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Jeremiah 4
Complete Jewish Bible
Jeremiah 4
Complete Jewish Bible
4 “Isra’el, if you will return,” says Adonai,
“yes, return to me; and if you will banish
your abominations from my presence
without wandering astray again;
2 and if you will swear, ‘As Adonai lives,’
in truth, justice and righteousness;
then the nations will bless themselves by him,
and in him will they glory.”
3 For here is what Adonai says
to the people of Y’hudah and Yerushalayim:
“Break up your ground that hasn’t been plowed,
and do not sow among thorns.”
4 “People of Y’hudah and inhabitants of Yerushalayim,
circumcise yourselves for Adonai,
remove the foreskins of your heart!
Otherwise my fury will lash out like fire,
burning so hot that no one can quench it,
because of how evil your actions are.
5 “Announce in Y’hudah, proclaim in Yerushalayim;
say: ‘Blow the shofar in the land!’
Shout the message aloud: ‘Assemble!
Let us go to the fortified cities!’
6 Set up a signal toward Tziyon,
head for cover without delay.
For I will bring disaster from the north,
yes, dire destruction.
7 A lion has risen from his lair,
a destroyer of nations has set out,
left his own place to ruin your land,
to demolish and depopulate your cities.”
8 So wrap yourselves in sackcloth,
lament and wail, for Adonai’s fierce anger
has not turned away from us.
9 “When that day comes,” says Adonai,
“the king’s heart will fail him,
likewise the princes’;
the cohanim will be appalled
and the prophets stupefied.”
10 Then I said, “Oh, Adonai Elohim! Surely you have sadly deceived this people and Yerushalayim by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our very throats!”
11 “At that time it will be said
of this people and of Yerushalayim:
‘A scorching wind from the desert heights
is sweeping down on my people.’
It is not coming to winnow or cleanse;
12 this wind of mine is too strong for that.
Now I will pass sentence on them.”
13 Here he comes, like the clouds,
his chariots like the whirlwind,
his horses faster than eagles!
Woe to us, we are doomed!
14 Wash the evil from your heart, Yerushalayim,
so that you can be saved.
How long will you harbor within yourselves
your evil thoughts?
15 For a voice is announcing the news from Dan,
proclaiming disaster from the hills of Efrayim:
16 “Report it to the nations,
proclaim about Yerushalayim:
‘[Enemies] are coming from a distant country,
watching and shouting their war cry
against the cities of Y’hudah.’
17 Like guards in a field they surround her,
because she has rebelled against me,” says Adonai.
18 “Your own ways and your actions
have brought these things on yourselves.
This is your wickedness, so bitter!
It has reached your very heart.”
19 My guts! My guts! I’m writhing in pain!
My heart! It beats wildly — I can’t stay still! —
because I have heard the shofar sound;
it’s the call to war.
20 The news is disaster after disaster!
All the land is ruined!
My tents are suddenly destroyed,
my tent curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see that signal
and hear the shofar sound?
22 “It is because my people are foolish —
they do not know me; they are stupid children,
without understanding, wise when doing evil;
but they don’t know how to do good.”
23 I looked at the land — it was unformed and void —
and at the sky — it had no light.
24 I looked at the mountains, and they shook —
all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I looked, and there was no human being;
all the birds in the air had fled.
26 I looked, and the fertile fields were a desert,
all the land’s cities were razed to the ground
at the presence of Adonai,
before his burning anger.
27 For here is what Adonai says:
“The whole land will be desolate
(although I will not destroy it completely).
28 Because of this, the land will mourn
and the sky above be black;
for I have spoken, I have decided,
I will not change my mind, I will not turn back.”
29 At the noise of the horsemen and archers,
the entire city flees —
some plunge into thickets; others climb rocks;
all cities are deserted; no one lives there.
30 And you, who are doomed to be plundered,
what do you mean by putting on crimson,
decking yourselves with jewels and gold,
enlarging your eyes with eye make-up?
You beautify yourself in vain —
your lovers despise you, they seek your life!
31 For I have heard a sound like a woman in labor,
in anguish giving birth to her first child.
It is the sound of the daughter of Tziyon
gasping for breath as she spreads her hands:
“Woe to me! Everything in me
is so weary before the killers.”
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
1599 Geneva Bible
Jeremiah 4
1599 Geneva Bible
4 1 True repentance. 4 He exhorteth to the circumcision of the heart. 5 The destruction of Judah is prophesied for the malice of their hearts. 19 The Prophet lamenteth it.
1 O Israel, if thou return, [a]return unto me, saith the Lord: and if thou put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
2 And thou shalt [b]swear, The Lord liveth in truth, in judgment and in righteousness, and the nations shall be blessed in him, and shall glory in him.
3 For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah, and to Jerusalem,
4 Break up [c]your fallow ground, and sow not among the thorns: be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, ye men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest my wrath come forth like fire, and burn, that none can quench it, because of the wickedness of your inventions.
5 [d]Declare in Judah, and show forth in Jerusalem, and say, Blow the trumpet in the land: cry, and gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into strong cities.
6 Set up the standard in Zion: [e]prepare to flee, and stay not: for I will bring a plague from the North, and a great destruction.
7 The [f]lion is come up from his den, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is departed, and gone forth of his place to lay thy land waste, and thy cities shall be destroyed without an inhabitant.
