Part 4

24:004:002 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

24:004:003 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

24:004:004 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

24:004:005 Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.

24:004:006 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

24:004:007 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

24:004:008 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.

24:004:009 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.

24:004:010 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.

24:004:011 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,

24:004:012 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.

24:004:013 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

24:004:014 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

24:004:015 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.

24:004:016 Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.

24:004:017 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.

24:004:018 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.

24:004:019 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

24:004:020 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

24:004:021 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

24:004:022 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

24:004:023 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

24:004:024 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

24:004:025 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

24:004:026 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

24:004:027 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

24:004:028 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

24:004:029 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.