rd

Jeremiah 4

1 True repentance. 4 He exhorteth to the circumciſion of the heart. 5 The deſtructión of Iudáh is prophecied, for the malice of their hearts. 19 The Prophet laméteth it.
1.O Iſraél, if thou returne, returne vnto me, ſaith the Lord: & if thou put away thine abóminaciós out of my ſight, then ſhalt thou not remoue.
2.And thou ſhalt ſweare, The Lord liueth in trueth, in iudgement, and in righteouſnes, and the nacions ſhalbe bleſſed in him, and ſhal glorie in him.
3.For thus ſaith the Lord to the men of Iudáh, and to Ieruſalém,
4.Breake vp your fallow grounde, & ſowe not among the thornes: be circumciſed to the Lord, and take away the foreſkinnes of your hearts, ye men of Iudáh, and inhabitants of Ieruſalém, leſt my wrath come forthe like fyre, and burne, that none can quench it, becauſe of the wickednes of your inuentions.
5.Declare in Iudáh, and ſhewe forthe in Ieruſalém, and ſay, Blowe the trumpet in the land: crye, and gather together, & ſay, Aſſemble your ſelues, and let vs go into ſtrong cities.
6.Set vp the ſtandart in Zión: prepare to flee, & ſtay not: for I wil bring a plague from the North, and a great deſtruction.
7.The lyon is come vp from his denne, and the deſtroyer of the Gentiles is departed, & gone forthe of his place to lay thy land waſte, and thy cities ſhalbe deſtroyed without an inhabitant.
8.Wherefore girde you with ſackecloth: lament, and howle, for the fierce wrath of the Lord is not turned backe from vs.
9.And in that day, ſaith the Lord, the heart of the King ſhal periſh, and the heart of the princes and the Prieſts ſhalbe aſtoniſhed, and the Prophetes ſhal wonder.
10.Then ſaid I, Ah, Lord God, ſurely thou haſt deceiued this people & Ieruſalém, ſaying, Ye ſhal haue peace, and the ſworde perceth vnto the heart.
11.At that time ſhal it be ſaid to this people and to Ieruſalém, A drye winde in the hie places of the wildernes cometh toward the daughter of my people, but nether to fan, nor to clenſe.
12.A mightie winde ſhal come vnto me fró thoſe places, and now wil I alſo giue ſentence vpon them.
13.Beholde, he ſhal come vp as the cloudes, and his charets ſhalbe as a tempeſt: his horſes are lighter then egles. Wo vnto vs, for we are deſtroied.
14.O Ieruſalém, waſh thine heart from wickednes, that thou maieſt be ſaued: how long ſhal thy wicked thoghts remaine within thee?
15.For a voyce declareth from Dan, and publiſheth affliction fró moút Ephraim.
16.Make ye mentió of the heathé, and publiſh in Ieruſalém, Beholde, the ſkoutes come from a farre countrey, and crye out againſt the cities of Iudáh.
17.They haue compaſſed her about as the watchemen of the field, becauſe it hathe prouoked me to wrath, ſaith the Lord.
18.Thy waies & thine inuentions haue procured thee theſe things, ſuche is thy wickednes: therefore it ſhalbe bitter, therefore it ſhal perce vnto thine heart.
19.My bely, my bely, I am pained, euen at the very heart: mine heart is troubled within me: I can not be ſtyl: for my ſoule hathe heard the ſounde of the trumpet, & the alarme of the battel.
20.Deſtruction vpon deſtruction is cryed, for the whole land is waſted: ſuddenly are my tentes deſtroyed, and my curteines in a moment.
21.How long ſhal I ſe the ſtandart, & heare the ſounde of the trumpet?
22.For my people is fooliſh, thei haue not knowen me: thei are fooliſh childrẽ, & haue none vnderſtanding: thei are wiſe to do euil, but to do wel thei haue no knowledge.
23.I haue loked vpon the earth, and lo, it was without forme and voide: and to the heauens, and thei had no light.
24.I beheld the moũtaines: & lo, they trembled and all the hilles ſhooke.
25.I beheld, and lo, there was no man, and all the birdes of the heauen were departed.
26.I beheld, and lo, the fruteful place was a wildernes, and all their cities thereof were brokẽ downe at the preſence of the Lord, and by his fierce wrath.
27.For thus hathe ye Lord ſaid, The whole land ſhalbe deſolate: yet wil I not make a ful end.
28.Therefore ſhal the earth mourne, and the heauens aboue ſhalbe darkened, becauſe I haue pronounced it: I haue thoght it, and wil not repent, nether wil I turne backe from it.
29.The whole citie ſhal flee, for the noiſe of the horſmen and bowe mẽ: thei ſhal go into thickets, and clime vp vpon the rockes: euerie citie ſhalbe forſaken, and not a man dwel therein.
30.And when thou ſhalt be deſtroyed, what wilt thou do? Thogh thou clotheſt thy ſelf with ſkarlet, thogh thou deckeſt thee with ornamẽts of golde, thogh thou painteſt thy face with colours, yet ſhalt thou trimme thy ſelf in vaine: for thy louers wil abhorre thee & ſeke thy life.
31.For I haue heard a noiſe as of a woman trauailing, or as one laboring of her firſt childe, euen the voice of the daughter Zión that ſigheth and ſtretcheth out her hands: wo is me now: for my ſoule fainteth becauſe of the murtherers.

