4 If
thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou
wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not
remove. 2 And
thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;
and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. 3 For
thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow
ground, and sow not among thorns. 4 Circumcise
yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye
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 your doings. 5 Declare
ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in
the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let
us go into the defenced cities. 6 Set
up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from
the north, and a great destruction. 7 The
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 thy land desolate;
and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant. 8 For
this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of
the LORD is not turned back from us. 9 And
it shall come to pass at that day, saith 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. 10 Then
said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and
Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto
the soul. 11 At
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, 12 Even
a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give
sentence against them. 13 Behold,
he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind:
his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. 14 O
Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved.
How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? 15 For
a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
16
Make ye 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. 17 As
keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been
rebellious against me, saith the LORD. 18 Thy
way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness,
because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart. 19 My
bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise
in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound
of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20 Destruction
upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my
tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21 How
long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 For
my people is 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. 23 I beheld
the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and
they had no light. 24 I beheld
the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld,
and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I 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. 27 For
thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not
make a full end. 28 For
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. 29 The
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. 30 And
when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with
crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest
thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers
will despise thee, they will seek thy life. 31 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 bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now!
for my soul is wearied because of murderers.