Jeremiah 4 Parallel Bible Translations

Jeremiah 4 ▼
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1 IF you will repent, O Israel, says the LORD, return to me; and if you will put away your abominations from my presence, then you shall not be carried away. “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 you shall swear, The LORD liveth in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the Gentiles shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory. 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 says the LORD to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Light your lamp; and sow not among thorns. 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 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my wrath come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. 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 Declare in Judah and publish in Jerusalem, and say, Blow the trumpet in the land; cry with a loud voice and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fortified 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 up the standard toward Zion; be strong, stay not; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction. 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 A powerful king is come up like a lion from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he has gone forth from his country to make your land desolate; and your cities shall be laid waste without an inhabitant. 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 For this gird yourself with sackcloth, mourn and lament; for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from you. 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 And it shall come to pass at that day, says the LORD, that the hearts of kings shall fail, and the hearts of princes; and the priests shall be astonished and the prophets shall wonder. “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 I said, I beseech thee, O LORD God, surely I have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem; for I have said, You shall have peace; and behold, the sword reaches into the soul. 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 At that time it shall be said to this people and to Jerusalem, As a changing wind in the paths of the wilderness is the way of the daughter of my people, useful neither to fan, 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 But a strong wind from those places shall come to me; now also I will pronounce judgment against 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 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! for we are plundered. 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 Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts remain in you? 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 voice declares from Dan and proclaims affliction from mount Ephraim. 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 Make mention to the nations and publish to Jerusalem, Behold, multitudes of Gentiles are coming from a far country, and they shall shout against the cities of Judah. 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 As keepers of the fields are they against her around about, because she has been rebellious against me, says the LORD. 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 Your ways and your doings have brought these things upon you; this is your wickedness; it is bitter, it has reached to your 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 I am in pain! I am in pain! I suffer in my heart; my heart throbs within me, and does not cease, because my soul has heard the sound of the trumpet and the shouting of war. 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 Destruction shall come upon destruction; for the whole land is plundered; suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains are fallen down. 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 How long shall I see fugitives and hear the sound of the trumpet? 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 For my people are foolish; they have not known me; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. “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 looked on the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and on the heavens, and they had no light. 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 And I looked on the mountains, and, to, they trembled and all the hills were shattered. 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 looked, and, behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. 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 looked, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all its towns were destroyed at the presence of the LORD and before his fierce anger. 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 says the LORD God, The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end. 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 For this the earth shall mourn and the heavens above shall be darkened; because of everything that I have spoken; I have purposed it and will not repent, neither will I turn back 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 Because of the noise of the horsemen and bowmen, the whole city has fled; enter into the forests and climb up upon the rocks; all towns are deserted and no man dwells therein: 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 And you that are plundered, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you paint your eyes with kohl, in vain shall you make yourself fair; your lovers have left you and they seek your life. 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 have heard a voice as of a sick woman, and the anguish as of a woman who is in travail to bring forth her child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, who is wearied and who spreads her hands, saying. Woe is me! for my soul faints because of my men who are slain. 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.”
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