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“If you will come back, Israel,
    then come back to me,” says the Lord.
“Throw away your idols that I hate.
    Don’t wander away from me.
Then you may say when you make a promise,
    ‘As surely as the Lord lives.’
    And you can say it in a truthful, honest and right way.
Then the nations will be blessed by the Lord.
    And they will praise the Lord for what he has done.”

This is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:

“Plow your unplowed fields.
    Don’t plant seeds among the thorns.
Give yourselves to the service of the Lord.
    Decide to obey him.
    Do this, men of Judah and people of Jerusalem.
If you don’t, my anger will spread among you like a fire.
    No one will be able to put it out
    because of the evil you have done.

Trouble from the North

“Announce this message to Judah and say it in Jerusalem:
    ‘Blow the trumpet throughout the country!’
Shout out loud and say,
    ‘Come together!
    Let’s all escape to the strong, walled cities!’
Raise the signal flag toward Jerusalem!
    Run for your lives! And don’t wait!
Do this because I am bringing disaster from the north.
    It will be terrible destruction.”

A lion has come out of his den.
    A destroyer of nations has begun to march.
He has left his home
    to destroy your land.
Your towns will be destroyed.
    There will be no people left to live in them.
So put on rough cloth,
    show how sad you are and cry loudly.
The terrible anger of the Lord
    has not turned away from us.

“When this happens,” says the Lord,
    “the king and officers will lose their courage.
The priests will be terribly afraid.
    And the prophets will be shocked!”

10 Then I, Jeremiah, said, “Lord God, you have tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You said, ‘You will have peace.’ But now the sword is pointing at our throats!”

11 At that time this message will be given to Judah and Jerusalem: “A hot wind blows from the bare hilltops. It comes out of the desert toward the Lord’s people. It is not like the gentle wind farmers use to separate grain from chaff. 12 It’s a stronger wind than that. And it comes from the Lord. Now he will announce his judgment against the people of Judah.”

13 Look! The enemy rises up like a cloud.
    His chariots come like a windstorm.
His horses are faster than eagles.
    How terrible it will be for us! We are ruined!
14 People of Jerusalem, clean the evil from your hearts and be saved.
    Don’t continue making evil plans.
15 A voice from Dan makes an announcement.
    From the mountains of Ephraim someone brings bad news.
16 “Report this to the nations.
    Spread this news in Jerusalem:
‘Enemies are coming from a faraway country.
    They are shouting words of war against the cities of Judah.
17 The enemy has surrounded Jerusalem as men guard a field.
    This is because Judah turned against me,’” says the Lord.
18 “The way you have lived and acted
    has brought this trouble to you.
This is your punishment.
    How terrible it is!
    The pain stabs your heart!”

Jeremiah’s Cry

19 Oh, how I hurt! How I hurt!
    I am bent over in pain.
Oh, the torture in my heart!
    My heart is pounding inside me.
    I cannot keep quiet.
This is because I have heard the sound of the trumpet.
    I have heard the words of war.
20 Disaster follows disaster.
    The whole country has been destroyed.
My tents are destroyed in only a moment.
    My curtains are torn down quickly.
21 How long must I look at the war flag?
    How long must I listen to the war trumpets?

22 The Lord says, “My people are foolish.
    They do not know me.
They are stupid children.
    They don’t understand.
They are skillful at doing evil.
    They don’t know how to do good.”

Disaster Is Coming

23 I looked at the earth.
    It was empty and had no shape!
I looked at the sky.
    And its light was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
    and they were shaking!
    All the hills were trembling.
25 I looked, and there were no people!
    Every bird in the sky had flown away.
26 I looked, and the good, rich land had become a desert!
    All its towns had been destroyed.
    The Lord and his great anger has caused this.

27 This is what the Lord says:

“All the land will be ruined.
    But I will not completely destroy it.
28 So the people in the land will cry loudly.
    And the sky will grow dark.
This is because I have spoken and will not change my mind.
    I have made a decision, and I will not change it.”

29 The towns will hear the sound of the horsemen and soldiers with bows.
    All the people will run away.
Some of them will hide in the thick bushes.
    Some will climb up into the rocks.
All of the cities of Judah are empty.
    No one lives in them.
30 Judah, you destroyed nation, what are you doing?
    Why do you put on your finest dress?
    Why do you put on your gold jewelry?
Why do you put on your eye shadow?
    You make yourself beautiful, but it is all useless.
Your lovers hate you.
    They want to kill you.

31 I hear a cry like a woman having a baby.
    It is a cry like a woman having her first child.
It is the voice of Jerusalem gasping for breath.
    She lifts her hands in prayer and says,
“Oh! I am about to faint.
    They are about to murder me!”

