Jeremiah 4:19–31

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 of 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 of its towns were destroyed.

The Lord had done all of that because of his burning 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 who are 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 of 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 are trying 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!”