A Plea to Return

1If thou wilt turn back, O Israel, says Jehovah; thou shalt turn back to me: and if thou wilt remove thine abominations from my face thou shalt not be moved.

2And thou swearest, Jehovah lives in truth, in judgment, and in justice; and the nations were blessed in him, and in him shall they praise.

3For thus said Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up to you the fallow ground, and ye shall not sow to thorns.

4Be circumcised to Jehovah, and remove the uncircumcision of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath shall come forth as fire, and burn, and none quenching it from the face of the evil of your doings.

Disaster from the North

5Announce ye in Judah, and cause to be heard in Jerusalem; and say, Strike the trumpet in the land: call, fill up, and say, Be ye gathered together and we will go to the fortified cities.

6Lift up the signal of Zion: save ye by flight, ye shall not stand: for I bring evil from the north, and a great breaking.

7The lion came up from his thicket, and destroying, he broke up the nations; he went forth from his place to set thy land for a desolation; thy cities shall be laid waste from none inhabiting.

8For this, be ye girded with sackcloth, lament and wail: for the heat of the anger of Jehovah turned not back from us.

9And it was in that day, says Jehovah, the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the chiefs; and the priests were astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

10And saying, Ah, Lord Jehovah! surely, deceiving, thou didst deceive to this people and to Jerusalem, saying, Peace shall be to you; and the sword reached even to the soul.

11In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A clear wind of the naked hills in the desert the way of the daughter of my people, not for winnowing, and not for separating. 12A spirit of fulness above these shall come to me: now will I also speak judgments to them.

13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots as the whirlwind: his horses were swift above eagles. Wo to us for we were laid waste.

14O Jerusalem, wash from evil to thy heart so that thou shalt be saved. How long shall purposes of thy vanity lodge in the midst of thee?

15For a voice announcing from Dan, and causing calamity to be heard from mount Ephraim.

16Bring ye to remembrance to the nations; behold, cause to be heard against Jerusalem, watchers coming from a land afar off, and they shall give their voice against the cities of Judah.

17As watching a field they were against her from round about; for she embittered against me, says Jehovah.

18Thy way and thy doings did these things to thee; this thine evil, for it was bitter because it reached even to thy heart.

Lamentation for Judah

19My bowels, my bowels! I shall afflict the walls of my heart; my heart made commotion to me; I shall not be silent, for the voice of the trumpet thou didst hear, O my soul, the tumult of war.

20Breaking upon breaking was called; for all the land was laid waste: suddenly were my tents laid waste, my curtains in a moment.

21How long shall I see the signal, shall I hear the voice of the trumpet?

22For my people are foolish, they knew me not; foolish sons are they and they not understanding; wise are they to do evil, and to do good they knew not.

23I saw the earth, and behold, emptiness and a void; and to the heavens, and no lights.

24I saw the mountains, and behold them trembling, and all the hills were shaken.

25I saw, and behold, no man, and all the birds of the heavens fled away.

26I saw, and behold, Carmel a desert, and all its cities were broken down from the face of Jehovah, from the face of the heat of his anger.

27For thus said Jehovah, All the earth shall be a desert; and I will not make a completion.

28For this, shall the earth mourn, and the heavens became dark from above: because I spake, I purposed, I lamented not, and I will not turn back from it.

29From the voice of the horseman and the throwing of the bowman all the city fled; they went into thickets, and they went up upon rocks: every city was forsaken, and not a man dwelling in them.

30And thou being laid waste, what wilt thou do? If thou shalt put on scarlet, if thou shalt adorn thee with ornaments of gold, if thou shalt rend thine eyes with paint, in vain shalt thou beautify thyself: the lovers despised thee; they will Seek thy soul.

31For I heard the voice as of her bringing forth, the anguish as of her bearing her first child; the voice of the daughter of Zion, she will sigh, she will spread forth her hands, Wo now to me for my soul fainted for those slaying.