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Judah Threatened with Invasion
“If you will areturn, Israel,” declares the LORD,“Then you should return to Me.And bif you will put away your detestable things from My presence,And will not waver,2 And if you will aswear, ‘As the LORD lives,’bIn truth, in justice, and in righteousness;Then the cnations will bless themselves in Him,And din Him they will boast.”

3 For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem:“1aBreak up your uncultivated ground,And bdo not sow among thorns.

4 “aCircumcise yourselves to the LORDAnd remove the foreskins of your hearts,Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,Or else My bwrath will spread like fireAnd burn with cno one to quench it,Because of the evil of your deeds.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,“aBlow the trumpet in the land;Cry aloud and say,‘bAssemble, and let’s goInto the fortified cities.’6 “Raise a aflag toward Zion!Take refuge, do not stand still,For I am bringing bevil from the north,And great destruction.7 “A alion has gone up from his thicket,And a bdestroyer of nations has set out;He has gone out from his placeTo cmake your land a waste.Your cities will be ruins,Without an inhabitant.8 “For this, aput on sackcloth,Mourn and wail;For the bfierce anger of the LORDHas not turned away from us.”

9 “And it shall come about on that day,” declares the LORD, “that the aheart of the king and the hearts of the leaders will fail; and the priests will tremble, and the bprophets will be astonished.”

10 Then I said, “Oh, Lord 1GOD! Surely You have utterly adeceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘bYou will have peace’; yet a sword touches the 2throat.”

11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A ascorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness, in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too 1strong for 2this—will come 3at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.”

13 “Behold, he agoes up like clouds,And his bchariots like the whirlwind;His horses are cswifter than eagles.Woe to us, for dwe are ruined!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, Jerusalem,So that you may be saved.How long will your awicked thoughtsLodge within you?15 For a voice declares from aDan,And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.16 “Report it to the nations, now!Proclaim to Jerusalem,‘1Enemies are coming from a aremote country,And bthey raise their voices against the cities of Judah.17 ‘Like watchmen of a field they are aagainst her all around,Because she has brebelled against Me,’ declares the LORD.18 “Your aways and your deedsHave 1brought these things upon you.This is your evil. How bbitter!How it has touched your heart!”
Grief over Judah’s Devastation
19 aMy 1soul, my 2soul! I am in anguish! 3Oh, my heart!My bheart is pounding in me;I cannot keep silent,Because, 4my soul, you have heardThe csound of the trumpet,The alarm of war.20 aDisaster upon disaster is proclaimed,For the bwhole land is devastated;Suddenly my ctents are devastated,And my curtains in an instant.21 How long must I see the flagAnd hear the sound of the trumpet?22 “aFor My people are foolish,They do not know Me;They are foolish childrenAnd have no understanding.They are skillful at bdoing evil,But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth, and behold, it was a 1aformless and desolate emptiness;And to the heavens, and they had no light.24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were aquaking,And all the hills jolted back and forth.25 I looked, and behold, there was no human,And all the abirds of the sky had fled.26 I looked, and behold, 1the afruitful land was a wilderness,And all its cities were pulled downBefore the LORD, before His fierce anger.
27 For this is what the LORD says:“The awhole land shall be a desolation,Yet I will bnot execute a complete destruction.28 “For this the aearth will mourn,And the bheavens above will become dark,Because I have cspoken, I have purposed,And I have not 1changed My mind, nor will I turn from it.”29 At the sound of the horseman and archer aevery city flees;They bgo into the thickets and climb among the rocks;cEvery city is abandoned,And no one lives in them.30 And you, desolate one, awhat will you do?Although you dress in scarlet,Although you adorn yourself with jewelry of gold,Although you benlarge your eyes with makeup,In vain you make yourself beautiful.Your 1clovers despise you;They seek your life.31 For I heard a voice cry as of a woman in labor,The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child.The voice of the daughter of Zion agasping for breath,bStretching out her 1hands, saying,“Ah, woe to me, for 2I faint before murderers.”
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Judah Threatened with Invasion
“If you will areturn, O Israel,” says the LORD,“If you will return to Me,And bif you will put away your detestable things and remove your man-made gods from My sight,And not stray or waver,2 And if you aswear your oaths, ‘As the LORD lives,’bIn truth, in justice, and in righteousness,Then the cnations will bless themselves in Him,And din Him they will glory.”

