Jeremiah 4

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 'If you come back, Israel, Yahweh declares, if you come back to me, if you take your Horrors out of mysight, if you go roving no more,	1 If you wish to return, O Israel, says the LORD, return to me. If you put your detestable things out of my sight, and do not stray,
2 if you swear, "As Yahweh lives!" truthful y, justly, uprightly, then the nations wil bless themselves by him and glory in him.	2 Then you can swear, "As the LORD lives," in truth, in judgment, and in justice; Then shall the nations use his name in blessing, and glory in him.
3 'For Yahweh says this to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, "Clear the ground that lies neglected, do notsow among thorns.	3 For to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, thus says the LORD: Till your untilled ground, sow not among thorns.
4 Circumcise yourselves for Yahweh, apply circumcision to your hearts, men of Judah and inhabitants ofJerusalem, or my wrath wil leap out like a fire and burn with no one to quench it, in return for the wickedness ofyour deeds." '	4 For the sake of the LORD, be circumcised, remove the foreskins of your hearts, O men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem; Lest my anger break out like fire, and burn till none can quench it, because of your evil deeds.
5 Announce it in Judah, proclaim it in Jerusalem, say, 'Sound the trumpet in the countryside, shout themessage aloud: Mobilise! Take to the fortified towns!	5 Proclaim it in Judah, make it heard in Jerusalem; Blow the trumpet through the land, summon the recruits! Say, "Fall in, let us march to the fortified cities."
6 Signpost the way to Zion! Run! Do not delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, an immensecalamity.	6 Bear the standard to Zion, seek refuge without delay! Evil I bring from the north, and great destruction.
7 The lion is up from his thicket, the destroyer of nations is on his way, he has come from his home toreduce your land to a desert; your towns wil be in ruins, uninhabited.	7 Up comes the lion from his lair, the destroyer of nations has set out, has left his place, To turn your land into desolation, till your cities lie waste and empty.
8 So wrap yourselves in sackcloth, lament and wail, since Yahweh's burning anger has not turned awayfrom us.	8 So gird yourselves with sackcloth, mourn and wail: "The blazing wrath of the LORD is not turned away from us."
9 'That day,' Yahweh declares, 'the king's heart will fail him, the princes' hearts wil fail them too, thepriests wil stand aghast, the prophets stupefied.'	9 In that day, says the LORD, The king will lose heart, and the princes; the priests will be amazed, and the prophets stunned.
10 Then I said, 'Ah, Lord Yahweh, how sadly you deceived this people and Jerusalem when you used tosay, "You wil have peace," whereas the sword is now at our throats!	10 "Alas! Lord GOD," they will say, "You only deceived us When you said: Peace shall be yours; for the sword touches our very soul."
11 When that time comes, this wil be said to this people and to Jerusalem: The scorching wind from thedesert heights comes towards the daughter of my people -and not to winnow or to cleanse!	11 At that time it will be said of this people and of Jerusalem, "From the glaring heights through the desert a wind comes toward the daughter of my people." Not to winnow, not to cleanse,
12 A gale of wind comes to me from over there. Now I myself shal pass sentence on them!'	12 does this wind from the heights come at my bidding; And I myself now pronounce sentence upon them.
13 Look, he is advancing like the clouds, his chariots like a hurricane, his horses swifter than eagles.Disaster for us! We are lost!	13 See! like storm clouds he advances, like a hurricane his chariots; Swifter than eagles are his steeds: "Woe to us! we are ruined."
14 Wash your heart clean of wickedness, Jerusalem, and so be saved. How long wil you go onharbouring your pernicious thoughts?	14 Cleanse your heart of evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long must your pernicious thoughts lodge within you?
