow dark. For I have spoken, I have purposed, and I will not relent or turn back from it.

For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

Verse 29

At the sound of the horsemen and archers, every city flees. They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks. The cities are abandoned, and no one lives in them.

The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.

Verse 30

And you, devastated one, what will you do? Though you dress in scarlet, adorn yourself with gold jewelry, and enlarge your eyes with makeup, you beautify yourself in vain. Your lovers reject you; they seek your life.

And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

Verse 31

I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor, anguish like a woman giving birth to her first child—the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands: 'Woe is me! My life is fainting before the killers.'

For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.

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Chapter 4
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