Jeremiah 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Jeremiah 4 ▼
swipe to see more →
BISHOPS
Bishops' Bible of 1568
ESV
English Standard Version
NIV
New International Version
+Add
1 O Israel, yf thou wylt turne thee, then turne vnto me, saith ye Lord: and yf thou wylt put away thine abhominations out of my sight, thou shalt not be moued. “If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, “If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,” declares the LORD. “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray,
2 And shalt sweare, The Lord lyueth, in trueth, in equitie, and righteousnesse, and all people shalbe fortunable and ioyfull in hym. and if you swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.” and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast.”
3 For thus saith the Lorde to all Iuda and Hierusalem: Plowe your lande, and sowe not among the thornes. For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns.
4 Be circumcised in the Lorde, and cut away the foreskynne of your heartes all ye of Iuda, and all the indwellers of Hierusalem: that myne indignation breake not out lyke fire, and kindle, so that no man may quenche it, because of the wickednesse of your imaginations. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds.” Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.
5 Preach in Iuda and Hierusalem, crye out and speake, blowe the trumpettes in the lande, crye that euery man may heare, and say, Gather you together, and we wyll go into strong cities. Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!’ “Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Cry aloud and say: ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’
6 Set vp the token in Sion, speede you and make no tarying: for I wyll bring a great plague and a great destruction from the north. Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring disaster from the north, and great destruction. Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.”
7 For the spoyler of the gentiles is broken vp from his place as a lion out of his denne: that he may make thy lande waste, and destroy the cities, so that no man may dwell therin. A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant. A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant.
8 Wherfore girde your selues about with sackcloth, mourne and weepe: for the fearefull wrath of the Lorde is not withdrawen from vs. For this put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned back from us.” So put on sackcloth, lament and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.
9 At the same tyme saith the Lord, the heart of the kyng & of the princes shalbe gone, the priestes shalbe astonished, and the prophetes shalbe sore afrayde. “In that day, declares the LORD, courage shall fail both king and officials. The priests shall be appalled and the prophets astounded.” “In that day,” declares the LORD, “the king and the officials will lose heart, the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be appalled.”
10 Then sayde I: Oh Lorde God, hast thou then deceaued this people and Hierusalem, saying, Ye shall haue peace: and nowe the sworde goeth through their lyues? Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, surely you have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘It shall be well with you,’ whereas the sword has reached their very life.” Then I said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats!”
11 Then shall it be sayde to the people and Hierusalem, A strong winde in the hye places of the wildernesse commeth through the way of my people, but neither to fanne nor to cleanse. At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A hot wind from the bare heights in the desert toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow or cleanse, At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse;
12 After that, shall there come vnto me a strong wynde from those places, & then wyll I also geue sentence vpon them. a wind too full for this comes for me. Now it is I who speak in judgment upon them.” a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them.”
13 For lo, he ariseth like a cloude, and his charrets are like a stormie wynde, his horses are swifter then the Egle: Wo vnto vs, for we are destroyed. Behold, he comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles— woe to us, for we are ruined! Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined!
14 O Hierusalem, washe thine heart from wickednesse, that thou mayest be helped: Howe long shall thy vayne thoughtes remayne with thee? O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved. How long shall your wicked thoughts lodge within you? Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?
15 For a voyce from Dan and from the hill of Ephraim speaketh out, and telleth of a destruction. For a voice declares from Dan and proclaims trouble from Mount Ephraim. A voice is announcing from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim.
16 Remember the heathen, and geue Hierusalem warning, and preache vnto her, that watchers ouer her are commyng from farre countries, they haue cryed out against the cities of Iuda. Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, “Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah. “Tell this to the nations, proclaim concerning Jerusalem: ‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah.
17 And they haue beset her about in euery place, lyke as the watchmen in the fielde: For they haue prouoked me to wrath, saith the Lorde. Like keepers of a field are they against her all around, because she has rebelled against me, declares the LORD. They surround her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against me,’” declares the LORD.
18 Thy wayes and thy thoughtes haue brought thee vnto this, such is thine owne wickednesse and disobedience: and because it is a bitter thyng, it hath stricken thee to the heart. Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart.” “Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!”
19 Ah my belly, ah my belly shalt thou crie, howe is my heart so sore? my heart panteth within me, I can not be styll, for I haue hearde the crying of the trumpettes, and peales of warre. My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry.
20 They crye murther vpon murther, the whole lande shall perishe: Immediatly my tentes were destroyed, and my hanginges in the twincklyng of an eye. Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment. Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment.
21 Howe long shall I see the tokens of warre, and heare the noyse of the trumpettes? How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 Neuerthelesse, this shall come vpon them, because my people is become foolishe, and hath not knowen me: they are the children of foolishnesse, and without any discretion: To do euyll, they haue wit inough: but to do well, they haue no wisdome. “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.” “My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.”
23 I haue loked vpon the earth, and see it was waste and voyde: I loked towarde heauen, and it had no shine. I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone.
24 I behelde the mountaynes, and lo, they trembled, and all the hylles were in a feare. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying.
25 I loked about me, and there was no body: and all the birdes of the ayre were away. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away.
26 I marked well, and the plowed fielde was become waste, yea all their cities were broken downe at the presence of the Lord and indignation of his wrath. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger.
27 For thus hath the Lorde saide: The whole lande shalbe desolate, yet wyll I not then haue done. For thus says the LORD, “The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. This is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely.
28 And therfore shall the earth mourne, and the heauen be sorie aboue: for the thyng that I haue spoken to the prophetes, purposed, and taken vpon me to do, shall not repent me, and I wyll not go from it. “For this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark; for I have spoken; I have purposed; I have not relented, nor will I turn back.” Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back.”
29 The whole lande shall flee for the noyse of horsemen and bowmen, they shall runne into dennes, into wooddes, and climbe vp the stonye rockes: all the cities shalbe voyde, and no man dwellyng therin. At the noise of horseman and archer every city takes to flight; they enter thickets; they climb among rocks; all the cities are forsaken, and no man dwells in them. At the sound of horsemen and archers every town takes to flight. Some go into the thickets; some climb up among the rocks. All the towns are deserted; no one lives in them.
30 What wylt thou nowe do, thou being destroyed? For though thou clothest thy selfe with scarlet, and deckest thee with golde, though thou payntest thy face with colours nowe, yet shalt thou trimme thy selfe in vayne: For those that hitherto haue ben thy louers, shall abhorre thee, and go about to slay thee. And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life. What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you.
31 For I heare a noyse lyke as it were of a woman trauaylyng, & one labouryng of her first childe, Euen the voyce of the daughter Sion, that casteth out her armes, and sowneth, saying: Ah, wo is me, howe sore vexed and faynt is my heart for feare of the murtherers? For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor, anguish as of one giving birth to her first child, the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands, “Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers.” I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, a groan as of one bearing her first child— the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, “Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers.”
Previous chapter
Top of Page
Top of Page