3 For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,“aPlow your uncultivated ground for a season,And bdo not sow among thorns.

4 “aCircumcise (dedicate, sanctify) yourselves to the LORDAnd remove the foreskin sins of your heart,Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,Or else My bwrath will go forth like fire consuming all that gets in its wayAnd burn and there will be cno one to quench it,Because of the evil of your acts.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,“aBlow the trumpet in the land;Cry aloud and say,‘bAssemble yourselves, and let us goInto the fortified cities.’6 “Raise a abanner toward Zion to mark the way for those seeking safety inside Jerusalem’s walls!Seek refuge, do not stand immobile,For I am bringing bevil from the north (the army of Babylon) ,And great destruction.7 “A alion has left his lair,And a bdestroyer of nations is on his way.He has gone out from his placeTo cdesolate your land;Your cities will be in ruinsWithout an inhabitant.8 “For this reason, aput on sackcloth for mourning,Lament (mourn with expressions of grief for the dead) and wail,For the bfierce anger of the LORDHas not turned back from us.”

9 “It shall come about in that day,” says the LORD, “that the aheart and courage of the king will fail (be paralyzed) , and also the heart of the princes; the priests will be appalled and the bprophets will be astounded and horrified.”

10 Then I said, “1Alas, Lord GOD! Surely You have completely adeceived and misled this people and Jerusalem, for the prophets represented You as saying to Your people, ‘bYou will have peace,’ but in fact a sword reaches to their throat.”

11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A ascorching wind from the barren heights in the wilderness comes at My command against the daughter of My people—not a wind to winnow and not to cleanse from chaff, as when threshing, but 12 a wind too strong and full for this comes at My word. Now I will also speak judgment against My people.”

13 “Behold, the enemy acomes up like clouds,His bchariots like the whirlwind;His horses are cswifter than eagles.Woe (judgment is coming) to us, for dwe are ruined!”
14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness,That you may be saved.How long will your awicked and immoral thoughtsLodge within you?15 For a voice declares from aDan far in the north,And proclaims evil from 1Mount Ephraim.16 “Warn the neighboring nations now that our enemy is coming!Announce to Jerusalem,‘Besiegers are coming from a afar country,And they blift their voices and shout against the cities of Judah.17 ‘Like watchmen of a field they are aagainst her on all sides,Because she has brebelled against Me,’ says the LORD.18 “Your aways and your deedsHave brought these things on you.This is your tragedy and doom; how bbitter,How it has touched your heart!”
Lament over Judah’s Devastation
19 aMy soul, my soul! I writhe in anguish and pain! Oh, the walls of my heart!My bheart is pounding and throbbing within me;I cannot be silent,For you have heard, O my soul,The csound of the trumpet,The alarm of war.20 News of one terrible adisaster comes close after another,For the bwhole land is devastated;Suddenly my ctents are spoiled and destroyed,My tent curtains ruined in a moment.21 How long O LORD must I see the banner marking the way for flightAnd hear the sound of the trumpet urging the people to run for safety?22 “aFor My people are stupid and foolish,” says the LORD to Jeremiah;“They do not know Me;They are foolish childrenAnd have no understanding.They are shrewd enough to bdo evil,But they do not know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the earth in my vision, and behold, it was as at the time of creation aformless and void;And to the heavens, and they had no light.24 I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were atrembling,And all the hills moved back and forth.25 I looked, and behold, there was no man,And all the abirds of the air had fled.26 I looked, and behold, the afertile land was a wilderness,And all its cities were pulled downBefore the presence of the LORD, before His fierce anger.
27 Therefore says the LORD,“The awhole land shall be a desolation,Yet I will bnot cause total destruction. Jer 5:10, 18; 30:11; 46:2828 “For this reason the aearth shall mournAnd the bheavens above shall become dark,Because I have cspoken, I have decided,And I will not change my mind (relent) , nor will I turn back from it.”29 aEvery city runs away at the sound of the horsemen and archers.They bgo into the thickets and climb among the rocks;cEvery city is deserted,And no man lives in them.30 And you, O desolate one, awhat will you do?Though you clothe yourself in scarlet,Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,Though you benlarge your eyes with paint,You make yourself beautiful in vain.Your clovers (allies) despise you;They seek your life.31 For I heard a cry like a woman in labor,The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,The cry of the Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem) , who agasps for breath,Who bstretches out her hands, saying,“Woe is me my judgment comes! I faint in fear before the murderers.”
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Yahweh Calls Israel to Return to Him
“If you will areturn, O Israel,” declares Yahweh,“Then you should return to Me.And bif you will put away your detested things from My presenceAnd will not waver2 And you will aswear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’bIn truth, in justice, and in righteousness;Then the cnations will 1be blessed in Him,And din Him they will boast.”

