1. If you will return, O Israel, says the LORD, return to me: and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight, then shall you not be removed.
2. And you shall swear, The LORD lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
3. For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
4. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: so that my fury does not come forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
5. Declare ye in Judah, and make it known in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.
6. Set up the standard toward Zion: flee, do not delay: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7. The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate; and your cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
8. For this clothe yourself with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
9. And it shall come to pass in that day, says the 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.
10. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely you have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, You shall have peace; though the sword reaches unto the soul.
11. At 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,
12. Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
13. Behold, 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 laid waste.
14. O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your vain thoughts reside within you?
15. For a voice declares from Dan, and announces affliction from mount Ephraim.
16. Make mention to the nations; behold, announce against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and speak out their voice against the cities of Judah.
17. As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she has been rebellious against me, says the LORD.
18. Your way and your doings have brought about these things for you; this is your wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reaches unto your heart.
19. My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart makes a sound in me; I cannot hold my peace, because you have heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
20. Destruction upon destruction is announced; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents ruined, and my curtains in a moment.
21. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22. For my people are foolish, they have not known me; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved swiftly.
25. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
27. For thus has the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28. For 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.
29. The whole city shall flee at 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 shall dwell therein.
30. And when you are laid waste, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with crimson, though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you tear your face with painting, in vain shall you make yourself fair; your lovers will despise you, they will seek your life.
31. For I have heard a voice as of a woman in birth labor, and the anguish as of her that brings forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewails herself, that spreads her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.