Jeremiah 4

1If you will return, O Israel, says the Yahuah, return unto me: and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight, then shall you not remove. 2And you shall swear, The Yahuah liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. 3For thus says the Yahuah to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. 4Circumcise yourselves to the Yahuah, 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 , because of the evil of your doings. 5Declare 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. 6Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. 7The 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 your land desolate; your cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. 8For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Yahuah is not turned back from us. 9And it shall come to pass at that day, says the Yahuah, the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. 10Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely you hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul. 11At 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, 12a full wind from those shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them. 13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. 14O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you mayest be saved. How long shall your vain thoughts lodge within you? 15For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim. 16Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. 17As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she has been rebellious against me, says the Yahuah. 18your way and your doings have procured these unto you; this your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto your heart. 19My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, my curtains in a moment. 21How long shall I see the standard, hear the sound of the trumpet? 22For my people foolish, they have not known me; they sottish children, and they have none understanding: they wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23I beheld the earth, and, lo, without form, and void; and the heavens, and they no light. 24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25I beheld, and, lo, no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Yahuah, by his fierce anger. 27For thus has the Yahuah said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. 28For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken , I have purposed , and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. 29The 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 forsaken, and not a man dwell therein. 30And you spoiled, what will you do? Though you clothest thyself with crimson, though you deckest you with ornaments of gold, though you rentest your face with painting, in vain shall you make thyself fair; lovers will despise you, they will seek your life. 31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, bewaileth herself, spreadeth her hands, , Woe me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.