Jeremiah 4

im-tashuv yisra'el ne'um-Adonai elay tashuv ve'im-tasir shiqqutsekha mippanay velo tanud

If you return, O Israel —declares GOD— If you return to Me, If you remove your abominations from My presence And do not waver,

venishbata khay-Adonai be'emet bemishpat uvitsdaqah vehitbarekhu vo goyim uvo yithallalu

And swear, “As GOD lives,” In sincerity, justice, and righteousness— Nations shall bless themselves by you And praise themselves by you.

ki-khoh amar Adonai le'ish yehudah velirushalai͏m niru lakhem nir ve'al-tizre'u el-qotsim

For thus said GOD to the citizenry of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break up the untilled ground, And do not sow among thorns.

himmolu la-Adonai vehasiru orlot levavkhem ish yehudah veyosheve yerushalai͏m pen-tetse kha'esh khamati uva'arah ve'en mekhabbeh mippene roa ma'allekhem

Open your hearts to GOD, Remove the thickening about your hearts— O citizenry of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem— Lest My wrath break forth like fire, And burn, with none to quench it, Because of your wicked acts.

haggidu vihudah uvirushalai͏m hashmi'u ve'imru (vtqv) [tiqu] shofar ba'arets qiru malu ve'imru he'asefu venavo'ah el-are hammivtsar

Proclaim in Judah, Announce in Jerusalem, And say: “Blow the horn in the land!” Shout aloud and say: “Assemble, and let us go Into the fortified cities!”

se'u-nes tsiyyonah ha'izu al-ta'amodu ki ra'ah anokhi mevi mitsafon veshever gadol

Set up a signpost: To Zion. Take refuge, do not delay! For I bring evil from the north, And great disaster.

alah aryeh missubbekho umashkhit goyim nasa yatsa mimmeqomo lasum artsekh leshammah arayikh titsenah me'en yoshev

The lion has come up from its thicket: The destroyer of nations has set out, Has departed from its place, To make your land a desolation; Your cities shall be ruined, Without inhabitants.

al-zot khigru saqqim sifdu vehelilu ki lo-shav kharon af-Adonai mimmennu

For this, put on sackcloth, Mourn and wail; For GOD’s blazing anger Has not turned away from us.

vehayah vayyom-hahu ne'um-Adonai yovad lev-hammelekh velev hassarim venashammu hakkohanim vehannevi'im yitmahu

And in that day —declares GOD— The mind of the king And the mind of the nobles shall fail, The priests shall be appalled, And the prophets shall stand aghast.

va'omar ahah adonay Elohim akhen hashe hisheta la'am hazzeh velirushalai͏m lemor shalom yihyeh lakhem venage'ah kherev ad-hannafesh

And I said: Ah, my Sovereign GOD! Surely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: It shall be well with you— Yet the sword threatens the very life!

ba'et hahi ye'amer la'am-hazzeh velirushalai͏m ruakh tsakh shefayim bammidbar derekh bat-ammi lo lizrot velo lehavar

At that time, it shall be said concerning this people and Jerusalem: The conduct of My poor people is like searing wind From the bare heights of the desert— It will not serve to winnow or to fan.

ruakh male me'elleh yavo li attah gam-ani adabber mishpatim otam

A full blast from them comes against Me: Now I in turn will bring charges against them.

hinneh ka'ananim ya'aleh vekhassufah markevotayw qallu minnesharim susayw oy lanu ki shuddadenu

Lo, the destroyer ascends like clouds, Its chariots are like a whirlwind, Its horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, we are ruined!

kabbesi mera'ah libbekh yerushalai͏m lema'an tivvashe'i ad-matay talin beqirbekh makhshevot onekh

Wash your heart clean of wickedness, O Jerusalem, that you may be rescued. How long will you harbor within you Your evil designs?

ki qol maggid middan umashmia aven mehar efrayim

Hark, one proclaims from Dan And announces calamity from Mount Ephraim!

