1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith Jehovah, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not be a wanderer;2 -and thou shalt in truth, in justice, and in righteousness swear, {As} Jehovah liveth! and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.3 For thus saith Jehovah to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up for you a fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.4 Circumcise yourselves for Jehovah, 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, and there be none to quench it, because of the evil of your doings.5 Declare ye in Judah, and cause it to be heard in Jerusalem, and say, ...and blow the trumpet in the land, cry aloud and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced cities.6 Set up a banner toward Zion; take to flight, stay not! For I am bringing evil from the north, and a great destruction.7 The lion is come up from his thicket, the destroyer of the nations is on his way; he is gone forth from his place, to make thy land desolate; thy cities shall be laid waste, without inhabitant.8 For this, gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl! for the fierce anger of Jehovah is not turned away from us.9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, 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 And I said, Alas, Lord Jehovah! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind {cometh} from the heights in the wilderness, on the way of the daughter of my people, not for fanning, nor for cleansing.12 A wind more vehement than that shall come from me: now will I also pronounce judgments against them.13 Behold, he cometh up as clouds, and his chariots are as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are destroyed.14 Wash thy heart, Jerusalem, from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?15 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.16 Inform the nations; behold, make Jerusalem to hear: Besiegers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah.17 As keepers of a field are they against her round about; for she hath been rebellious against me, saith Jehovah.18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these {things} unto thee; this is thy wickedness, yea, it is bitter, yea, it reacheth unto thy heart.19 My bowels! my bowels! I am in travail! {Oh,} the walls of my heart! My heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace: for thou hearest, my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the clamour of war.20 Destruction upon destruction is proclaimed; for the whole land is wasted: suddenly are my tents laid waste, my curtains, in a moment.21 How long shall I see the standard, {and} hear the sound of the trumpet?22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have no intelligence; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.23 I beheld the earth, and lo, it was waste and empty; and the heavens, and they had no light.24 I beheld the mountains, and lo, they trembled, and all the hills shook violently.25 I beheld, and lo, man was not, and all the fowl of the heavens were fled.26 I beheld, and lo, the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down, before Jehovah, before his fierce anger.27 For thus saith Jehovah: The whole land shall be a desolation; but I will not make a full end.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 therefrom.29 At the noise of the horsemen and bowmen, every city fleeth; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city is forsaken and no man dwelleth therein.30 -And thou, wasted one, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rendest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair: {thy} lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.31 For I hear a voice, as of a woman in travail, anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion: she moaneth, she spreadeth forth her hands, {saying}, Woe unto me! for my soul faileth because of murderers.

