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JER EM IAH 5
page 669
The priests will be struck with horror,
and the prophets will be appalled.”
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Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord,
the people have been deceived by what
you said,
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!”
Jeremiah Weeps for His People
19 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.
20 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.
21 How long must I see the battle flags
and hear the trumpets of war?
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“My people are foolish
and do not know me,” says the Lord.
4:31 Hebrew the daughter of Zion.
“They are stupid children
who have no understanding.
They are clever enough at doing wrong,
but they have no idea how to do
right!”
Jeremiah’s Vision of Coming Disaster
23 I looked at the earth, and it was empty and
formless.
I looked at the heavens, and there was
no light.
24 I looked at the mountains and hills,
and they trembled and shook.
25 I looked, and all the people were gone.
All the birds of the sky had flown away.
26 I looked, and the fertile fields had become
a wilderness.
The towns lay in ruins,
crushed by the Lord’s fierce anger.
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This is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be ruined,
but I will not destroy it completely.
The earth will mourn
and the heavens will be draped in black
because of my decree against my people.
I have made up my mind and will not
change it.”
At the noise of charioteers and archers,
the people flee in terror.
They hide in the bushes
and run for the mountains.
All the towns have been abandoned—
not a person remains!
What are you doing,
you who have been plundered?
Why do you dress up in beautiful clothing
and put on gold jewelry?
Why do you brighten your eyes with
mascara?
Your primping will do you no good!
The allies who were your lovers
despise you and seek to kill you.
I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labor,
the groans of a woman giving birth to
her first child.
It is beautiful Jerusalem*
gasping for breath and crying out,
“Help! I’m being murdered!”
The Sins of Judah
1 “Run up and down every street in
Jerusalem,” says the Lord.
“Look high and low; search throughout
the city!
If you can find even one just and honest
person,
I will not destroy the city.
2 But even when they are under oath,
saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’
they are still telling lies!”
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