¶ If thou wilt return¹, O Israel, saith the LORD, return² unto me: and if thou wilt put away³ thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt⁴ thou not remove.

And thou shalt swear⁵, The LORD liveth, in truth⁶, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations⁷ shall bless themselves in him, and in him⁸ shall they glory.

¶ For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break⁹ up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take¹⁰ away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest¹¹ my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

¶ Declare ye¹² in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow¹³ ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble¹⁴ yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.

Set up the standard¹⁵ toward Zion: retire¹⁶, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great¹⁷ destruction¹⁸.

The lion¹⁹ is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer²⁰ of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to²¹ make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

For this gird²² you with sackcloth, lament and howl²³: for the²⁴ fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.

And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart²⁵ of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests²⁶ shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

¶ Then said I, Ah²⁷, Lord GOD! surely²⁸ thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have²⁹ peace; whereas the sword³⁰ reacheth unto the soul.

At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A³¹ dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter³² of my people, not³³ to fan, nor to cleanse,

Even a full wind from those³⁴ places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.

Behold,³⁵ he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots³⁶ shall be as a whirlwind: his horses³⁷ are swifter than eagles. Woe³⁸ unto us! for we are spoiled.

O Jerusalem, wash³⁹ thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long⁴⁰ shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

For a voice⁴¹ declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim⁴².

Make ye⁴³ mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers⁴⁴ come from⁴⁵ a far country, and give out⁴⁶ their voice against the cities of Judah.

As keepers⁴⁷ of a field, are they against her round about; because⁴⁸ she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.

Thy way⁴⁹ and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth⁵⁰ unto thine heart.

¶ My bowels⁵¹, my bowels! I am pained at my very⁵² heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound⁵³ of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

¶ Destruction upon destruction⁵⁴ is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly⁵⁵ are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in⁵⁶ a moment.

How long⁵⁷ shall I⁵⁸ see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

For my⁵⁹ people is foolish, they have⁶⁰ not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise⁶¹ to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

I beheld the earth⁶², and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens⁶³, and they had no light.

I beheld the mountains⁶⁴, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

I beheld, and, lo, there was no man⁶⁵, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful⁶⁶ place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

For thus hath the⁶⁷ LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet⁶⁸ will I not make a full end.

For this shall the earth⁶⁹ mourn, and the heavens⁷⁰ above be black: because⁷¹ I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

The whole city shall flee⁷² for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go⁷³ into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every⁷⁴ city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.

¶ And when⁷⁵ thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though⁷⁶ thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face⁷⁷ with painting, in vain⁷⁸ shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

For I have heard⁷⁹ a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice⁸⁰ of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth⁸¹ her hands, saying, Woe⁸² is me now! for my⁸³ soul is wearied because⁸⁴ of murderers.