Yirmeyahu 4 ירמיהו ד׳

If thou wilt return, O Yisra᾽el, says the Lord, return to me: and if thou wilt put away thy abominations out of my sight, without wavering,

and wilt swear, As the Lord lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; then the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

For thus says the Lord to the men of Yehuda and Yerushalayim, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Yehuda and inhabitants of Yerushalayim: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Declare in Yehuda, and publish in Yerushalayim; and say, Blow the shofar in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.

Set up the standard toward Żiyyon: seek cover, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations is on his way; he is gone out of his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without inhabitant.

For this gird on sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us.

And it shall come to pass on that day, says the Lord, that the heart of the king shall fail, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

Then said I, Ah, Lord God surely Thou hast greatly deceived this people and Yerushalayim, saying, You shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches to the soul.

At that time shall it be said of this people and of Yerushalayim, A dry wind of the high hills in the wilderness towards the daughter of my people, not a wind to winnow, nor to cleanse the corn,

but a wind stronger than those shall come for me: now also will I give sentence against them.

Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a storm wind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! for we are ruined.

O Yerushalayim, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayst be saved. How long shall thy thoughts of calamity lodge within thee?

For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes calamity from mount Efrayim.

Make mention to the nations; behold, publish against Yerushalayim, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Yehuda.

As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she has been rebellious against me, says the Lord.

Thy way and thy doings have brought these things upon thee; this is thy wickedness, and it is bitter; it reaches to thy heart.

My bowels, my bowels! I am shaken in the chambers of my heart; my heart moans within me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the shofar, the alarm of war.

Destruction follows upon destruction; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the shofar?

For my people is foolish, they do not know me; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro.

I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the sky were fled.

I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down, at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.

For thus says the Lord, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not relent, neither will I turn back from it.

The whole city flees at the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks; every city is forsaken, and not a man dwells therein.

And thou, O ruined one, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thyself with ornaments of gold, though thou enlarge thy eyes with paint, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Żiyyon, sobbing and spreading out her hands, saying, Woe is me, now! for my soul faints before the slayers.