1“If you, Israel, will return,” announces the Lord,
“then return to me.
Put the statues of your gods out of my sight.
I hate them.
Stop going astray.
2Make all your promises in my name.
When you promise say, ‘You can be sure that the Lord is alive.’
Be truthful, fair and honest when you make these promises.
Then the nations will ask for blessings from me.
And they will boast about me.”
3Here is what the Lord is telling the people of Judah and Jerusalem. He says,
“Your hearts are as hard as a field
that has not been plowed.
So change your ways and produce good crops.
Do not plant seeds among thorns.
4People of Judah and you who live in Jerusalem, obey me.
Do not let your hearts be stubborn.
If you do, my anger will blaze out against you.
It will burn like fire because of the evil things you have done.
No one will be able to put it out.
Trouble Will Come From the North
5“Announce my message in Judah.
Tell it in Jerusalem.
Say, ‘Blow trumpets all through the land!’
Give a loud shout and say,
‘Gather together!
Let’s run to cities that have high walls around them!’
6Warn everyone to go to Zion!
Run for safety! Do not wait!
I am bringing trouble from the north.
Everything will be totally destroyed.”
7Lions have come out of their dens.
Those who destroy nations have begun to march out.
They have left their place
to destroy your land completely.
Your towns will be broken to pieces.
No one will live in them.
8So put on the clothes of sadness.
Mourn and weep over what has happened.
The Lord hasn’t turned
his great anger away from us.
9“A dark day is coming,” announces the Lord.
“The king and his officials will lose hope.
The priests will be shocked.
And the prophets will be terrified.”
10Then I said, “You are my Lord and King. You have completely tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem! You have told them, ‘You will have peace and rest.’ But swords are pointed at our throats!”
11At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be warned. They will be told, “A hot and dry wind is coming, my people. It is blowing toward you from the bare hilltops in the desert. But it does not separate straw from grain. 12It is much too strong for that. The wind is coming from me. I am making my decision against you.”
13Look! Our enemies are approaching like the clouds.
Their chariots are coming like a strong wind.
Their horses are faster than eagles.
How terrible it will be for us!
We’ll be destroyed!
14People of Jerusalem, wash your sins from your hearts and be saved.
How long will you hold on to your evil thoughts?
15A voice is speaking all the way from the city of Dan.
From the hills of Ephraim it announces
that trouble is coming.
16“Tell the nations.
Make an announcement concerning Jerusalem.
Say, ‘An army will attack Judah.
It is coming from a land far away.
It will shout a war cry
against the cities of Judah.
17It will surround them like people who guard a field.
Judah has refused to obey me,’ ”
announces the Lord.
18“The army will attack you
because of your conduct and actions.
This is how you will be punished.
It will be so bitter!
It will cut deep down into your hearts!”
19I’m suffering! I’m really suffering!
I’m hurting badly.
My heart is suffering so much!
It’s pounding inside me.
I can’t keep silent.
I’ve heard the sound of trumpets.
I’ve heard the battle cry.
20One trouble follows another.
The whole land is destroyed.
In an instant my tents are gone.
My home disappears in a moment.
21How long must I look at our enemy’s battle flag?
How long must I hear the sound of the trumpets?
22The Lord says, “My people are foolish.
They do not know me.
They are children who do not have any sense.
They have no understanding at all.
They are skilled in doing what is evil.
They do not know how to do what is good.”
23I looked at the earth.
It didn’t have any shape. And it was empty.
I looked at the sky.
Its light was gone.
24I looked at the mountains.
They were shaking.
All the hills were swaying.
25I looked. And there weren’t any people.
Every bird in the sky had flown away.
26I looked. And the fruitful land had become a desert.
All its towns were destroyed.
The Lord had done all this because of his great anger.
27The Lord says,
“The whole land will be destroyed.
But I will not destroy it completely.
28So the earth will be filled with sadness.
The sky above will grow dark.
I have spoken, and I will not take pity on them.
I have made my decision, and I will not change my mind.”
29People can hear the sound of horsemen.
Men armed with bows are coming.
The people in every town run away.
Some of them go into the bushes.
Others climb up among the rocks.
All the towns are deserted.
No one is living in them.
30What are you doing, you who are destroyed?
Why do you dress yourself in bright red clothes?
Why do you put on jewels of gold?
Why do you put makeup on your eyes?
You make yourself beautiful for no reason at all.
Your lovers hate you.
They want to kill you.
31I hear a cry like the cry of a woman having a baby.
I hear a groan like someone having her first child.
It’s the cry of the people of Zion struggling to breathe.
They reach out their hands and say,
“Help us! We’re fainting!
Murderers are about to kill us!”
