4:1 “Israel, you must come back,” says the Lord.
“Yes, you must come back to me.1
You must get those disgusting idols2 out of my sight
and must no longer go astray.3
4:2 You must be truthful, honest, and upright
when you take an oath saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’4
If you do,5 the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are
and will make him the object of their boasting.”6
4:3 Yes,7 the Lord has this to say
to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
“Your lives are as unproductive as an unplowed field covered with thorns.
So get rid of your sin and make a new beginning.8
4:4 Dedicate yourselves fully to the Lord
and get rid of everything that hinders your commitment to me,9
people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem.
If you do not,10 my anger will leap out like a flaming fire against you
that no one will be able to put out.
That will happen because of the evil you have done.”
Warning of Coming Judgment
“Announce12 this in Judah and proclaim it in Jerusalem:13
‘Sound the trumpet14 throughout the land!’
Shout out loudly,
‘Gather together! Let us flee into the fortified cities!’
4:6 Raise a signal flag that tells people to go to Zion.15
Run for safety! Do not delay!
For I am about to bring disaster out of the north.
It will bring great destruction.16
4:7 Like a lion that has come up from its lair17
the one who destroys nations has set out from his home base.18
He is coming out to lay your land waste.
Your cities will be left in ruins and lie uninhabited.
4:8 So put on sackcloth.
Mourn and wail, saying,
‘The fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us!’19
4:9 When this happens,”20 says the Lord,
“the king and his officials will lose their courage.
The priests will be shocked,
and the prophets will be astonished.”
( 4:10 In response to all this21 I said, “Ah, Lord God,22 you have surely deceived the people of Judah and Jerusalem.23 You have said, ‘You will be safe.’24 But in fact a sword is already at our throats.”)25
4:11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem26 will be told,
‘A scorching wind will sweep down
from the hilltops in the desert on27 my dear people.28
It will not be a gentle breeze
for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff.29
4:12 No,30 a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding.
Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.’31
4:13 Look! The enemy is approaching like gathering clouds.32
The roar of his chariots is like that of a whirlwind.33
His horses move more swiftly than eagles.”
I cry out,34 “We are doomed35 for we will be destroyed!”
4:14 “Oh people of Jerusalem, purify your hearts from evil36
so that you may be delivered.
How long will you continue to harbor up
wicked schemes within you?
4:15 For messengers are coming, heralding disaster,
from the city of Dan and from as near as the hills of Ephraim.37
4:16 They are saying,38 ‘Announce to the surrounding nations,39 “The enemy is coming!”40
Proclaim this message41 to Jerusalem:
“Those who lay siege to cities42 are coming from a distant land.
They are ready to raise the battle cry against43 the towns in Judah.”’
4:17 Those who lay siege to cities44 will surround Jerusalem45
like men guarding a field.46
That is because they have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
4:18 “The way you have lived and the things you have done47
will bring this on you.
This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed.48
The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart.”49
“Oh, the feeling in the pit of my stomach!51 I writhe in anguish.
Oh, the pain in my heart!52
My heart pounds within me.
I cannot keep silent.
For I hear the sound of the trumpet;53
the sound of the battle cry pierces to my very soul.54
4:20 I see55 one destruction after another taking place,
so that the whole land lies in ruins.
I see our56 tents suddenly destroyed,
their57 curtains torn down in a mere instant.58
4:21 How long will I have to see the enemy’s battle flags
and hear the sound of their trumpets?”59
“This will happen61 because my people are foolish.
They do not know me.
They are like children who have no sense.62
They have no understanding.
They are skilled at doing evil.
They do not know how to do good.”
4:23 I looked at the earth
and I saw in a vision that63 it was formless and empty.
I looked up at the heavens
and their light was gone.
4:24 I looked at the mountains and I saw that they were shaking.
All the hills were swaying back and forth.
4:25 I looked and saw that there were no people,64
and that all the birds in the sky had flown away.
4:26 I looked and saw that the fruitful land had become a desert
and that all of the cities had been laid in ruins.
The Lord had brought this all about
because of his blazing anger.65
4:27 All this will happen because the Lord said,66
“The whole land will be desolate
even though I will not completely destroy it.
4:28 Because of this the earth will mourn
and the heavens above will grow black.67
For I have made my purpose known68
and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.”69
4:29 At the sound of the approaching horsemen and archers
I see70 the people of every town running away.
Some of them go into the thickets.
Others climb up among the rocks.
All the cities are deserted.
No one remains in them.
4:30 And you, Zion, city doomed to destruction,71
what are you accomplishing by clothing yourself in scarlet,
decking yourself out in jewels of gold,
and putting on eye shadow?72
You are making yourself beautiful for nothing.
Your lovers spurn you.
They want to kill you.73
4:31 In fact,74 I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,
a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.
It is the cry of fair Zion75 gasping for breath,
reaching out for help,76 saying,
“I am done in!77
My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”
Judah is Justly Deserving of Coming Judgment