1 As jy jou bekeer, Israel, spreek die HERE, bekeer jou tot My; en as jy jou verfoeisels van my aangesig af verwyder, hoef jy nie rond te swerwe nie.2 Dan sal jy sweer: So waar as die HERE leef! in waarheid, in reg en in geregtigheid; en die nasies sal hulleself in Hom seën en hulle in Hom beroem.3 Want so sê die HERE aan die manne van Juda en aan Jerusalem: Braak vir julle 'n braakland en saai nie onder die dorings nie.4 Besny julle vir die HERE en verwyder die onbesnedenheid van julle hart, manne van Juda en inwoners van Jerusalem, dat my grimmigheid nie soos 'n vuur uitgaan en brand sonder dat iemand kan blus nie, weens die boosheid van julle handelinge.5 Verkondig in Juda en laat dit hoor in Jerusalem en sê: Blaas die basuin in die land! Roep hardop en sê: Kom bymekaar, en laat ons in die versterkte stede ingaan!6 Steek op die banier na Sion toe! Vlug, bly nie staan nie! Want Ek bring 'n onheil uit die Noorde en 'n groot verwoesting.7 'n Leeu het opgekom uit sy bos en 'n verderwer van nasies het weggetrek, uitgegaan uit sy plek om jou land 'n woesteny te maak; jou stede sal verwoes word, sonder inwoners.8 Daarom, omgord julle met rouklere, klaag en huil, want die toorngloed van die HERE teen ons het nie bedaar nie.9 En op die dag, spreek die HERE, sal die moed van die koning en die moed van die vorste vergaan, en die priesters sal verskrik wees en die profete verstom staan.10 Toe het ek gesê: Ag, Here HERE, waarlik, U het hierdie volk en Jerusalem grootliks mislei met die woorde: Julle sal vrede hê -- terwyl die swaard tot aan die siel raak.11 In die tyd sal aan hierdie volk en aan Jerusalem gesê word: 'n Gloeiende wind van die kaal heuwels in die woestyn op pad na die dogter van my volk, nie om te wan of te suiwer nie!12 'n Wind te sterk vir hierdie dinge sal vir My kom; nou sal Ek ook oordele teen hulle uitspreek.13 Kyk, soos wolke kom hy op, en soos 'n stormwind is sy strydwaens; sy perde is vinniger as arende. Wee ons, want ons is verwoes!14 Was jou hart van boosheid, o Jerusalem, dat jy gered kan word. Hoe lank sal jou onheilsgedagtes in jou binneste vertoef?15 Want 'n stem verkondig uit Dan en laat onheil hoor van die gebergte van Efraim af.16 Vermeld dit aan die nasies! Kyk, laat dit hoor teen Jerusalem! Beleëraars kom uit 'n ver land en het hulle stem verhef teen die stede van Juda.17 Soos veldwagters is hulle teen die stad rondom, omdat dit teen My wederstrewig was, spreek die HERE.18 Jou wandel en jou handel het jou dit aangedoen; dit is jou boosheid; ja, bitter is dit, ja, dit raak tot aan jou hart.19 o My ingewande, my ingewande, ek moet bewe van angs! o Mure van my hart! My hart steun in my, ek kan nie swyg nie; want jy, my siel, het basuingeluid gehoor, oorlogsgeskreeu!20 Verwoesting op verwoesting word uitgeroep, want die hele land is verwoes; skielik is my tente verwoes, my tentdoeke in 'n oomblik.21 Hoe lank sal ek die banier sien, die basuingeluid hoor?22 Want my volk is dwaas; My ken hulle nie; dwase kinders is hulle, en hulle is onverstandig; slim is hulle om kwaad te doen, maar om goed te doen, weet hulle nie.23 Ek het na die aarde gekyk, en dit was woes en leeg; ook na die hemel, en sy lig was daar nie.24 Ek het na die berge gekyk, en hulle het gebewe, en al die heuwels het geskud.25 Ek het gekyk, en daar was geen mens nie, en al die voëls van die hemel het weggevlieg.26 Ek het gekyk, en die land van tuine was 'n woestyn, en al sy stede was afgebreek voor die HERE, voor sy toorngloed.27 Want so sê die HERE: Die hele land sal 'n wildernis word, alhoewel Ek daar geen einde aan sal maak nie.28 Hieroor sal die aarde treur en die hemel daarbo rou dra, omdat Ek dit gespreek, My dit voorgeneem het en Ek geen berou het en daarvan nie sal terugkom nie.29 Vir die geluid van die ruiters en boogskutters vlug die hele stad; hulle het in die bosse ingegaan en op die rotse geklim; die hele stad is verlaat, en niemand woon daarin nie.30 En jy, verwoeste, wat gaan jy doen? Al trek jy skarlaken klere aan, al versier jy jou met goue sieraad, al laat jy jou oë groter lyk met swart verf -- tevergeefs maak jy jou mooi; minnaars versmaad jou, hulle soek jou lewe.31 Want ek het gehoor 'n stem soos van een wat inmekaar krimp, 'n benoudheid soos van een wat die eerste keer baar, die stem van die dogter van Sion; sy hyg na asem, sy brei haar hande uit en sê: Wee my tog, want my siel is magteloos teenoor die moordenaars.