3 For thus says Yahweh to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,“1aBreak up your fallow ground,And bdo not sow among thorns.

4 “aCircumcise yourselves to YahwehAnd remove the foreskins of your heart,Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,Lest My bwrath go forth like fireAnd burn with cnone to quench itBecause of the evil of your deeds.”
Evil from the North
5 Declare in Judah and make it heard in Jerusalem and say,“aBlow the trumpet in the land;Call out, make your voice full, and say,‘bGather yourselves, and let us goInto the fortified cities.’6 “Lift up a astandard toward Zion!Seek safety, do not stand still,For I am bringing bevil from the north,And great destruction.7 “A alion has gone up from his thicket,And a bdestroyer of nations has set out;He has gone out from his placeTo cmake your land a desolation.Your cities will be turned into ruinsWithout inhabitant.8 “For this, aI gird myself with sackcloth,Lament and wail;For the bburning anger of YahwehHas not turned back from us.”

9 “It will be in that day,” declares Yahweh, “that the aheart of the king and the heart of the princes will perish; and the priests will be appalled, and the bprophets will be astonished.”

10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! Surely You have utterly adeceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘bYou will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the 1throat.”

11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A 1ascorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness along the way of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too full for these things—will come 1for My purpose; now I will also speak judgments against them.

13 “Behold, he agoes up like clouds,And his bchariots like the whirlwind;His horses are cswifter than eagles.Woe to us, for dwe are devastated!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,That you may be saved.How long will your awicked thoughtsLodge within you?15 For a voice declares from aDan,And makes wickedness heard from Mount Ephraim.16 “Make mention of it to the nations, saying, ‘Behold!’Make it heard over Jerusalem,‘Besiegers come from a afar country,And bgive forth their voices against the cities of Judah.17 ‘Like watchmen of a field they are aagainst her round aboutBecause she has brebelled against Me,’ declares Yahweh.18 “Your aways and your deedsHave done these things to you.This is your evil. How bbitter!How it has touched your heart!”
Anguish over Judah’s Desolation
19 aMy 1soul, my 2soul! I am in anguish! 3Oh, my heart!My bheart is pounding in me;I cannot be silentBecause 4you have heard, O my soul,The csound of the trumpet,The shout of war.20 aDestruction upon destruction is called out,For the bwhole land is devastated;Suddenly my ctents are devastated,My curtains in an instant.21 How long must I see the standardAnd hear the sound of the trumpet?22 “aFor My people are ignorant fools,They know Me not;They are simpleminded childrenAnd have no understanding.They are wise to bdo evil,But to do good they do not know.”
23 I saw on the earth, and behold, it was 1aformless and void;And to the heavens, and they had no light.24 I saw on the mountains, and behold, they were aquaking,And all the hills 1moved to and fro.25 I saw, and behold, there was no man,And all the abirds of the sky had fled.26 I saw, and behold, 1the afruitful orchard was a wilderness,And all its cities were torn downBefore Yahweh, before His burning anger.

