Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 224
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IMMERSE
•
PROPHETS
for you promised peace for Jerusalem.
But the sword is held at their throats!”
The time is coming when the Lord will say
to the people of Jerusalem,
“My dear people, a burning wind is blowing in from the desert,
and it’s not a gentle breeze useful for winnowing grain.
It is a roaring blast sent by me!
Now I will pronounce your destruction!”
Our enemy rushes down on us like storm clouds!
His chariots are like whirlwinds.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
How terrible it will be, for we are doomed!
O Jerusalem, cleanse your heart
that you may be saved.
How long will you harbor
your evil thoughts?
Your destruction has been announced
from Dan and the hill country of Ephraim.
“Warn the surrounding nations
and announce this to Jerusalem:
The enemy is coming from a distant land,
raising a battle cry against the towns of Judah.
They surround Jerusalem like watchmen around a field,
for my people have rebelled against me,”
says the Lord.
“Your own actions have brought this upon you.
This punishment is bitter, piercing you to the heart!”
My heart, my heart—I writhe in pain!
My heart pounds within me! I cannot be still.
For I have heard the blast of enemy trumpets
and the roar of their battle cries.
Waves of destruction roll over the land,
until it lies in complete desolation.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed;
in a moment my shelters are crushed.
How long must I see the battle flags
and hear the trumpets of war?
“My people are foolish
and do not know me,” says the Lord.
4:11-22
