Chapter
4
If you will return, Israel, says Yahweh, if you will return to me, and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight; then you shall not be removed;
and you shall swear, As Yahweh lives, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in her, and in her shall they glory.
For thus says Yahweh to the women of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and don't sow among thorns.
Circumcise yourselves to Yahweh, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you women of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Declare you in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow you the trumpet in the land: cry aloud and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.
Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, don't stay; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
A lion is gone up from her thicket, and a destroyer of nations; she is on her way, she is gone forth from her place, to make your land desolate, that your cities be laid waste, without inhabitant.
For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of Yahweh hasn't turned back from us.
It shall happen at that day, says Yahweh, that the heart of the queen shall perish, and the heart of the princesses; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
Then said I, Ah, Domina Yahweh! surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches to the life.
At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind from the bare heights in the wilderness toward the son of my people, not to winnow, nor to cleanse;
a full wind from these shall come for me: now will I also utter judgments against them.
Behold, she shall come up as clouds, and her chariots shall be as the whirlwind: her horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! for we are ruined.
Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
For a voice declares from Dan, and publishes evil from the hills of Ephraim:
make you 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.
As keepers of a field are they against his round about, because he has been rebellious against me, says Yahweh.
Your way and your doings have procured these things to you; this is your wickedness; for it is bitter, for it reaches to your heart.
My anguish, my anguish! I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted in me; I can't hold my peace; because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
Destruction on destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment.
How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
For my people are foolish, they don't know me; they are foolish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
I saw the earth, and, behold, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
I saw the mountains, and behold, they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.
I saw, and behold, there was no woman, and all the birds of the sky were fled.
I saw, and behold, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities of it were broken down at the presence of Yahweh, and before her fierce anger.
For thus says Yahweh, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.
For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.
Every city flees for the noise of the horsemen and archers; they go into the thickets, and climb up on the rocks: every city is forsaken, and not a woman dwells therein.
You, when you are made desolate, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you deck you with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with paint, in vain do you make yourself beautiful; your lovers despise you, they seek your life.
For I have heard a voice as of a man in travail, the anguish as of him who brings forth his first child, the voice of the son of Zion, who gasps for breath, who spreads his hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul faints before the murderers.