“If you, Israel, will return,(A)
    then return to me,”
declares the Lord.
“If you put your detestable idols(B) out of my sight
    and no longer go astray,
and if in a truthful, just and righteous way
    you swear,(C) ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’(D)
then the nations will invoke blessings(E) by him
    and in him they will boast.(F)

This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:

“Break up your unplowed ground(G)
    and do not sow among thorns.(H)
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
    circumcise your hearts,(I)
    you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath(J) will flare up and burn like fire(K)
    because of the evil(L) you have done—
    burn with no one to quench(M) it.

Disaster From the North

“Announce in Judah and proclaim(N) in Jerusalem and say:
    ‘Sound the trumpet(O) throughout the land!’
Cry aloud and say:
    ‘Gather together!
    Let us flee to the fortified cities!’(P)
Raise the signal(Q) to go to Zion!
    Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster(R) from the north,(S)
    even terrible destruction.”

A lion(T) has come out of his lair;(U)
    a destroyer(V) of nations has set out.
He has left his place
    to lay waste(W) your land.
Your towns will lie in ruins(X)
    without inhabitant.
So put on sackcloth,(Y)
    lament(Z) and wail,
for the fierce anger(AA) of the Lord
    has not turned away from us.

“In that day,” declares the Lord,
    “the king and the officials will lose heart,(AB)
the priests will be horrified,
    and the prophets will be appalled.”(AC)

10 Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! How completely you have deceived(AD) this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’(AE) when the sword is at our throats!”

11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind(AF) from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind(AG) too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments(AH) against them.”

13 Look! He advances like the clouds,(AI)
    his chariots(AJ) come like a whirlwind,(AK)
his horses(AL) are swifter than eagles.(AM)
    Woe to us! We are ruined!(AN)
14 Jerusalem, wash(AO) the evil from your heart and be saved.(AP)
    How long(AQ) will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 A voice is announcing from Dan,(AR)
    proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.(AS)
16 “Tell this to the nations,
    proclaim concerning Jerusalem:
‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land,(AT)
    raising a war cry(AU) against the cities of Judah.(AV)
17 They surround(AW) her like men guarding a field,
    because she has rebelled(AX) against me,’”
declares the Lord.
18 “Your own conduct and actions(AY)
    have brought this on you.(AZ)
This is your punishment.
    How bitter(BA) it is!
    How it pierces to the heart!”

19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish!(BB)
    I writhe in pain.(BC)
Oh, the agony of my heart!
    My heart pounds(BD) within me,
    I cannot keep silent.(BE)
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet;(BF)
    I have heard the battle cry.(BG)
20 Disaster follows disaster;(BH)
    the whole land lies in ruins.(BI)
In an instant my tents(BJ) are destroyed,
    my shelter in a moment.
21 How long must I see the battle standard(BK)
    and hear the sound of the trumpet?(BL)

22 “My people are fools;(BM)
    they do not know me.(BN)
They are senseless children;
    they have no understanding.(BO)
They are skilled in doing evil;(BP)
    they know not how to do good.”(BQ)

23 I looked at the earth,
    and it was formless and empty;(BR)
and at the heavens,
    and their light(BS) was gone.
24 I looked at the mountains,
    and they were quaking;(BT)
    all the hills were swaying.
25 I looked, and there were no people;
    every bird in the sky had flown away.(BU)
26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert;(BV)
    all its towns lay in ruins(BW)
    before the Lord, before his fierce anger.(BX)

27 This is what the Lord says:

“The whole land will be ruined,(BY)
    though I will not destroy(BZ) it completely.
28 Therefore the earth will mourn(CA)
    and the heavens above grow dark,(CB)
because I have spoken and will not relent,(CC)
    I have decided and will not turn back.(CD)

29 At the sound of horsemen and archers(CE)
    every town takes to flight.(CF)
Some go into the thickets;
    some climb up among the rocks.(CG)
All the towns are deserted;(CH)
    no one lives in them.

30 What are you doing,(CI) you devastated one?
    Why dress yourself in scarlet
    and put on jewels(CJ) of gold?
Why highlight your eyes with makeup?(CK)
    You adorn yourself in vain.
Your lovers(CL) despise you;
    they want to kill you.(CM)

31 I hear a cry as of a woman in labor,(CN)
    a groan as of one bearing her first child—
the cry of Daughter Zion(CO) gasping for breath,(CP)
    stretching out her hands(CQ) and saying,
“Alas! I am fainting;
    my life is given over to murderers.”(CR)