27 For thus says Yahweh,“The awhole land shall be a desolation,Yet I will bnot execute a complete destruction.

28 “For this the aearth shall mournAnd the bheavens above be darkBecause I have cspoken; I have purposed,And I will not 1relent, nor will I turn from it.”29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman aevery city flees;They bgo into the thickets and climb up among the rocks;cEvery city is forsaken,And no man inhabits them.30 And you, O devastated one, awhat will you do?Although you dress in scarlet,Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,Although you benlarge your eyes with paint,In vain you make yourself beautiful.Your 1clovers despise you;They seek your life.31 For I heard a sound as of a woman in labor pains,The distress as of one giving birth to her first child,The sound of the daughter of Zion agasping for breath,bStretching out her 1hands, saying,“Ah, woe is me, for my soul faints before murderers.”
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Judah Threatened with Invasion
“If you will areturn, O Israel,” declares the LORD,“Then you should return to Me.And bif you will put away your detested things from My presence,And will not waver,2 And you will aswear, ‘As the LORD lives,’bIn truth, in justice and in righteousness;Then the cnations will bless themselves in Him,And din Him they will glory.”

3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,“1aBreak up your fallow ground,And bdo not sow among thorns.

4 “aCircumcise yourselves to the LORDAnd remove the foreskins of your heart,Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,Or else My bwrath will go forth like fireAnd burn with cnone to quench it,Because of the evil of your deeds.”
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,“aBlow the trumpet in the land;Cry aloud and say,‘bAssemble yourselves, and let us goInto the fortified cities.’6 “Lift up a astandard toward Zion!Seek refuge, do not stand still,For I am bringing bevil from the north,And great destruction.7 “A alion has gone up from his thicket,And a bdestroyer of nations has set out;He has gone out from his placeTo cmake your land a waste.Your cities will be ruinsWithout inhabitant.8 “For this, aput on sackcloth,Lament and wail;For the bfierce anger of the LORDHas not turned back from us.”

9 “It shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the aheart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the bprophets will be astounded.”

10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord 1GOD! Surely You have utterly adeceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘bYou will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the 2throat.”

11 In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A ascorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12 a wind too strong for 1this—will come 2at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.

13 “Behold, he agoes up like clouds,And his bchariots like the whirlwind;His horses are cswifter than eagles.Woe to us, for dwe are ruined!”
14 Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,That you may be saved.How long will your awicked thoughtsLodge within you?15 For a voice declares from aDan,And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.16 “Report it to the nations, now!Proclaim over Jerusalem,‘Besiegers come from a afar country,And blift their voices against the cities of Judah.17 ‘Like watchmen of a field they are aagainst her round about,Because she has brebelled against Me,’ declares the LORD.18 “Your aways and your deedsHave 1brought these things to you.This is your evil. How bbitter!How it has touched your heart!”
Lament over Judah’s Devastation
19 aMy 1soul, my 2soul! I am in anguish! 3Oh, my heart!My bheart is pounding in me;I cannot be silent,Because 4you have heard, O my soul,The csound of the trumpet,The alarm of war.20 aDisaster on disaster is proclaimed,For the bwhole land is devastated;Suddenly my ctents are devastated,My curtains in an instant.21 How long must I see the standardAnd hear the sound of the trumpet?22 “aFor My people are foolish,They know Me not;They are stupid childrenAnd have no understanding.They are shrewd to bdo evil,But to do good they do not know.”
23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was 1aformless and void;And to the heavens, and they had no light.24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were aquaking,And all the hills 1moved to and fro.25 I looked, and behold, there was no man,And all the abirds of the heavens had fled.26 I looked, and behold, 1the afruitful land was a wilderness,And all its cities were pulled downBefore the LORD, before His fierce anger.
27 For thus says the LORD,“The awhole land shall be a desolation,Yet I will bnot execute a complete destruction.28 “For this the aearth shall mournAnd the bheavens above be dark,Because I have cspoken, I have purposed,And I will not 1change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman aevery city flees;They bgo into the thickets and climb among the rocks;cEvery city is forsaken,And no man dwells in them.30 And you, O desolate one, awhat will you do?Although you dress in scarlet,Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,Although you benlarge your eyes with paint,In vain you make yourself beautiful.Your 1clovers despise you;They seek your life.31 For I heard a 1cry as of a woman in labor,The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,The 2cry of the daughter of Zion agasping for breath,bStretching out her 3hands, saying,“Ah, woe is me, for 4I faint before murderers.”