THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 4 ©
An exhortation to true repentance, v. 1, etc. A large declaration and representation of the future destruction of the land of Judah by the Babylonians, for their sins, contrary to the prediction of the false prophet, 5, 27. Whereat the prophet bitterly laments, 19. In the meanwhile God promises a gracious moderation of the plagues, 27.
IF1 thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine 2abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not 3remove.
And thou shalt 4swear, The LORD liveth, in 5truth,a in 6judgment, and in righteousness; and the 7nations shall blessb themselves in 8him, and in him shall they glory.
¶For thus saith the LORD to the 9men of Judah and 10Jerusalem, 11Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among 12thorns.
13Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart,c ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like 14fire,d and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, 15gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced 16cities.
Set up the standard 17toward Zion: 18retire, stay not: for I will bring 19evil from the 20north, and a great 21destruction.
The 22lione is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make 23thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laidf waste, without an inhabitant.
For this gird you with 24sackcloth, lamentg and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall 25perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the 26prophets shall wonder.
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast 27greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the 28soul.
At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A 29dry wind of the high places in the wilderness 30toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to 31cleanse,
Even a 32full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I 33give sentence against them.
Behold, 34he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are 35swifter than eagles. 36Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
O Jerusalem, washh thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain 37thoughts 38lodge within thee?
For a voice 39declareth from 40Dan, and publisheth affliction from 41mount Ephraim.
Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish 42against Jerusalem, that 43watchers come from a 44far country, and 45give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
As 46keepers of a field, are they against 47her round about; because 48she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.
Thy 49way and thy doings have procured 50these things unto thee; this is thy 51wickedness, because 52it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
¶ 53My bowels,i my bowels! I am pained at my 54very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot 55hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
56Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my 57tents spoiled, and my curtains in a 58moment.
How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottishj children, and they have none understanding: they are 59wise to do evil, but to do 60good they have no knowledge.
I beheld the 61earth, and, lo, it was 62without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no 63light.
I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills 64moved lightly.
I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were 65fled.
I beheld, and, lo, the 66fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities 67thereof were broken down at the presence of 68the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be 69desolate; yet will I not make a 70fullk end.
For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be 71black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
The whole city shall 72flee for the 73noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into 74thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
And when 75thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou 76clothest thyself with crimson, though thou 77deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy 78lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy 79life.
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that 80bewaileth herself, that 81spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of 82murderers.