Jeremiah 4:5-20

5The Lord said: ‘Shout this message to the people in Jerusalem and in all Judah: “Make a loud noise with trumpets in all the land!” Shout loudly, “Come together! We must all run to the cities with strong walls!”

6Lift up a flag that shows the way to Zion! Run quickly to a safe place! Do not wait! I will soon bring great trouble from the north. An enemy will destroy your country.

7Yes, a strong army is coming, like a lion that has left its cave. It has come out to destroy many nations. It will attack your whole land. Your cities will become heaps of stones, and nobody will live in them.

8So wear rough sackcloth! Weep and cry aloud. Say, “The Lord is still very angry with us.” ’

9The Lord says: ‘When this happens, the king and his officers will be afraid. The priests will shake with fear. The prophets will be unable to speak.’

10Then I said, ‘Lord God, that is terrible! You have deceived the people of Judah and Jerusalem. You told them, “You will live in peace.” But now an enemy is ready to attack us!’

11The Lord will tell the people at that time, ‘A hot wind will blow from the hills in the desert. It will not be a little wind that blows chaff from wheat. It will be a strong storm that blows away the people that I love.

12I will send a strong wind of punishment on my people.’

13Look! The enemy army is coming like dark clouds! Their chariots make the noise of a storm. Their horses move faster than eagles in the sky. Terrible trouble has come. We will all die!

14People of Jerusalem, remove the evil things from your lives. Then the Lord may save you. Do not continue to have wicked ideas.

15People are bringing a message from Dan and from the hill country of Ephraim. The message says that great trouble is coming.

16They say, ‘Warn all the nations that the enemy is coming!’ Shout this message in Jerusalem: ‘An army is coming from a country that is far away. They will attack the towns in Judah.

17Their soldiers are all around Jerusalem's walls, like guards around a farmer's field.’ The Lord says, ‘This will happen because the people of Judah have turned against me.

18I will punish you very much, because that is what you deserve. You have lived in a wicked way and you have done evil things. My punishment will give you pain that goes all through you.’

19I am so upset! My body is shaking with pain. My heart beats hard inside me. I cannot keep still. I cannot keep quiet. I have heard the noise of the enemy's trumpets and the shouts of their soldiers.

20They are winning one battle after another! They are destroying the whole land. Our homes are becoming heaps of stones. They quickly knock down our tents.