Jeremiah4

¹“O Israel,” says the Lord, “if you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more.

²Then when you swear by my name, saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all people would come and praise my name.”

³This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns.

⁴O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord, or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.

⁵“Shout to Judah, and broadcast to Jerusalem! Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the land: ‘Run for your lives! Flee to the fortified cities!’

⁶Raise a signal flag as a warning for Jerusalem: ‘Flee now! Do not delay!’ For I am bringing terrible destruction upon you from the north.”

⁷A lion stalks from its den, a destroyer of nations. It has left its lair and is headed your way. It’s going to devastate your land! Your towns will lie in ruins, with no one living in them anymore.

⁸So put on clothes of mourning and weep with broken hearts, for the fierce anger of the Lord is still upon us.

⁹“In that day,” says the Lord, “the king and the officials will tremble in fear. The priests will be struck with horror, and the prophets will be appalled.”

¹⁰Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, the people have been deceived by what you said, for you promised peace for Jerusalem. But the sword is held at their throats!”

¹¹The time is coming when the Lord will say to the people of Jerusalem, “My dear people, a burning wind is blowing in from the desert, and it’s not a gentle breeze useful for winnowing grain.

¹²It is a roaring blast sent by me! Now I will pronounce your destruction!”

¹³Our enemy rushes down on us like storm clouds! His chariots are like whirlwinds. His horses are swifter than eagles. How terrible it will be, for we are doomed!

¹⁴O Jerusalem, cleanse your heart that you may be saved. How long will you harbor your evil thoughts?

¹⁵Your destruction has been announced from Dan and the hill country of Ephraim.

¹⁶“Warn the surrounding nations and announce this to Jerusalem: The enemy is coming from a distant land, raising a battle cry against the towns of Judah.

¹⁷They surround Jerusalem like watchmen around a field, for my people have rebelled against me,” says the Lord.

¹⁸“Your own actions have brought this upon you. This punishment is bitter, piercing you to the heart!”

¹⁹My heart, my heart—I writhe in pain! My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still. For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets and the roar of their battle cries.

²⁰Waves of destruction roll over the land, until it lies in complete desolation. Suddenly my tents are destroyed; in a moment my shelters are crushed.

²¹How long must I see the battle flags and hear the trumpets of war?

²²“My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the Lord. “They are stupid children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right!”

²³I looked at the earth, and it was empty and formless. I looked at the heavens, and there was no light.

²⁴I looked at the mountains and hills, and they trembled and shook.

²⁵I looked, and all the people were gone. All the birds of the sky had flown away.

²⁶I looked, and the fertile fields had become a wilderness. The towns lay in ruins, crushed by the Lord’s fierce anger.

²⁷This is what the Lord says: “The whole land will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.

²⁸The earth will mourn and the heavens will be draped in black because of my decree against my people. I have made up my mind and will not change it.”

²⁹At the noise of charioteers and archers, the people flee in terror. They hide in the bushes and run for the mountains. All the towns have been abandoned— not a person remains!

³⁰What are you doing, you who have been plundered? Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing and put on gold jewelry? Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara? Your primping will do you no good! The allies who were your lovers despise you and seek to kill you.

³¹I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labor, the groans of a woman giving birth to her first child. It is beautiful Jerusalem gasping for breath and crying out, “Help! I’m being murdered!”