8 Wherefore gird you with sackcloth: lament, and howl, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 And in that day, saith the Lord, the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes and the Priests shall be astonished, and the [g]Prophets shall wonder.
10 Then said I, Ah, Lord God, surely thou hast [h]deceived this people, and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace, and the sword pierceth unto the heart.
11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry [i]wind in the high places of the wilderness cometh toward the daughter of my people, but neither [j]to fan nor to cleanse.
12 A mighty wind shall come unto me from those places, and now will I also give sentence upon them.
13 Behold, he shall come up as the [k]clouds, and his chariots shall be as a tempest: his horses are lighter than eagles. [l]Woe unto us, for we are destroyed.
14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved: how long shall thy wicked thoughts remain within thee?
15 For a voice declareth from [m]Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount [n]Ephraim.
16 Make ye mention of the heathen, and publish in Jerusalem, Behold, the scouts come from a far country, and cry out against the cities of Judah.
17 They have compassed her about as the watchmen of the [o]field, because it hath provoked me unto wrath, saith the Lord.
18 Thy ways and thine inventions have procured thee these things, such is thy wickedness: therefore it shall be bitter, therefore it shall pierce unto thine heart.
19 My belly, my [p]belly, I am pained, even at the very heart: mine heart is troubled within me: I cannot be still: for my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, and the alarm of the battle.
20 Destruction upon destruction is cried, for the whole land is wasted: suddenly are my [q]tents destroyed, 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 is foolish, they have not known me: they are foolish children, and have none understanding: [r]they are wise to do evil, but to do well they have no knowledge.
23 I have looked upon the earth, and lo, it was without form and [s]void: and to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains: and lo, they trembled, and all the hills shook.
25 I beheld, and lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heaven were departed.
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 wrath.
27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate: yet will I [t]not make a full end.
28 Therefore shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above shall be darkened, because I have pronounced it: I have thought 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 shalt be destroyed, what wilt thou do? Though thou [u]clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou paintest thy face with colors, yet shalt thou trim thyself in vain: for thy lovers will abhor thee and seek thy life.
31 For I have heard a noise as of a woman travailing, or as one laboring of her first child, even the voice of the daughter Zion that sigheth and stretcheth out her hands: [v]woe is me now: for my soul fainteth because of the murderers.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 4:1 That is, wholly, and without hypocrisy, Joel 2:12, not dissembling to turn and serve God as they do which serve him by halves, as Hos. 7:16.
- Jeremiah 4:2 Thou shalt detest the name of idols, Ps. 16:4, and shalt with reverence swear by the living God, when thine oath may advance God’s glory, and profit others: and here, by swearing he meaneth the true religion of God.
- Jeremiah 4:4 He willeth them to pluck up the impiety and wicked affection and worldly respects out of their heart, that the true seed of God’s word may be sown therein, Hos. 10:12, and this is the true circumcision of the heart, Deut. 10:16; Rom. 2:29; Col. 2:11.
- Jeremiah 4:5 He warneth them of the great dangers that shall come upon them by the Chaldeans, except, they repent and turn to the Lord.
- Jeremiah 4:6 He speaketh this to admonish them of the great danger when every man shall prepare to save himself, but it shall be too late, 2 Kings 25:4.
- Jeremiah 4:7 Meaning, Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, 2 Kings 24:1.
- Jeremiah 4:9 That is, the false prophets, which still prophesied peace and security.
- Jeremiah 4:10 By the false prophets which promised peace and tranquility: and thus thou hast punished their rebellious stubbornness by causing them to hearken unto lies which would not believe thy truth, 1 Kings 22:23; Ezek. 14:9; 2 Thess. 2:11.
- Jeremiah 4:11 The North wind whereby he meaneth Nebuchadnezzar.
- Jeremiah 4:11 But to carry away both corn, and chaff.
- Jeremiah 4:13 Meaning, that Nebuchadnezzar should come as suddenly, as a cloud that is carried with the wind.
- Jeremiah 4:13 This is spoken in the person of all the people, who in their affliction should cry thus.
- Jeremiah 4:15 Which was a city in the utmost border of Israel Northward toward Babylon.
- Jeremiah 4:15 Which was in the mid-way between Dan and Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 4:17 Which keep the fruits so straightly, that nothing can come in nor out: so should the Babylonians compass Judah.
- Jeremiah 4:19 He showeth that the true ministers are lively touched with the calamities of the Church, so that all the parts of their body feel the grief of their heart, albeit with zeal to God’s glory they pronounce his judgments against the people.
- Jeremiah 4:20 Meaning, the cities, which were as easily cast down as a tent.
- Jeremiah 4:22 Their wisdom and policy tend to their own destruction and pulleth them from God.
- Jeremiah 4:23 By these manner of speeches he showeth the horrible destruction that should come upon the land, and also condemneth the obstinacy of the people, who repent not at the fear of these terrible tidings, seeing that the insensible creatures are moved therewith, as if the order of nature should be changed, Isa. 13:10 and 24:23; Ezek. 32:7; Joel 2:31 and 3:15.
- Jeremiah 4:27 But for his mercy’s sake, he will reserve himself a residue to be his Church, and to praise him in earth, Isa. 1:9.
- Jeremiah 4:30 Neither thy ceremonies nor rich gifts shall deliver thee.
- Jeremiah 4:31 As the Prophets were moved to pity the destruction of their people, so they declared it to the people to move them to repentance, Isa. 22:4; Jer. 9:1.
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. 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.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.