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Jeremiah 4 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

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Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:1 - “O Israel,” says the LORD,
“if you wanted to return to me, you could.
You could throw away your detestable idols
and stray away no more.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:2 - Then when you swear by my name, saying,
‘As surely as the LORD lives,’
you could do so
with truth, justice, and righteousness.
Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world,
and all people would come and praise my name.”
Coming Judgment against Judah
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:3 - This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Plow up the hard ground of your hearts!
Do not waste your good seed among thorns.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:4 - O people of Judah and Jerusalem,
surrender your pride and power.
Change your hearts before the LORD,[fn]
or my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire
because of all your sins.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:5 - “Shout to Judah, and broadcast to Jerusalem!
Tell them to sound the alarm throughout the land:
‘Run for your lives!
Flee to the fortified cities!’
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:6 - Raise a signal flag as a warning for Jerusalem[fn]:
‘Flee now! Do not delay!’
For I am bringing terrible destruction upon you
from the north.”
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:7 - A lion stalks from its den,
a destroyer of nations.
It has left its lair and is headed your way.
It’s going to devastate your land!
Your towns will lie in ruins,
with no one living in them anymore.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:8 - So put on clothes of mourning
and weep with broken hearts,
for the fierce anger of the LORD
is still upon us.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:9 - “In that day,” says the LORD,
“the king and the officials will tremble in fear.
The priests will be struck with horror,
and the prophets will be appalled.”
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:10 - Then I said, “O Sovereign LORD,
the people have been deceived by what you said,
for you promised peace for Jerusalem.
But the sword is held at their throats!”
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:11 - The time is coming when the LORD will say
to the people of Jerusalem,
“My dear people, a burning wind is blowing in from the desert,
and it’s not a gentle breeze useful for winnowing grain.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:12 - It is a roaring blast sent by me!
Now I will pronounce your destruction!”
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:13 - Our enemy rushes down on us like storm clouds!
His chariots are like whirlwinds.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
How terrible it will be, for we are doomed!
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:14 - O Jerusalem, cleanse your heart
that you may be saved.
How long will you harbor
your evil thoughts?
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:15 - Your destruction has been announced
from Dan and the hill country of Ephraim.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:16 - “Warn the surrounding nations
and announce this to Jerusalem:
The enemy is coming from a distant land,
raising a battle cry against the towns of Judah.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:17 - They surround Jerusalem like watchmen around a field,
for my people have rebelled against me,”
says the LORD.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:18 - “Your own actions have brought this upon you.
This punishment is bitter, piercing you to the heart!”
Jeremiah Weeps for His People
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:19 - My heart, my heart—I writhe in pain!
My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still.
For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets
and the roar of their battle cries.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:20 - Waves of destruction roll over the land,
until it lies in complete desolation.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed;
in a moment my shelters are crushed.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:21 - How long must I see the battle flags
and hear the trumpets of war?
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:22 - “My people are foolish
and do not know me,” says the LORD.
“They are stupid children
who have no understanding.
They are clever enough at doing wrong,
but they have no idea how to do right!”
Jeremiah’s Vision of Coming Disaster
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:23 - I looked at the earth, and it was empty and formless.
I looked at the heavens, and there was no light.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:24 - I looked at the mountains and hills,
and they trembled and shook.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:25 - I looked, and all the people were gone.
All the birds of the sky had flown away.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:26 - I looked, and the fertile fields had become a wilderness.
The towns lay in ruins,
crushed by the LORD’s fierce anger.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:27 - This is what the LORD says:
“The whole land will be ruined,
but I will not destroy it completely.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:28 - The earth will mourn
and the heavens will be draped in black
because of my decree against my people.
I have made up my mind and will not change it.”
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:29 - At the noise of charioteers and archers,
the people flee in terror.
They hide in the bushes
and run for the mountains.
All the towns have been abandoned—
not a person remains!
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:30 - What are you doing,
you who have been plundered?
Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing
and put on gold jewelry?
Why do you brighten your eyes with mascara?
Your primping will do you no good!
The allies who were your lovers
despise you and seek to kill you.
Unchecked Copy BoxJer 4:31 - I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labor,
the groans of a woman giving birth to her first child.
It is beautiful Jerusalem[fn]
gasping for breath and crying out,
“Help! I’m being murdered!”
NLT Footnotes
Hebrew Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart.
Hebrew Zion.
Hebrew the daughter of Zion.
NLT

Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Full copyright information is provided here. Visit the New Living Translation website.

For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

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