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4:1  “If you ·will [want to] return, Israel, then return to me,” says the Lord. “If you will ·throw away [turn from] your abominations [C the idols], then ·don’t wander away from me [no longer go astray].
4:2  If you say when you ·make a promise [swear], ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ and you can say it in a truthful, ·honest [just], and ·right [righteous] way, then the nations will be blessed by him, and they will ·praise him for what he has done [boast in him].”
4:3  This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: “Plow your unplowed fields [C a metaphor for changing their spiritual condition], and don’t ·plant seeds [sow] among thorns.
4:4  ·Give yourselves to the service of [L Circumcise yourself to] the Lord [C a metaphor for obedience], and ·decide to obey him [L remove the foreskin of your heart; 9:25; Deut. 10:16], people of Judah and ·people [L inhabitants] of Jerusalem. If you don’t, my anger will ·spread among you [flare/blaze up] like a fire, and no one will be able to ·put it out [quench it], because of the evil you have done.
4:5  “·Announce this message [Declare; Shout; L Let it be heard] in Judah and ·say [proclaim] it in Jerusalem: ‘Blow the ·trumpet [ram’s horn] throughout the ·country [land]!’ Shout out loud and say, ‘·Come [L Gather] together! Let’s all ·escape [L go] to the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities!’
4:6  Raise the ·signal flag [banner; C military insignia] toward ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]! ·Run for your lives [Take refuge/shelter], and don’t ·wait [delay], because I am bringing ·disaster [trouble] from the north [C the Babylonians; 1:13–14] There will be terrible destruction.”
4:7  A lion has come out of his ·den [lair; thicket; 2:15]; a destroyer of nations has begun to march. He has left his ·home [L place] to ·destroy [L set destruction in] your land. Your towns will be ·destroyed [devastated] with no one left to live in them.
4:8  So put on ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; C mourning clothes], ·show how sad you are [lament; mourn], and ·cry loudly [wail]. The ·terrible [fierce] anger of the Lord has not turned away from us.
4:9  “·When this happens [L In that day],” says the Lord, “the ·king and officers will lose their courage [L heart of king and officers/princes will fail]. The priests will be ·terribly afraid [desolate], and the prophets will be ·shocked [stunned; appalled]!”
4:10  Then I said, [“L Aha,] Lord God, you have ·tricked [deceived] ·the people of Judah [L this people] and Jerusalem. You said, ‘You will have peace,’ but now the sword ·is pointing at [L touches] our ·throats [or very lives]!”
4:11  At that time ·this message will be given [L it will be said] to Judah and Jerusalem: “A hot wind blows from the bare hilltops [3:2] of the ·desert [wilderness] toward the ·Lord’s [L daughter of my] people. ·It is not a gentle wind to separate grain from chaff [L …not for winnowing or for cleansing].
4:12  I feel a stronger wind than that. Now even I will announce judgments against ·the people of Judah [L them].”
4:13  Look! ·The enemy [L He] rises up like a cloud, and his chariots come like a ·tornado [whirlwind]. His horses are faster than eagles. ·How terrible it will be for [Woe to] us! We are ·ruined [devastated]!
4:14  People of Jerusalem, ·clean [wash] the evil from your hearts so that you can be ·saved [rescued; 2:22; Ps. 51:7]. ·Don’t continue making [L How long will you lodge in your heart/mind] evil plans.
4:15  A voice from Dan makes an announcement and ·brings bad news [L proclaims disaster/trouble] from the mountains of Ephraim.
4:16  “Report this to the nations. ·Spread this news [L Make it heard] in Jerusalem: ‘Invaders are coming from a faraway country [C Babylon], shouting [C war cries] against the cities of Judah.
4:17  The enemy has surrounded Jerusalem as men guard a field, because Judah ·turned [rebelled; transgressed] against me,’” says the Lord.
4:18  “·The way you have lived and acted [L Your path/way and your deeds] has brought this trouble to you. This is your ·punishment [trouble; disaster]. How ·terrible [bitter] it is! ·The pain stabs [L It reaches] your heart!”
4:19  Oh, ·how I hurt [my pain/anguish/L innards]! ·How I hurt [My pain/anguish/L innards]! ·I am bent over in pain [L My heart writhes]. Oh, the ·torture in [L walls of] my heart! My heart is pounding inside me. I cannot keep quiet, because I have heard the sound of the ·trumpet [ram’s horn]. I have heard the shouts of war.
4:20  Disaster after disaster is reported; the whole country has been ·destroyed [devastated]. My tents are ·destroyed [devastated] ·in only a moment [suddenly]. My curtains are torn down quickly.
4:21  How long must I look at the war flag? How long must I listen to the ·war trumpet [L sound of the ram’s horn]?
4:22  The Lord says, “My people are ·foolish [stupid]. They do not know me. They are stupid children; they don’t understand. They are ·skillful [wise] at doing evil, but they don’t know how to do good.”
4:23  I looked at the earth, and it ·had no form and was empty [was a formless void; Gen. 1:2]. I looked at the ·sky [L heavens], and ·its light was gone [L there was no light].
4:24  I looked at the mountains, and they were shaking. All the hills were ·trembling [rocking; reeling].
4:25  I looked, and there were no people. Every bird in the ·sky [heavens] had ·flown away [L fled].
4:26  I looked, and the good, ·rich land [fertile land; land of plenty; orchards] had become a ·desert [wilderness]. All its towns had been destroyed by the Lord and his great anger.
4:27  This is what the Lord says: “All the land will be ruined, but I will not ·completely destroy it [L make a complete end].
4:28  So the people in the land will ·cry loudly [mourn; wail], and the ·sky [L heavens above] will grow dark [Is. 13:10; 34:4; Zech. 14:6; Mark 13:24–25], because I have spoken and made a decision. I will not change my mind; I will not turn back.”
4:29  At the sound of the horsemen and the archers, all the people in the towns ·run away [flee]. They ·hide [L go] in the thick bushes and climb up into the rocks. All of the cities of Judah are ·empty [abandoned; forsaken]; no one lives in them.
4:30  You destroyed nation [C Judah], what are you doing? Why do you put on ·scarlet [purple; C an expensive dress] and decorate yourself with gold jewelry? Why do you ·put color around your eyes [L enlarge your eyes with black eye paint]? You make yourself beautiful, ·but it is all useless [in vain; without purpose]. Your lovers ·hate [despise; reject] you; they ·want to kill you [L seek your life].
4:31  I hear a cry like a woman ·having a baby [writhing in labor], ·distress [trouble] like a woman having her first child. It is the sound of ·Jerusalem [L the daughter of Zion; C the location of the Temple] gasping for breath. She ·lifts [L spreads] her hands in prayer and says, “·Oh! I am about to [Woe to me, for I am] faint before my murderers!”