Notes

1:*.
Ioel. 2, 12, not diſſembling to turne & ſerue God as they do which ſerue him by halues, as Hoſ. 7, 16.
1:a.
That is, wholy, & without hypocriſie,
2:b.
Thou ſhalt deteſt the name of idoles, Pſal 16, 4. & ſhalt with reuerence ſweare by the lyuing God, when thine othe may aduance Gods glorie, & profite others, & here, by ſwearing he meaneth the true religion of God.
4:c.
He willeth them to plucke vp the impietie and wicked affection and worldelie reſpectes out of their heart, that the true ſede of Gods worde may be ſowen therein, Hoſ. 10, 12.
4:d.
and this is the true circumciſió of ye heart, Deut. 10, 16. rom. 2, 29. col. 2, 11.
5:e.
He warneth them of the great dangers yt ſhal come vpon them by the Caldeans, except they repent, and turne to ye Lord.
6:f.
He ſpeaketh this to admoniſh them of ye great danger when euery má ſhal prepare to ſaue him ſelf, but it ſhal be to late, 2. King 25, 4.
7:g.
Meaníg Nebuchadnezzar King of Babyló 2 King 24, 1.
9:h.
That is, the falſe prophetes which ſtil prophecied peace and ſecuritie.
10:i.
By the falſe prophetes, wc promiſed peace and tranquillitie: and thus thou haſt puniſhed their rebellious ſtubernes by cauſing them to hearken vnto lies which wolde not beleue thy trueth 2. King 22, 23. ezek. 14, 9. 2. theſſ 2, 11.
11:k.
The North winde whereby he meaneth Nebuchadnezzár.
11:l.
But to cary away bothe corne and chaffe.
13:m.
Meaning ye Nebuchadnezzár ſhulde come as ſuddenly, as a cloude that is caried with ye winde.
13:n.
This is ſpoken in the perſone of all the people who in their affliction ſhulde crye thus.
15:o.
Which was a citie in the vtmoſt border of Iſraél Northward toward Babylon.
15:p.
Which was in the midway betwene Dan and Ieruſalém.
17:q.
Which kepe the frutes ſo ſtreitly, that nothing can come in nor out: ſo ſhulde the Babylonians compaſſe Iudáh.
19:r.
He ſheweth that the true miniſters are liuely touched with the calamities of the Church, ſo that all the partes of their bodie fele the grief of their heart, albeit with zeale to Gods glorie thet pronounce his iudgements againſt the people.
20:s.
Meaning the cities, which were as eaſely caſt downe as a tent.
22:t.
Their wiſdome and policie tende to their owne deſtruction, and pulleth them from God.
23:u.
By theſe maner of ſpeaches he ſheweth the horrible deſtruction that ſhulde come vpon the land, and alſo condemneth the obſtinacie of the people, who repent not at the feare of theſe terrible tydings, ſeing that ye inſẽſible creatures are moued therewith, as if the order of nature ſhulde be chãged, Iſa. 13, 10 and 24.23. ezek. 32, 7. ioel. 2.31. & 3.15.
27:v.
But for his mercie ſake he wil reſerue him ſelfe a reſidue to be his Church, and to praiſe him in earth, Iſa. 2, 9.
30:x.
Nether thy ceremonies nor riche gyftes ſhal deliuer thee.
31:y.
As the Prophetes were moued to pitie the deſtructiõ of their people, ſo thei declared it to the people to moue them to repentance, Iſa. 22, 4. chap. 9.