Jeremiah:4

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* Jehovah says : »If you come back , Israel , if you come back to me , if you take your disgusting idols out of my sight and you do not stray from me , * if you take the oath , as Jehovah lives in an honest , fair , and right way , then the nations will be blessed , and in him they will glory .« * Jehovah says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem : »Break up your unplowed fields , and do not plant among thorns . * »Be circumcised by Jehovah , and get rid of the foreskins of your hearts , people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem . If you do not , my fury will blaze like a fire . It will burn , and no one will be able to put it out . This is because of the evil you do .« * Report this message in Judah . Make it heard in Jerusalem . Say : »Blow the ram 's horn throughout the land . Shout loudly and say : ‘Assemble together ! Let us go into the fortified cities .’ * »Raise the flag to signal people to go to Zion . Take cover ! Do not just stand there ! I am bringing disaster and widespread destruction from the north . * »A lion has come out of its lair . A destroyer of nations has set out . He has left his place and is on his way to destroy your land . Your cities will be ruined . No one will live in them . * »Dress in sackcloth , beat your breasts , and cry because Jehovah ’s burning anger has not turned back from us . * »In that day ,« declares Jehovah , »the king and the officials will lose their courage . The priests will be stunned . The prophets will be amazed and astonished .« * I said , »Lord Jehovah , you have greatly deceived these people and Jerusalem . You said that everything would go well for them , but a sword is held at their throats .« * Then it will be said to these people and to Jerusalem : »A hot wind from the heights will blow in the desert toward my people . It will not be a wind that winnows or cleanses . * »It will be a stronger wind than that . It will come from me . Now , I will pass sentence on them . * »The enemy comes up like clouds . His chariots are like a raging wind . His horses are swifter than eagles . How horable it will be for us ! We will be destroyed !« * »O Jerusalem , wash the evil from your heart so that you may be saved . How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you ? * »A message is heard from Daniel . A report of disaster comes from the mountains of Ephraim . * »Warn the nations about this . Tell it to Jerusalem . Hostile troops are coming from a distant country . They shout battle cries against the cities of Judah .« * »They surround Judah like men guarding a field , because Judah has rebelled against me ,« declares Jehovah . * »You brought this on yourself . This is your punishment . It is bitter . It breaks your heart .« * O my anguish , my anguish ! I writhe in pain . My heart pounds in side of me . My heart is pounding ! I cannot keep quiet because I hear a ram 's horn sounding the alarm for war . * Destruction upon destruction is proclaimed . The whole land is ruined . My tents are suddenly destroyed . Their curtains are torn in an instant . * How long must I see the battle flag and hear the sound of rams ' horns ? * »My people are fools . They do not know me . They are stupid people . They do not understand . They are experts in doing wrong , and they do not know how to do good .« * I see the earth . It is without form and empty . I see the sky . Its lights are gone . * I see the mountains . They tremble and the hills sway . * I see that there are no people , and every bird has flown away . * I see that the fertile land has become a desert . Its cities are torn down because of Jehovah and his burning anger . * Jehovah says : »The whole earth will be ruined , although I will not entirely destroy it . * »The earth will mourn , and the sky will grow black . I have spoken , and I have determined it . I will not change my plans , and I will not turn back !« * All the people in the city will flee at the sound of riders and archers . They will go off into the thickets and climb among the rocks . The entire city will be abandoned . No one will live in it . * You are going to be destroyed ! What are you going to do ? Why do you dress in scarlet and put on gold jewelry ? Why do you wear eye shadow ? You are making yourself beautiful for nothing . Your lovers despise you . They want to kill you . * I hear a woman in labor . I hear the woman cry with anguish as she gives birth to her first child . My people Zion gasp for breath . They stretch out their hands and say : »How horrible it is for us ! My life is exhausted by the presence of murderers !«

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