1 Israel, if you want to come back, then come back to me, declares the Lord. If you get rid of these disgusting idols I see, and don't wander away, 2 and if when you make your vows, you do so only to me, sincerely, truly, and honestly, then the nations will be blessed by me, and they will praise me.

3 This is what the Lord is saying to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:

Plow your unplowed ground, and don't sow among the thorns.* This is not agricultural advice but an invitation to stop being hard and stubborn and to be open to the Lord in order to be spiritually productive. 4 Dedicate yourselves to the Lord; be totally committed to him,† The image used here is one of “spiritual circumcision.” people of Judah and Jerusalem. Otherwise, my anger will blaze like fire, burning so hard that no one can put it out because of the evil you've done.

5 Announce this warning throughout Judah and Jerusalem! Tell them: Blow the trumpet everywhere in the country! Shout out, “Hurry! Let's run to the fortified towns for protection!” 6 Raise the danger flag; go to Zion! Find somewhere safe! Don't hesitate! I'm bringing enemies from the north who will cause terrible destruction.

7 A lion has left his hiding place; a destroyer of nations has started out. He has left his den to come and turn your country into a wasteland. Your towns will be demolished, and no one will live there. 8 Wear clothes made of sackcloth, weep and wail, crying out, “The Lord's furious anger against us hasn't stopped.” 9 When that happens declares the Lord, the king and officials will lose heart, the priests will be devastated, and the prophets will be shocked.

10 Then I said, “Oh, Lord God, you have completely fooled the people of Jerusalem by telling them, ‘You will have peace,’ while holding a sword to our throats.”

11 At that time the people of Jerusalem will be told, “A burning wind from the bare hills of the desert is blowing toward the Jerusalem, but not to blow away the chaff or the dust. 12 No, this wind is too strong for that, and it comes from me. Now I'm also going to tell them how I will punish them.”

13 Look, he's rushing in like stormclouds; his chariots are like a whirlwind. His horses fly faster than eagles.

“What a disaster! We're ruined!”

14 Clean the evil from your heart, Jerusalem, so that you can be saved. How long will you hold onto your evil thoughts?

15 News is shouted out from Dan, announcing disaster from the hills of Ephraim.

16 “Let the nations know! Look what's happening! Announce this to Jerusalem: An army is coming to besiege you from a distant country; shouting war-cries against the towns of Judah. 17 They encircle her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against me, declares the Lord. 18 You've brought this on yourself by your own attitudes and actions. This is your punishment, and it's so painful, it's like being stabbed in the heart!”

19 “I'm‡ Jeremiah is the speaker. in agony, absolute agony! My heart is breaking! It's beating wildly in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I can't keep quiet because I've heard the trumpet, the signal for battle.

20 News of one disaster after another comes flooding in, for the whole country is in ruins. My own home is destroyed in a moment, and everything inside. 21 How long do I have to see the flags of war and hear the trumpets of battle?”

22 “My§ The Lord is speaking. people are stupid; they don't know me. They are foolish children who just don't understand. They're experts at doing evil, but they don't know how to do good.”

23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty;* A direct quote from Genesis 1:2. I looked to the heavens, and its light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains, and saw that they were shaking; all the hills were swaying to and fro. 25 I looked, and nobody was left; all the birds had flown away. 26 I looked, and the productive fields were a desert. All the towns were demolished because of the Lord's furious anger.

27 This is what the Lord says: “The whole country will be devastated, but I won't do so completely. 28 The earth will mourn and the heavens above will go dark. I have spoken; this is what I have ordered. I'm not going to stop or change my mind.”

29 People from every town: run away when they hear the enemy horsemen and archers coming. They hide in the forest and among the rocks. All the towns are abandoned; no one lives in them.

30 You, Jerusalem, now desolate, what are you going to do? Even though you dress in scarlet clothes, and put on gold jewelry, and paint your eyes with make-up, all your dressing-up is pointless! Your lovers hate you; they want to kill you!

31 I hear the cries like a woman in labor, the agonizing moans of a woman giving birth to her first child. These are the cries of the Daughter of Zion gasping for air, holding out her hands, saying, “Please help me, I'm being murdered!”