Jeremiah

Warnings about Jerusalem's destruction due to unfaithfulness, with promises of a new covenant.

Chapter 4

1 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.

*If you will come back, Israel, says the Lord, come back to me. And if you get rid of your detestable actions, they won't be in my sight anymore.

2 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.

*You must promise, God's alive, being honest, fair, and just; and the countries will praise themselves through him, relying on him for pride.

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

*So says the Lord to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, stop cultivating your unused land and don't plant seeds among weeds.

4 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.

*Follow the LORD and remove your heart's stubbornness, all people of Judah and residents of Jerusalem. Otherwise, my anger will erupt like a fiery blaze, unable to put out, due to your wicked actions.

5 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.

*Tell people in Judah and share the message in Jerusalem: Blow the trumpet throughout the land, call for everyone to come together, and tell them to enter the fortified cities for safety.

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

*Put up a symbol for Zion; don't stay there; because I will cause harm to come from the north and huge destruction.

7 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.

*The lion has left its hiding spot and is coming to destroy the people. It's leaving its area to make your land empty and your cities deserted.

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

*Put on sackcloth, mourn and cry loudly, because the LORD's intense anger isn't lessening towards us.

9 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.

*At that time, says the Lord, the king's heart will fail, along with the hearts of the rulers. The priests will be amazed, and the prophets will be puzzled.

10 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.

*Then I said, "Ah, Lord God! You have certainly tricked these people and Jerusalem. You told them they would have peace, but really, the sword has reached their very souls."

11 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,

*At that time, they will say to the people and Jerusalem, "A strong wind from the mountains in the desert is coming to the people's daughter, not to blow away dirt or clean, but just to blow."

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

*Even a strong wind from there will reach me; now I will make a decision about them.

13 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.

*Look, someone is coming like clouds, with chariots like a powerful wind, faster than eagles. Oh no, we're in trouble because we've been ruined.

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

*O Jerusalem, clean your heart of wrongdoing so you can be rescued. Why should your empty thoughts stay with you for so long?

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

*A voice says, "From Dan comes news," and it shares the trouble coming from Mount Ephraim.

16 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.

*Tell the world: Look, announce to people everywhere that watchers from distant lands are coming to observe Jerusalem. They will shout against the cities of Judah.

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

*They surround her because she has been disobedient to me, says the Lord.

18 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.

*Your actions and choices have brought about these results for you. This is wrongdoing because it causes bitterness, as it affects your heart deeply.

19 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.

*My insides are hurting so much! My heart is racing; it's making loud noises inside me. I can't stay quiet because you, my soul, have heard the sound of a trumpet, signaling the start of a battle.

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

*"Destruction after destruction is announced because the entire land is ruined. My tents are destroyed quickly, and my curtains are torn in an instant."

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

*For how much longer will I witness the flag, and hear the trumpet's noise?

22 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.

*My people are unwise; they don't know me. They act like clueless kids and lack understanding. They know how to do bad things, but they don't know how to do good.

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

*I looked at the Earth, and it was shapeless and empty. I also looked at the sky, and it had no light.

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

*I saw the mountains shake, and they were trembling. All the hills were moving quickly.

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

*I looked around, and I saw that there were no people, and all the birds in the sky had flown away.

26 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.

*I saw that the fertile land became a desert, and all the cities were destroyed when the LORD appeared in his powerful wrath.

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

*So the Lord says, "The land will be empty, but I won't completely destroy everything."

28 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.

*The earth will be sad, and the sky will be dark; I have planned this and won't change my mind or go back on it.

29 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.

*Everyone in the city will run away because of the loud sounds from the horsemen and archers. They'll hide in bushes and climb on rocks. All cities will be empty, and no one will live there.

30 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.

*If you are ruined, what will you do? Even if you wear bright red clothes and decorate yourself with gold jewelry, and even if you paint your face, you cannot make yourself beautiful. Your loved ones will hate you and try to take your life.

31 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.

*I heard a woman's cry in pain, like one giving birth for the first time. It was the voice of the daughter of Zion, crying and putting her hands out, saying, "I am so sad! My soul is tired because of the killers."

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