¹“If you will return , Israel ,” says the LORD , “if you will return to me , and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight ; then you will not be removed ;

²and you will swear , ‘As the LORD lives ,’ in truth, in justice , and in righteousness . The nations will bless themselves in him , and they will glory in him .”

³For the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem , “Break up your fallow ground , and don’t sow amongst thorns .

⁴Circumcise yourselves to the LORD , and take away the foreskins of your heart , you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem ; lest my wrath go out like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it , because of the evil of your doings .

⁵Declare in Judah , and publish in Jerusalem ; and say, ‘Blow the trumpet in the land!’ Cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves ! Let ’s go into the fortified cities !’

⁶Set up a standard towards Zion . Flee for safety ! Don’t wait ; for I will bring evil from the north , and a great destruction .”

⁷A lion has gone up from his thicket , and a destroyer of nations . He is on his way . He has gone out from his place , to make your land desolate , that your cities be laid waste , without inhabitant .

⁸For this , clothe yourself with sackcloth , lament and wail ; for the fierce anger of the LORD hasn’t turned back from us .

⁹“It will happen at that day ,” says the LORD , “that the heart of the king will perish, along with the heart of the princes . The priests will be astonished , and the prophets will wonder .”

¹⁰Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD ! Surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem , saying, ‘You will have peace ;’ whereas the sword reaches to the heart .”

¹¹At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem , “A hot wind blows from the bare heights in the wilderness towards the daughter of my people , not to winnow , nor to cleanse .

¹²A full wind from these will come for me . Now I will also utter judgements against them .”

¹³Behold , he will come up as clouds , and his chariots will be as the whirlwind . His horses are swifter than eagles . Woe to us ! For we are ruined .

¹⁴Jerusalem , wash your heart from wickedness , that you may be saved . How long will your evil thoughts lodge within you ?

¹⁵For a voice declares from Dan , and publishes evil from the hills of Ephraim:

¹⁶“Tell the nations , behold , publish against Jerusalem , ‘Watchers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah .

¹⁷As keepers of a field , they are against her all around , because she has been rebellious against me ,’” says the LORD .

¹⁸“Your way and your doings have brought these things to you . This is your wickedness , for it is bitter , for it reaches to your heart .”

¹⁹My anguish , my anguish ! I am pained at my very heart ! My heart trembles within me . I can ’t hold my peace , because you have heard , O my soul , the sound of the trumpet , the alarm of war .

²⁰Destruction on destruction is decreed, for the whole land is laid waste . Suddenly my tents are destroyed , and my curtains gone in a moment .

²¹How long will I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet ?

²²“For my people are foolish . They don’t know me . They are foolish children , and they have no understanding. They are skilful in doing evil , but they don’t know how to do good .”

²³I saw the earth and , behold , it was waste and void, and the heavens , and they had no light.

²⁴I saw the mountains , and behold , they trembled , and all the hills moved back and forth.

²⁵I saw , and behold , there was no man , and all the birds of the sky had fled .

²⁶I saw , and behold , the fruitful field was a wilderness , and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the LORD , before his fierce anger .

²⁷For the LORD says , “The whole land will be a desolation ; yet I will not make a full end .

²⁸For this the earth will mourn , and the heavens above be black , because I have spoken it . I have planned it , and I have not repented , neither will I turn back from it .”

²⁹Every city flees for the noise of the horsemen and archers . They go into the thickets and climb up on the rocks . Every city is forsaken , and not a man dwells therein .

³⁰You , when you are made desolate , what will you do ? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet , though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold , though you enlarge your eyes with makeup, you make yourself beautiful in vain . Your lovers despise you . They seek your life .

³¹For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail , the anguish as of her who gives birth to her first child , the voice of the daughter of Zion , who gasps for breath , who spreads her hands , saying , “Woe is me now ! For my soul faints before the murderers .”