15 For a voice from Dan shouts the news, proclaims disaster from the highlands of Ephraim.	15 Listen! They proclaim it from Dan, from Mount Ephraim they announce destruction:
16 Report it to the nations, proclaim it to Jerusalem, 'Enemies are coming from a distant country, shoutingtheir war cry against the towns of Judah;	16 "Make this known to the nations, announce it to Jerusalem: The besiegers are coming from the distant land, shouting their war cry against the cities of Judah."
17 they surround her like watchmen round a field because she has rebel ed against me', Yahwehdeclares.	17 Like watchmen of the fields they surround her, for she has rebelled against me, says the LORD.
18 'Your own behaviour and actions have brought this on yourself. Your wickedness, how bitter, hasstabbed you to the heart!'	18 Your conduct, your misdeeds, have done this to you; how bitter is this disaster of yours, how it reaches to your very heart!
19 In the pit of my stomach how great my agony! Walls of my heart! My heart is throbbing! I cannot keepquiet, for I have heard the trumpet call, the battle cry.	19 My breast! my breast! how I suffer! The walls of my heart! My heart beats wildly, I cannot be still; For I have heard the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20 Ruin on ruin is the news: the whole land is laid waste, my tents are suddenly destroyed, in one momental that sheltered me.	20 Ruin after ruin is reported; the whole earth is laid waste. In an instant my tents are ravaged; in a flash, my shelters.
21 How long must I see the standard and hear the trumpet cal ?	21 How long must I see that signal, hear that trumpet sound!
22 'This is because my people are stupid, they do not know me, they are slow-witted children, they haveno understanding, they are clever enough at doing wrong, but do not know how to do right.'	22 Fools my people are, they know me not; Senseless children they are, having no understanding; They are wise in evil, but know not how to do good.
23 I looked to the earth -- it was a formless waste; to the heavens, and their light had gone.	23 I looked at the earth, and it was waste and void; at the heavens, and their light had gone out!
24 I looked to the mountains -- they were quaking and al the hil s rocking to and fro.	24 I looked at the mountains, and they were trembling, and all the hills were crumbling!
25 I looked -- there was no one at all, the very birds of heaven had al fled.	25 I looked and behold, there was no man; even the birds of the air had flown away!
26 I looked -- the fruitful land was a desert, all its towns in ruins before Yahweh, before his burning anger.	26 I looked and behold, the garden land was a desert, with all its cities destroyed before the LORD, before his blazing wrath.
27 Yes, Yahweh has said this, 'The whole country wil be laid waste, though I shall not annihilate itcompletely.	27 For thus says the LORD: Waste shall the whole land be; I will (not) wholly destroy it.
28 For this, the earth wil go into mourning and the heavens above grow dark. For I have spoken, I havedecided, I shal not change my mind or go back on it.'	28 Because of this the earth shall mourn, the heavens above shall darken; I have spoken, I will not repent, I have resolved, I will not turn back.
29 At the din of horseman and archer the entire city takes to flight: some plunge into the thickets, othersscale the rocks; every town is abandoned, not a single person is left there.	29 At the shout of horseman and bowman each city takes to flight; They shrink into the thickets, they scale the rocks: All the cities are abandoned, and no one dwells in them.
30 And, once despoiled, what are you going to do? You may dress yourself in scarlet, put on ornaments ofgold, enlarge your eyes with paint but you make yourself pretty in vain. Your former lovers disdain you, your lifeis what they are seeking.	30 You now who are doomed, what do you mean by putting on purple, bedecking yourself with gold, Shading your eyes with cosmetics, beautifying yourself in vain? Your lovers spurn you, they seek your life.
31 Yes, I hear screams like those of a woman in labour, anguish like that of a woman giving birth to herfirst child; they are the screams of the daughter of Zion, gasping, hands outstretched, 'Unhappy me! I am dying,the murderers have kil ed me!'	31 Yes, I hear the moaning, as of a woman in travail, like the anguish of a mother with her first child- The cry of daughter Zion gasping, as she stretches forth her hands: "Ah, woe is me! I sink exhausted before the slayers!"