Jeremiah 4 — T4T

What Yahweh says about returning to him

4Verse 1Yahweh says, “You Israeli people, come back to me!If you get rid of those detestable idols
and do not turn away from me again,^{Verse 2}and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’and if you start to always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously,then the people in the other nations of the world will request that I bless them as I have blessed you,and they will all come and honor/praise me.”^{Verse 3}This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and the other cities in Judah:“Prepare yourselves to receive my messageslike farmers plow up hard ground in order that they can plant seed in it.Just as farmers do not waste good seed by sowing seeds among thorny plants,I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive.^{Verse 4}Purify your inner beings and your minds for me.If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY]
because of all the sins that you have committed
will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”

Disaster from the north

^{Verse 5}“Declare this [DOU] to all the people in Jerusalem and the rest of Judea;blow the trumpets everywhere in the land to warn the people.Tell them that they should flee tothe cities that have high walls around them.^{Verse 6}Shout to the people of Jerusalem,
‘Run away now! Do not delay,because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU]
that will come from the north.^{Verse 7}An army that has destroyed many nations will attack youlike [MET] a lion that comes out of its den to attack other animals.The soldiers of that army have taken down their tentsand they are ready to march toward your land.
They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’^{Verse 8}So, put on sackcloth/rough clothesand weep and beat your cheststo show that you are very sorry for what you have done,
because Yahweh is still very angry with us.^{Verse 9}Yahweh said that at the time he punishes you, the King of Judah and all his officials will be very afraid.The priests and the prophets will be terrified.^{Verse 10}Then I replied, “Yahweh my God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now our enemies [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”^{Verse 11}When that happens, Yahweh will say to the people of Jerusalem,“A huge army will come to attack you.They will not be like a gentle breeze that separates wheat from chaff.They will be like a very hot wind that blows in from the desert [MET].
^{Verse 12}They will be like [MET] a strong blast that I will send.Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”^{Verse 13}Our enemies are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds.Their horses are faster than eagles.It will be terrible for us!
^{Verse 14}You people of Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings,in order that Yahweh will rescue you.How long will you continue to think about doing evil things?
^{Verse 15}From Dan city in the far north to the hills of Ephraim a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
^{Verse 16}Tell this to the people in other nationsbut also announce it in Jerusalem:Yahweh says, “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away;they will shout a battle-cry against the cities in Judah.^{Verse 17}They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field at harvest time.That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.^{Verse 18}You will be punished very severely;it will be as though a sword has stabbed your inner beings.But you are causing those things to happen to youbecause of the evil things that you have done.”^{Verse 19}I am extremely anguished/sad;the pain in my inner being is very severe.
My heart beats wildly.But I cannot remain silentbecause I have heard our enemies blowing their trumpets
to announce that the battle against Judah will start immediately.^{Verse 20}Disasters will occur one after anotheruntil the whole land is ruined.Suddenly all our tents will be destroyed;even the curtains inside the tents will be ripped apart.^{Verse 21}How long will this battle continue?How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags
and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?^{Verse 22}Yahweh says, “My people are very foolish!They do not have a relationship with me.They are like [MET] stupid childrenwho do not understand anything.They very cleverly do what is wrong,but they do not know how to do what is good.”

Jeremiah’s vision of the coming disaster

^{Verse 23}God gave me a vision in which I sawthat the earth was barren and without form.I looked at the sky,and there was no light there.^{Verse 24}I looked at the mountains and hills,and they shook and moved from side to side.^{Verse 25}I looked and saw that there were no more people,and all the birds had flown away.^{Verse 26}I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert.
The cities were all ruined;they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.

The coming destruction of Jerusalem/Judah

^{Verse 27}This is what Yahweh is saying:“The entire land of Judah will be ruined,but I will not destroy it completely.^{Verse 28}I will do to my people what I said that I would do,and I will not change my mind.So when that happens, it will be as though the earth will mournand the sky will become very dark.”^{Verse 29}When the people hear the sound of the enemy army marching,they will be terrified as they flee from their cities.Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes,and others will run toward the mountains/hills to escape being killed by their enemies.All the cities in Judah will be abandoned;not one person will remain in them.^{Verse 30}So you who will surely be destroyed,why are you doing the things that you are doing now?
Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry?
Why are you putting paint around your eyes?Doing those things will not help you,because the people in other countries that you think love you actually despise you,
and they will try to kill you.^{Verse 31}It is as though I already hear the people in Jerusalem crying very loudly,like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child;she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her.It is as though Jerusalem is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”