hazkiru laggoyim hinneh hashmi'u al-yerushalai͏m notserim ba'im me'erets hammerkhaq vayyittenu al-are yehudah qolam

Tell the nations: Here they are! Announce concerning Jerusalem: Watchers are coming from a distant land, They raise their voices against the towns of Judah.

keshomere saday hayu aleha missaviv ki-oti maratah ne'um-Adonai

Like guards of fields, they surround her on every side. For she has rebelled against Me —declares GOD.

darkekh uma'alalayikh aso elleh lakh zot ra'atekh ki mar ki naga ad-libbekh

Your conduct and your acts Have brought this upon you; This is your bitter punishment; It pierces your very heart.

me'ay me'ay [okhilah] (khvlh) qirot libbi homeh-lli libbi lo akharish ki qol shofar (shmty) [shama'at] nafshi teru'at milkhamah

Oh, my suffering, my suffering! How I writhe! Oh, the walls of my heart! My heart moans within me, I cannot be silent; For I hear the blare of horns, Alarms of war.

shever al-shever niqra ki shuddedah kol-ha'arets pitom shuddedu ohalay rega yeri'otay

Disaster overtakes disaster, For all the land has been ravaged. Suddenly my tents have been ravaged, In a moment, my tent cloths.

ad-matay ereh-nnes eshme'ah qol shofar

How long must I see standards And hear the blare of horns?

ki evil ammi oti lo yada'u banim sekhalim hemmah velo nevonim hemmah khakhamim hemmah lehara ulehetiv lo yada'u

For My people are stupid, They give Me no heed; They are foolish children, They are not intelligent. They are clever at doing wrong, But unable to do right.

ra'iti et-ha'arets vehinneh-tohu vavohu ve'el-hashamayim ve'en oram

I look at the earth, It is unformed and void; At the skies, And their light is gone.

ra'iti heharim vehinneh ro'ashim vekhol-haggeva'ot hitqalqalu

I look at the mountains, They are quaking; And all the hills are rocking.

ra'iti vehinneh en ha'adam vekhol-of hashamayim nadadu

I look: no human is left, And all the birds of the sky have fled.

ra'iti vehinneh hakkarmel hammidbar vekhol-arayw nittetsu mippene Adonai mippene kharon appo

I look: the farmland is desert, And all its towns are in ruin— Because of GOD, Because of God’s blazing anger.

ki-khoh amar Adonai shemamah tihyeh kol-ha'arets vekhalah lo e'eseh

(For thus said GOD: The whole land shall be desolate, But I will not make an end of it.)

al-zot te'eval ha'arets veqaderu hashamayim mimma'al al ki-dibbarti zammoti velo nikhamti velo-ashuv mimmennah

For this the earth mourns, And skies are dark above— Because I have spoken, I have planned, And I will not relent or turn back from it.

miqqol parash veromeh qeshet borakhat kol-ha'ir ba'u be'avim uvakkefim alu kol-ha'ir azuvah ve'en-yoshev bahen ish

At the shout of horseman and bowman The whole city flees. They enter the thickets, They clamber up the rocks. The whole city is deserted, Nobody remains there.

(vty) [ve'at] shadud mah-tta'asi ki-tilbeshi shani ki-tadi adi-zahav ki-tiqre'i vappukh enayikh lashav tityappi ma'asu-vakh ogevim nafshekh yevaqqeshu

And you, who are doomed to ruin, What do you accomplish by wearing crimson, By decking yourself in jewels of gold, By enlarging your eyes with kohl? You beautify yourself in vain: Lovers despise you, They seek your life!

ki qol kekholah shamati tsarah kemavkirah qol bat-tsiyyon tityappeakh tefares kappeha oy-na li ki-ayefah nafshi lehoregim

I hear a voice as of one in travail, Anguish as of a woman bearing her first child, The voice of Fair Zion Panting, stretching out her hands: “Alas for me! I faint Before the killers!”