Et kald til omvendelse
1Åh, mit folk, Israel, vend tilbage til mig. Hvis I skiller jer af med jeres væmmelige afguder, hvis I holder op med at gå jeres egne veje, 2hvis I sværger på, at I fra nu af vil handle retfærdigt og ærligt, så vil I blive redskab til, at min velsignelse når ud til folkeslagene, og de vil glæde sig over mig.
3Hør, hvad Herren siger til Judas befolkning og Jerusalems indbyggere: Pløj dybt i jeres hårde og golde hjerter. Det nytter ikke at så imellem tidsler. 4Forny jeres pagt med mig, og lad hjerterne blive omskåret. Ellers vil min vrede fortære jer med en uudslukkelig ild på grund af alle jeres synder.”
Dommen over Jerusalem og Juda
5Herren fortsatte: „Advar Jerusalem og hele Juda og sig til folk, at de skal blæse alarm ud over landet. Råb til dem: ‚Løb for livet! Flygt ind i de befæstede byer!’ 6Hejs alarmflaget på Zions bjerg. Skynd jer at flygte. Udsæt det ikke. Jeg, Herren, sender en hær imod jer fra nord. 7En løve kommer frem fra sin hule, en frygtelig folkedræber gør sig klar til kamp. Jeres land bliver lagt øde, og byerne bliver til forladte ruiner. 8Klæd jer i sørgetøj og bryd sammen i gråd, for min voldsomme vrede rammer jer. 9Når det sker, vil konger og embedsmænd stå magtesløse, præster og profeter stivne af skræk.”
10„Jamen, Herre,” protesterede jeg, „har du så ikke narret folket ved at love Jerusalem fred og fremgang? Nu har vi fået kniven på struben.”
11-12Herren fortsatte: „Der kommer en dag, hvor jeg sender en svidende ørkenvind ind over dem. Det bliver ikke en behagelig brise, men en brølende orkan. Det er min straf over folket.”
13Da vil fjenden fare ind over vores land som en stormvind. Hans stridsvogne er som en tornado og hans heste hurtigere end ørne. Så er det ude med os.
14Åh, Jerusalem, rens dit hjerte for ondskab, så du kan blive reddet. Hvor længe vil du blive ved med dine ondsindede planer?
15Fra Dan og fra Efraims bjerge vil der komme sendebud med melding om, at katastrofen er på vej. 16De vil råbe til folk: „Fjenden er nær!” De vil sige til Jerusalems indbyggere: „Fjenden kommer fra et fjernt land for at belejre Jerusalem og angribe alle Judas byer. 17De vil sætte vagtposter hele vejen rundt om Jerusalem, så ingen kan gå ud eller ind.”
„Det sker, fordi I har gjort oprør imod mig,” siger Herren. 18„I må tage konsekvensen af jeres ondskab og synd. Det er en hård straf, men det er, hvad I fortjener. Smerten bliver ikke til at bære.”
19Da udbrød jeg: „Jeg mærker allerede smerten i mit hjerte. Der raser en kamp i mit indre—og jeg kan ikke tie stille med det. Jeg kan allerede høre fjenden blæse til angreb, og skrigene fra kampen skærer mig i hjertet. 20Ødelæggelsen ruller ind over landet og efterlader det i ruiner. På et øjeblik er alle vores hjem jævnet med jorden. 21Hvor længe skal kampen rase? Hvor længe skal jeg høre på de frygtelige kampråb?”
22Herren svarede: „Det sker, fordi mit folk har opført sig tåbeligt. De har vendt mig ryggen. De opfører sig som uartige børn, der ikke har andet i hovedet end at udtænke ondskabsfulde planer. De forstår ikke, hvad det vil sige at gøre det gode.”
23Derefter så jeg hele landet for mit indre blik. Det var øde og tomt. Jeg så op mod himlen. Den var sort. 24Jeg så mod bjergene og højene. De rystede og skælvede. 25Der var ingen mennesker at se nogen steder, og fuglene var borte. 26Det frugtbare land var forvandlet til en ødemark, og byerne lå i ruiner på grund af Herrens glødende vrede.
27„Jeg gør landet øde—dog ikke helt,” siger Herren. 28„Det er derfor, jorden sørger, og himlen er klædt i sort. Jeg har nu åbenbaret min plan, og min beslutning står fast, den er ikke til at ændre.”
29Derefter så jeg for mig byernes indbyggere flygte i rædsel over larmen fra den fremstormende hær. Folk gemte sig i krattet og i bjergenes kløfter. Byerne lå øde og forladte. 30Jerusalem, du er fortabt. Hvorfor klæder du dig ud i det fineste skrud, tager smykker på og maler dig med øjensminke? Det nytter ikke noget, for dine forbundsfæller foragter dig og ønsker kun at slå dig ihjel.
31Jeg hører et hjerteskærende skrig som fra en kvinde, der føder for første gang. Det er Jerusalem, der skriger i sin nød, gisper efter vejret og trygler om nåde foran sine bødler.
