Jeremiah
Jeremiah 4 ©
1 Israel is excited to repentance by promises, 3 and Judah by threats of hostile invasion and the calamities of war. 19 The prophet lamenteth bitterly the afflictions of his country.
IF thou wilt return, O aIsrael, saith the LORD, breturn unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine cabominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not dremove.
iCircumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: jlest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
The nlion 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 thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, owithout an inhabitant.
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that rthe heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and sthe priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou thast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, uYe shall have peace; whereas the sword vreacheth unto the soul.
Even 3a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I 4give sentence against them.
For omy people is foolish, they have not known me; they are *sottish children, and they have none understanding: pthey are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
For wthis shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because xI have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
The ywhole 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.
And when thou art spoiled, zwhat wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou adeckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy 6face with painting, bin vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy clovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
For I have heard a voice das of a woman in *travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of ethe daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that fspreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied gbecause of murderers.