1If you will return, O Yashar'el (Israel), says Yahuah (LORD), return unto me: and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight, then shall you not remove.
2And you shall swear, Yahuah (LORD) lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3For thus says Yahuah (LORD) to the men of Yahudah (Judah) and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4Circumcise yourselves to Yahuah (LORD), and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Yahudah (Judah) and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5Declare you in Yahudah (Judah), and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow you the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
6Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make your land desolate; and your cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of Yahuah (LORD) is not turned back from us.
9And it shall come to pass at that day, says Yahuah (LORD), that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
10Then said I, Ah, Adonai (Lord) GOD! surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches unto the soul.
11At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
12Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
13Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
14O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your vain thoughts lodge within you?
15For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
16Make you mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Yahudah (Judah).
17As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she has been rebellious against me, says Yahuah (LORD).
18Your way and your doings have procured these things unto you; this is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches unto your heart.
19My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
21How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Yahuah (LORD), and by his fierce anger.
27For thus has Yahuah (LORD) said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
29The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
30And when you are spoiled, what will you do? Though you clothest thyself with crimson, though you deckest you with ornaments of gold, though you rentest your face with painting, in vain shall you make thyself fair; your lovers will despise you, they will seek your life.
31For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.