4 If you return,B Israel—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
you will return to me,f
if you remove your abhorrent idolsg
from my presence
and do not waver,
2 then you can swear, “As the Lord lives,”h
in truth,i justice, and righteousness,j
and then the nations will be blessedC by himk
and will boast in him.l
3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up the unplowed ground;m
do not sow among the thorns.n
4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord;
remove the foreskin of your hearts,o
men of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.
Otherwise, my wrath will break out like fire
and burn with no one to extinguish itp
because of your evil deeds.
5 Declare in Judah, proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
Blow the trumpet throughout the land.q
Cry out loudly and say,
“Assemble yourselves,
and let’s flee to the fortified cities.”
6 Lift up a signal flag toward Zion.r
Run for cover! Don’t stand still!
For I am bringing disaster from the north—
a crushing blow.s
7 A lion has gone up from his thicket;t
a destroyer of nations has set out.
He has left his lair
to make your land a waste.
Your cities will be reduced to uninhabited ruins.u
8 Because of this, put on sackcloth;
mourn and wail,v
for the Lord’s burning angerw
has not turned away from us.
9 “On that day”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the king and the officials will lose their courage. The priests will tremble in fear, and the prophets will be scared speechless.”
10 I said, “Oh no, Lord God, you have certainly deceivedx this people and Jerusalem, by announcing, ‘You will have peace,’y while a sword is atD our throats.”
11 “At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A searing windz blows from the barren heights in the wilderness on the way to my dearE people. It comes not to winnow or to sift; 12 a wind too strong for this comes at my call.F Now I will also pronounce judgments against them.’ ”aa
13 Look, he advances like clouds;ab
his chariots are like a storm.ac
His horses are swifter than eagles.ad
Woe to us, for we are ruined!ae
14 Wash the evil from your heart,af Jerusalem,
so that you will be delivered.
How long will you harbor
malicious thoughts?ag
15 For a voice announces from Dan,
proclaiming malice from Mount Ephraim.
Proclaim to Jerusalem:
Those who besiege are coming
from a distant land;ah
they raise their voices
against the cities of Judah.
17 They have her surroundeda
like those who guard a field,
because she has rebelled against me.b
This is the Lord’s declaration.
have brought this on you.c
This is your punishment. It is very bitter,
because it has reached your heart!
19 My anguish, my anguish!A I writhe in agony!
My heart pounds;
I cannot be silent.
For you, my soul,
have heard the sound of the trumpet—
the shout of battle.
20 Disaster after disastere is reported
because the whole land is destroyed.
Suddenly my tents are destroyed,
my tent curtains, in a moment.
21 How long must I see the signal flag
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
they do not know me.
They are foolish children,
without understanding.f
They are skilled in doing what is evil,
but they do not know how to do what is good.”g
and it was formless and empty.h
I looked to the heavens,
and their light was gone.i
and they were quaking;j
all the hills shook.
25 I looked, and there was no human being,k
and all the birds of the sky had fled.l
26 I looked, and the fertile fieldm was a wilderness.n
All its cities were torn down
because of the Lord
and his burning anger.o
27 For this is what the Lord says:
“The whole land will be a desolation,p
but I will not finish it off.q
28 Because of this, the earth will mourn;r
the skies above will grow dark.s
I have spoken; I have planned,
and I will not relent or turn back from it.”t
29 Every city fleesu
at the sound of the horseman and the archer.
They enter the thickets
and climb among the rocks.v
Every city is abandoned;
no inhabitant is left.
30 And you, devastated one, what are you doingw
that you dress yourself in scarlet,
that you adorn yourself with gold jewelry,
that you enhance your eyes with makeup?x
You beautify yourself for nothing.
Your lovers reject you;y
they intend to take your life.z
31 I hear a cry like a woman in labor,aa
a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child.
The cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath,
stretching out her hands:ab
“Woe is me, for my life is weary
because of the murderers!”
About Christian Standard BibleThe Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a highly trustworthy, faithful translation that is proven to be the optimal blend of accuracy and readability. It’s as literal to the original as possible without sacrificing clarity. The CSB is poised to become the translation that pastors rely on and Bible readers turn to again and again to read and to share with others. The CSB is an original translation: more than 100 scholars from 17 denominations translated directly from the best available Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic source texts into English. Its source texts are the standard used by scholars and seminaries today. The CSB is trustworthy: the conservative, evangelical scholars of the CSB affirm the authority of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and seek the highest level of faithfulness to the original and accuracy in their translation. These scholars and LifeWay, the non-profit ministry that stewards the CSB, also champion the Bible against cultural trends that would compromise its truths. The CSB is clear: it is as literal a translation of the ancient source texts as possible, but, in the many places throughout Scripture where a word-for-word rendering might obscure the meaning for a modern audience, it uses a more dynamic translation. In all cases, the intent is to convey the original meaning of God’s Word as faithfully and as clearly as possible. |
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Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers. CSB UltraThin Reference Bible Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. All Rights Reserved. The text of the Christian Standard Bible may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of one-thousand (1,000) verses without the written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not account for more than 50 percent of the work in which they are quoted, and provided that a complete book of the Bible is not quoted. Requests for permission are to be directed to and approved in writing by Holman Bible Publishers, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, Tennessee 37234. When the Christian Standard Bible is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page or title page of the work: Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2020 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. |
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