KJV Easy Read Bible 1If you will return, O Israel, says the Lord, return to Me: and if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, then shall you not remove. detestable acts 2And you shall swear, The Lord lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him shall they glory. 3For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up yourp fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. unplowed 4Circumcise yourselvesp to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of yourp heart, youp men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of yourp doings. An Imminent Invasion 5Declare youp in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow youp the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselvesp, and let us go into the defensed cities. announce; fortified, walled 6Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. signal flag 7The lion 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 your land desolate; and your cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. foreign nations; barren, empty 8For this gird youp with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned back from us. cry loudly 9And it shall come to pass at that day, says the Lord, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder. 10Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely Youp have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches to the soul. Adonaip.f. Jehovahs.f. 11At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of My people, not to fan, nor to cleanse, places of pagan worship 12Even a full wind from those places shall come to Me: now also will I give sentence against them. judgment 13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! for we are spoiled. plundered 14O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your vain thoughts lodge within you? 15For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes affliction from mount Ephraim. announces 16Make youp mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah. 17As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she has been rebellious against Me, says the Lord. 18Your way and your doings have procured these things to you; this is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches to your heart. Sorrow for the Doomed Nation 19My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. emotions 20Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22For My people are foolish, they have not known Me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. stupid 23I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger. 27For thus has the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. 28For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. 29The whole 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. 30And when you are spoiled, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you rent your face with painting, in vain shall you make yourself fair; your lovers will despise you, they will seek your life. put on makeup 31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewails herself, that spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers. childbirth
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