Jeremiah 4:19-31

191My 2soul, my 3soul! I am in anguish! 4Oh, my heart! My 5heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because 6you have heard, O my soul, The 7sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.208Disaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the 9whole land is devastated; Suddenly my 10tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant.21How long must I see the standard And hear the sound of the trumpet?22“11For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding. They are shrewd to 12do evil, But to do good they do not know.”

23I looked on the earth, and behold, it was 1314formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light.24I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were 15quaking, And all the hills 16moved to and fro.25I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the 17birds of the heavens had fled.26I looked, and behold, 18the 19fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the Lord, before His fierce anger.

27For thus says the Lord, “The 20whole land shall be a desolation, Yet I will 21not execute a complete destruction.28For this the 22earth shall mourn And the 23heavens above be dark, Because I have 24spoken, I have purposed, And I will not 25change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”29At the sound of the horseman and bowman 26every city flees; They 27go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; 28Every city is forsaken, And no man dwells in them.30And you, O desolate one, 29what will you do? Although you dress in scarlet, Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold, Although you 30enlarge your eyes with paint, In vain you make yourself beautiful. Your 3132lovers despise you; They seek your life.31For I heard a 33cry as of a woman in labor, The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child, The 34cry of the daughter of Zion 35gasping for breath, 36Stretching out her 37hands, saying, “Ah, woe is me, for 38I faint before murderers.”