Parallel Bible results for "jeremiah 4"

Jeremiah 4

Third Millennium Bible TMB

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 be removed.

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."

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

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.

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 fortified cities!'

6 Set up the standard toward Zion. Retire, stay not! For I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction."

7 The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way. He has gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

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

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."

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 --

12 even a full wind from those places shall come unto Me. Now also will I give sentence against 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 despoiled!

14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart 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 "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.

17 As keepers of a field are they against her round about, because she hath been rebellious against Me," saith 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."

19 My heart, my heart! 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.

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

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

22 "For My people are foolish, they have not known Me; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

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

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

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

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.

27 For thus hath the LORD said: "The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I 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 from 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.

30 And when thou art despoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rendest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair. Thy lovers will despise thee; they will seek thy 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!'

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 The LORD declares, "If you come back, Israel, if you come back to me, if you take your disgusting idols out of my sight and you don't wander away from me,

2 if you take the oath, "As the LORD lives..." in an honest, fair, and right way, then the nations will be blessed, and they will be honored by me."

3 This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: Plow your unplowed fields, and don't plant among thorns.

4 Be circumcised by the LORD, and get rid of the foreskins of your hearts, people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. If you don't, my fury will flare up like a fire. It will burn, and no one will be able to put it out, because of the evil you do.

5 Report this message in Judah. Make it heard in Jerusalem. Say, "Blow the ram's horn throughout the land." Shout loudly and say, "Gather together! Let's go into the fortified cities."

6 Raise the flag to signal people to go to Zion. Take cover! Don't just stand there! I'm bringing disaster and widespread destruction from the north.

7 A lion has come out of its lair. A destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to destroy your land. Your cities will be ruined, and no one will live in them.

8 So put on sackcloth, mourn, and cry because the LORD's burning anger hasn't turned away from us.

9 "When that day comes," declares the LORD, "the king and the leaders will lose their courage. The priests will be stunned. The prophets will be amazed and astonished."

10 I said, "Almighty LORD, you certainly have deceived these people and Jerusalem. You said that everything would go well for them, but a sword is held at their throats."

11 At that time it will be said to these people and to Jerusalem: "A hot wind from the heights will blow in the desert on the tracks of my people. It will not be a wind that winnows or cleanses.

12 It will be a stronger wind than that. It will come from me. Now, I will pass sentence on them."

13 The enemy comes up like clouds. His chariots are like a raging wind. His horses are faster than eagles. How horrible it will be for us! We will be destroyed!

14 Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart so that you may be rescued. Don't continue making evil plans.

15 A message is heard from Dan, and a report of disaster comes from the mountains of Ephraim.

16 Warn the nations about these things. Bring them to the attention of Jerusalem. "Hostile troops are coming from a distant country. They are shouting battle cries against the cities of Judah.

17 They surround them like men guarding a field, because Judah has rebelled against me," declares the LORD.

18 "You brought this on yourself. This is your punishment. It is bitter. It breaks your heart."

19 My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. My heart is beating wildly! My heart is pounding! I can't keep quiet because I hear a ram's horn sounding the alarm for war.

20 One disaster follows another. The whole land is ruined. My tents are suddenly destroyed. Their curtains are torn in an instant.

21 How long must I see the battle flag and hear the sound of rams' horns?

22 "My people are fools. They don't know me. They are stupid people. They don't understand. They are experts in doing wrong, and they don't know how to do good."

23 I see the earth. It's formless and empty. I see the sky. Its lights are gone.

24 I see the mountains. They are shaking, and the hills are swaying.

25 I see that there are no people, and every bird has flown away.

26 I see that the fertile land has become a desert, and all its cities are torn down because of the LORD and his burning anger.

27 This is what the LORD says: The whole earth will be ruined, although I will not destroy it completely.

28 The earth will mourn, and the sky will grow black. I have spoken, and I have planned it. I won't change my plans, and I won't turn back.

29 All the people in the city will flee at the sound of riders and archers. They will go off into the thickets and climb among the rocks. The entire city will be abandoned, and no one will live in it.

30 You are going to be destroyed! What are you going to do? Why do you dress in red and put on gold jewelry? Why do you wear eye shadow? You are making yourself beautiful for nothing. Your lovers reject you; they want to kill you.

31 I hear a woman in labor. I hear the woman cry with anguish as she gives birth to her first child. My people Zion are gasping for breath. They are stretching out their hands, saying, "How horrible it is for us! We're defenseless in the presence of murderers!"