Jeremiah 4

1 "If you return, O Israel,

declares the Lord,

*Joel 2:12to me you should return.

If you remove your detestable things from my presence,

*[1 Kgs. 14:15]and do not waver,

2 *Deut. 6:13and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’

in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,

then *Isa. 65:16nations shall bless themselves in him,

*1 Cor. 1:31;2 Cor. 10:17and in him shall they glory."

3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:

*Hos. 10:12"Break up your fallow ground,

and *Matt. 13:7,22;Mark 4:7,18;Luke 8:7,14sow not among thorns.

4 *Deut. 10:16;[ch. 9:26;Rom. 2:28,29] Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;

remove the foreskin of your hearts,

O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem;

*ch. 21:12lest my wrath go forth like fire,

and burn with none to quench it,

*Deut. 28:20because of the evil of your deeds."

Disaster from the North

5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,

*[ch. 6:1;Hos. 5:8;Joel 2:1] "Blow the trumpet through the land;

cry aloud and say,

*ch. 8:14‘Assemble, and let us go

into the fortified cities!’

6 *[ch. 50:2;51:12,27] Raise a standard toward Zion,

flee for safety, stay not,

for I bring disaster from *See ch. 1:13the north,

*[Isa. 1:28]and great destruction.

7 *ch. 2:15;5:6;49:19A lion has gone up from his thicket,

a destroyer of nations has set out;

he has gone out from his place

to make your land a waste;

your cities will be ruins

*ch. 33:10;34:22;46:19;Isa. 5:9;6:11without inhabitant.

8 For this *ch. 6:26;Isa. 22:12;32:11put on sackcloth,

lament and wail,

for *Num. 25:4;Ps. 78:49;See Isa. 13:9-13the fierce anger of the Lord

has not turned back from us."

9 "In that day, declares the Lord, *[Ps. 48:4,5]courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded." 10 Then I said, "Ah, Lord God, *Ezek. 14:9;[1 Kgs. 22:22]surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ whereas the sword has reached their very life."

11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, "A hot wind from *See ch. 3:2the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse, 12 a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who *ch. 1:16speak in judgment upon them."

13 Behold, he comes up like clouds;

*Isa. 5:28his chariots like the whirlwind;

his horses are *2 Sam. 1:23;Lam. 4:19swifter than eagles—

woe to us, *ch. 9:19for we are ruined!

14 O Jerusalem, *Ps. 51:2,7;Isa. 1:16;James 4:8wash your heart from evil,

that you may be saved.

How long shall your wicked thoughts

lodge within you?

15 For a voice *ch. 8:16declares from Dan

and proclaims trouble from *See Josh. 24:33Mount Ephraim.

16 Warn the nations that he is coming;

announce to Jerusalem,

"Besiegers come *ch. 5:15from a distant land;

they shout against the cities of Judah.

17 Like keepers of a field *ch. 6:3;See 2 Kgs. 25:1-4are they against her all around,

because she has rebelled against me,

declares the Lord.

18 Your ways and your deeds

have brought this upon you.

This is your doom, and *ch. 2:19it is bitter;

it has reached your very heart."

Anguish over Judah’s Desolation

19 *Isa. 16:11;Hab. 3:16;[ch. 9:1;Isa. 22:4]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 *Ezek. 7:26Crash follows hard on crash;

the whole land is laid waste.

*ch. 10:20;49:29Suddenly my tents are laid waste,

my curtains in a moment.

21 How long must I see the standard

and hear the sound of the trumpet?

22 "For *Ps. 82:5;Isa. 1:3my people are foolish;

they know me not;

they are stupid children;

they have no understanding.

*Ps. 36:3;Isa. 1:16,17;Rom. 16:19They are ‘wise’—in doing evil!

But how to do good they know not."

23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was *Gen. 1:2without form and void;

*Isa. 5:30and to the heavens, and they had no light.

24 I looked on *Nah. 1:5the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,

and all the hills moved to and fro.

25 *[Zeph. 1:3]I looked, and behold, there was no man,

and all the birds of the air had fled.

26 I looked, and behold, the *Ps. 107:34fruitful land was a desert,

and all its cities were laid in ruins

before the Lord, before *See ver. 8his fierce anger.

27 For thus says the Lord, "The whole land shall be a desolation; *ch. 5:10,18;30:11;46:28;Neh. 9:31;Ezek. 11:13yet I will not make a full end.

28 *ch. 12:4;Hos. 4:3"For this the earth shall mourn,

*Isa. 50:3and the heavens above be dark;

for I have spoken; I have purposed;

*[Num. 23:19]I have not relented, nor will I turn back."

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 *See ver. 7no man dwells in them.

30 And you, O desolate one,

what do you mean that you dress in scarlet,

*[Isa. 61:10] that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,

*[2 Kgs. 9:30] that you enlarge your eyes with paint?

In vain you beautify yourself.

*Lam. 1:2,19;Ezek. 23:22Your lovers despise you;

they seek your life.

31 For I heard *ch. 6:24;See Isa. 13:8a cry as of a woman in labor,

anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,

the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,

*Isa. 1:15;Lam. 1:17stretching out her hands,

"Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers."