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Jeremiah 4
New Catholic Bible
Jeremiah 4
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 4
1 If you return, O Israel, says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you banish your loathsome idols from my sight
and do not go astray,
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then the nations will bless themselves by him
and will glory in him.
3 For these are the words of the Lord to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up your unplowed ground
and do not sow among thorns.
4 For the sake of the Lord be circumcised
and remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will leap forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it
because of your evil deeds.
Invasion from the North[a]
5 Announce it in Judah;
proclaim it in Jerusalem.
Blow the trumpet throughout the land;
shout aloud the command,
“Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!”
6 Raise the signal to proceed toward Zion!
Flee for safety! Do not delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north
as well as immense destruction.
7 A lion has come forth from its lair
the destroyer of nations has set forth.
He has left his lair
to make your towns a wasteland;
they will be in ruins and uninhabited.
8 Therefore, wrap yourselves in sackcloth,
beat your breasts and wail,
because the blazing anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 On that day, says the Lord,
the courage of the kings and the princes will fail;
the priests will be horrified
and the prophets will be astounded.
10 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God,
you completely deceived the people and Jerusalem
when you promised that we would have peace,
for now the sword is held at our throats.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem:
A scorching wind comes forth from the desert heights
and sweeps down on my people,
although not to winnow or to cleanse.
12 A wind far too strong for that
will come forth at my bidding,
and I myself will pass judgment on them.
13 Behold, he advances
like storm clouds;
like a whirlwind are his chariots.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Disaster threatens us. We are lost.
14 Cleanse your heart of all wickedness
so that you may be saved.
How long will you allow evil thoughts to lodge within you?
15 A voice from Dan[b] declares the news
proclaiming disaster from Mount Ephraim.
16 Announce this to the nations,
make it known to Jerusalem:
Besiegers are coming from a distant land,
shouting their war cry against the cities of Judah.
17 They surround her like watchmen guarding a field
because she has rebelled against me, says the Lord.
18 Your conduct and your evil deeds
have brought this upon you.
How bitter is your punishment!
It has pierced the depths of your heart.
19 How great is my anguish
that causes me to writhe in pain!
I cannot keep silent in my agony
as my heart beats wildly.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet
and that of the battle cry.
20 One disaster follows upon another;
the entire land lies in ruins.
My tents are suddenly destroyed,
everything that offered me shelter.
21 How long must I see the standard raised
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 My people are fools;
they do not know me.
They are senseless children
who have no semblance of understanding.
They are skilled in the practice of evil
but they do not know how to do good.
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was a formless wasteland;
I gazed at the heavens,
but I could not discern any light.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking,
while all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I looked, but I could not see anyone;
even the birds of the air had flown away.
26 I looked, and the fertile land had become a desert;
all of its towns lay in ruins
before the Lord, before his blazing anger.
27 Thus says the Lord:
The entire land will be a desolate waste,
but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Because of this the earth will mourn
and the heavens above will grow dark.
For I have spoken and made clear my intention,
and I will not relent or turn back.
29 At the shouts of horsemen and archers
every city takes to flight.
Some people crawl into the thickets
while others scale the rocks.
All the cities are abandoned,
with no one to live in them.
30 What are you doing, you who are doomed,
by clothing yourself in purple,
adorning yourself with ornaments of gold
and shading your eyes with cosmetics?
You are beautifying yourself in vain,
for your lovers despise you,
and they only seek your life.
31 I hear cries like those of a woman in labor,
the anguished groans of one bearing her first child.
They are the screams of daughter Zion gasping for breath
as she stretches forth her hands and cries out,
“Woe is me; I am dying.
I sink exhausted before my murderers.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 4:5 The nation has grown stubborn in its degradation; now the symbol of the boiling pot (Jer 1:13) is about to be made real. Punishment is at hand. It is impossible to determine whether the prophet is speaking of the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Scythians, or even some other army.
- Jeremiah 4:15 Dan: the northernmost city of Palestine.
Jeremiah 4
New King James Version
Jeremiah 4
New King James Version
Jeremiah Laments over Judah
4 “If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,
(A)“Return to Me;
And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,
Then you shall not be moved.
2 (B)And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’
(C)In truth, in [a]judgment, and in righteousness;
(D)The nations shall bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they shall (E)glory.”
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
(F)“Break up your [b]fallow ground,
And (G)do not sow among thorns.
4 (H)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,
And take away the foreskins of your hearts,
You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Lest My fury come forth like fire,
And burn so that no one can quench it,
Because of the evil of your doings.”
An Imminent Invasion
5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:
(I)“Blow the trumpet in the land;
Cry, ‘Gather together,’
And say, (J)‘Assemble yourselves,
And let us go into the fortified cities.’
6 Set up the [c]standard toward Zion.
Take refuge! Do not delay!
For I will bring disaster from the (K)north,
And great destruction.”
7 (L)The lion has come up from his thicket,
And (M)the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
(N)To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant.
8 For this, (O)clothe yourself with sackcloth,
Lament and wail.
For the fierce anger of the Lord
Has not turned back from us.
9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,
“That the heart of the king shall perish,
And the heart of the princes;
The priests shall be astonished,
And the prophets shall wonder.”
10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!
(P)Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,
(Q)Saying, ‘You shall have peace,’
Whereas the sword reaches to the [d]heart.”
11 At that time it will be said
To this people and to Jerusalem,
(R)“A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness
Toward the daughter of My people—
Not to fan or to cleanse—
12 A wind too strong for these will come for Me;
Now (S)I will also speak judgment against them.”
13 “Behold, he shall come up like clouds,
And (T)his chariots like a whirlwind.
(U)His horses are swifter than eagles.
Woe to us, for we are plundered!”
14 O Jerusalem, (V)wash your heart from wickedness,
That you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice declares (W)from Dan
And proclaims [e]affliction from Mount Ephraim:
16 “Make mention to the nations,
Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem,
That watchers come from a (X)far country
And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.
17 (Y)Like keepers of a field they are against her all around,
Because she has been rebellious against Me,” says the Lord.
18 “Your(Z) ways and your doings
Have procured these things for you.
This is your wickedness,
Because it is bitter,
Because it reaches to your heart.”
Sorrow for the Doomed Nation
19 O my (AA)soul, my soul!
I am pained in my very heart!
My heart makes a noise in me;
I cannot hold my peace,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 (AB)Destruction upon destruction is cried,
For the whole land is plundered.
Suddenly (AC)my tents are plundered,
And my curtains in a moment.
21 How long will I see the [f]standard,
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For My people are foolish,
They have not known Me.
They are [g]silly children,
And they have no understanding.
(AD)They are wise to do evil,
But to do good they have no knowledge.”
23 (AE)I beheld the earth, and indeed it was (AF)without form, and void;
And the heavens, they had no light.
24 (AG)I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,
And all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man,
And (AH)all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a (AI)wilderness,
And all its cities were broken down
At the presence of the Lord,
By His fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord:
“The whole land shall be desolate;
(AJ)Yet I will not make a full end.
28 For this (AK)shall the earth mourn,
And (AL)the heavens above be black,
Because I have spoken.
I have (AM)purposed and (AN)will not relent,
Nor will I turn back from it.
29 The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks.
Every city shall be forsaken,
And not a man shall dwell in it.
30 “And when you are plundered,
What will you do?
Though you clothe yourself with crimson,
Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
(AO)Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,
In vain you will make yourself fair;
(AP)Your lovers will despise you;
They will seek your life.
31 “For I have heard a voice as of a woman in [h]labor,
The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,
The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself;
She (AQ)spreads her hands, saying,
‘Woe is me now, for my soul is [i]weary
Because of murderers!’
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 4:2 justice
- Jeremiah 4:3 untilled
- Jeremiah 4:6 banner
- Jeremiah 4:10 Lit. soul
- Jeremiah 4:15 Or wickedness
- Jeremiah 4:21 banner
- Jeremiah 4:22 foolish
- Jeremiah 4:31 childbirth
- Jeremiah 4:31 faint
Jeremiah 4
New International Version
Jeremiah 4
New International Version
4 “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,
2 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)”
3 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)
4 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
5 “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)
6 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.”
7 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.
8 So put on sackcloth,(Y)
lament(Z) and wail,
for the fierce anger(AA) of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 “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.
Jeremiah 4
English Standard Version
Jeremiah 4
English Standard Version
4 “If you return, O Israel,
declares the Lord,
(A)to me you should return.
If you remove your detestable things from my presence,
(B)and do not waver,
2 (C)and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’
in truth, in justice, and in righteousness,
then (D)nations shall bless themselves in him,
(E)and in him shall they glory.”
3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
(F)“Break up your fallow ground,
and (G)sow not among thorns.
4 (H)Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem;
(I)lest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
(J)because of the evil of your deeds.”
Disaster from the North
5 Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
(K)“Blow the trumpet through the land;
cry aloud and say,
(L)‘Assemble, and let us go
into the fortified cities!’
6 (M)Raise a standard toward Zion,
flee for safety, stay not,
for I bring disaster from (N)the north,
(O)and great destruction.
7 (P)A 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
(Q)without inhabitant.
8 For this (R)put on sackcloth,
lament and wail,
for (S)the fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned back from us.”
9 “In that day, declares the Lord, (T)courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.” 10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God, (U)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 (V)the 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 (W)speak in judgment upon them.”
13 Behold, he comes up like clouds;
(X)his chariots like the whirlwind;
his horses are (Y)swifter than eagles—
woe to us, (Z)for we are ruined!
14 O Jerusalem, (AA)wash your heart from evil,
that you may be saved.
How long shall your wicked thoughts
lodge within you?
15 For a voice (AB)declares from Dan
and proclaims trouble from (AC)Mount Ephraim.
16 Warn the nations that he is coming;
announce to Jerusalem,
“Besiegers come (AD)from a distant land;
they shout against the cities of Judah.
17 Like keepers of a field (AE)are 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 (AF)it is bitter;
it has reached your very heart.”
Anguish over Judah's Desolation
19 (AG)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 (AH)Crash follows hard on crash;
the whole land is laid waste.
(AI)Suddenly 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 (AJ)my people are foolish;
they know me not;
they are stupid children;
they have no understanding.
(AK)They are ‘wise’—in doing evil!
But how to do good they know not.”
23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was (AL)without form and void;
(AM)and to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on (AN)the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.
25 (AO)I looked, and behold, there was no man,
and all the birds of the air had fled.
26 I looked, and behold, the (AP)fruitful land was a desert,
and all its cities were laid in ruins
before the Lord, before (AQ)his fierce anger.
27 For thus says the Lord, “The whole land shall be a desolation; (AR)yet I will not make a full end.
28 (AS)“For this the earth shall mourn,
(AT)and the heavens above be dark;
for I have spoken; I have purposed;
(AU)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 (AV)no man dwells in them.
30 And you, O desolate one,
what do you mean that you dress in scarlet,
(AW)that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,
(AX)that you enlarge your eyes with paint?
In vain you beautify yourself.
(AY)Your lovers despise you;
they seek your life.
31 For I heard (AZ)a 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,
(BA)stretching out her hands,
“Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers.”
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.