1“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD,
         “Then you should return to Me.
         And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
         And will not waver,

2And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’
         In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
         Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
         And in Him they will glory.”

      3For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
         “Break up your fallow ground,
         And do not sow among thorns.

4“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD
         And remove the foreskins of your heart,
         Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
         Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
         And burn with none to quench it,
         Because of the evil of your deeds.”

5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say,
         “Blow the trumpet in the land;
         Cry aloud and say,
         ‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go
         Into the fortified cities.’

6“Lift up a standard toward Zion!
         Seek refuge, do not stand still,
         For I am bringing evil from the north,
         And great destruction.

7“A lion has gone up from his thicket,
         And a destroyer of nations has set out;
         He has gone out from his place
         To make your land a waste.
         Your cities will be ruins
         Without inhabitant.

8“For this, put on sackcloth,
         Lament and wail;
         For the fierce anger of the LORD
         Has not turned back from us.”

9“It shall come about in that day,” declares the LORD, “that the heart of the king and the heart of the princes will fail; and the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded.”

      10Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Surely You have utterly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You will have peace’; whereas a sword touches the throat.”

      11In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the bare heights in the wilderness in the direction of the daughter of My people—not to winnow and not to cleanse, 12a wind too strong for this—will come at My command; now I will also pronounce judgments against them.

13“Behold, he goes up like clouds,
         And his chariots like the whirlwind;
         His horses are swifter than eagles.
         Woe to us, for we are ruined!”

14Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem,
         That you may be saved.
         How long will your wicked thoughts
         Lodge within you?

15For a voice declares from Dan,
         And proclaims wickedness from Mount Ephraim.

16“Report it to the nations, now!
         Proclaim over Jerusalem,
         ‘Besiegers come from a far country,
         And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.

17‘Like watchmen of a field they are against her round about,
         Because she has rebelled against Me,’ declares the LORD.

18“Your ways and your deeds
         Have brought these things to you.
         This is your evil. How bitter!
         How it has touched your heart!”

Lament over Judah’s Devastation

19My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!
         My heart is pounding in me;
         I cannot be silent,
         Because you have heard, O my soul,
         The sound of the trumpet,
         The alarm of war.

20Disaster on disaster is proclaimed,
         For the whole land is devastated;
         Suddenly my tents are devastated,
         My curtains in an instant.

21How long must I see the standard
         And hear the sound of the trumpet?

22“For My people are foolish,
         They know Me not;
         They are stupid children
         And have no understanding.
         They are shrewd to do evil,
         But to do good they do not know.”

23I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void;
         And to the heavens, and they had no light.

24I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking,
         And all the hills moved to and fro.

25I looked, and behold, there was no man,
         And all the birds of the heavens had fled.

26I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness,
         And all its cities were pulled down
         Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.

27For thus says the LORD,
         “The whole land shall be a desolation,
         Yet I will not execute a complete destruction.

28“For this the earth shall mourn
         And the heavens above be dark,
         Because I have spoken, I have purposed,
         And I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it.”

29At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees;
         They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks;
         Every city is forsaken,
         And no man dwells in them.

30And you, O desolate one, what will you do?
         Although you dress in scarlet,
         Although you decorate yourself with ornaments of gold,
         Although you enlarge your eyes with paint,
         In vain you make yourself beautiful.
         Your lovers despise you;
         They seek your life.

31For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor,
         The anguish as of one giving birth to her first child,
         The cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath,
         Stretching out her hands, saying,
         “Ah, woe is me, for I faint before murderers.”

Parallel Verses

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"If you will return, O Israel," declares the LORD, "Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, And will not waver,

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
The LORD declares, "If you come back, Israel, if you come back to me, if you take your disgusting idols out of my sight and you don't wander away from me,

King James Bible
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.

Douay-Rheims Bible
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return to me: if thou wilt take away thy stumblingblocks out of my sight, thou shalt not be moved.

Darby Bible Translation
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith Jehovah, return unto me; and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not be a wanderer;

English Revised Version
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, unto me shalt thou return: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not be removed;

Webster's Bible Translation
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return to me: and if thou wilt put away thy abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.

World English Bible
"If you will return, Israel," says Yahweh, "if you will return to me, and if you will put away your abominations out of my sight; then you shall not be removed;

Young's Literal Translation
If thou dost turn back, O Israel, An affirmation of Jehovah, unto Me turn back, And if thou dost turn aside Thine abominations from My face, Then thou dost not bemoan.

Cross References

Deuteronomy 4:30 "When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.

Jeremiah 3:1 God says, "If a husband divorces his wife And she goes from him And belongs to another man, Will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted? But you are a harlot with many lovers; Yet you turn to Me," declares the LORD.

Jeremiah 3:22 "Return, O faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness." "Behold, we come to You; For You are the LORD our God.

Jeremiah 7:3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place.

Jeremiah 7:5 "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor,

Jeremiah 7:7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.

Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore, thus says the LORD, "If you return, then I will restore you-- Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.

Jeremiah 18:11 "So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am fashioning calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh turn back, each of you from his evil way, and reform your ways and your deeds."'

Jeremiah 25:5 saying, 'Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the LORD has given to you and your forefathers forever and ever;

Jeremiah 35:15 "Also I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, sending them again and again, saying: 'Turn now every man from his evil way and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to worship them. Then you will dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your forefathers; but you have not inclined your ear or listened to Me.

Joel 2:12 "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning;

Zechariah 1:4 "Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds."' But they did not listen or give heed to Me," declares the LORD.

Commentary

Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary

Chapter 4

It should seem that the first two verses of this chapter might better have been joined to the close of the foregoing chapter, for they are directed to Israel, the ten tribes, by way of reply to their compliance with God's call, directing and encouraging them to hold their resolution (v. 1, 2). The rest of the chapter concerns Judah and Jerusalem. I. They are called to repent and reform (v. 3, 4). II. They are warned of the advance of Nebuchadnezzar and his forces against them, and are told that it is for their sins, from which they are again exhorted to wash themselves (v. 5-18). III. To affect them the more with the greatness of the desolation that was coming, the prophet does himself bitterly lament it, and sympathize with his people in the calamities it brought upon them, and the plunge it brought them to, representing it as a reduction of the world to its first chaos (v. 19-31).

Verses 1-2

When God called to backsliding Israel to return (ch. 3:22) they immediately answered, Lord, we return; now God here takes notice of their answer, and, by way of reply to it,

I. He directs them how to pursue their good resolutions: "Dost thou say, I will return?" 1. "Then thou must return unto me; make a thorough work of it. Do not only turn from thy idolatries, but return to the instituted worship of the God of Israel." Or, "Thou must return speedily and not delay (as Isa. 21:12, If you will enquire, enquire you); if you will return unto me, return you: do not talk of it, but do it." 2. "Thou must utterly abandon all sin, and not retain any of the relics of idolatry: Put away thy abominations out of my sight," that is, out of all places (for every place is under the eye of God), especially out of the temple, the house which he had in a particular manner his eye upon, to see that it was kept clean. It intimates that their idolatries were not only obvious, but offensive, to the eye of God. They were abominations which he could not endure the sight of; therefore they must be put away out of his sight, because they were a provocation to the pure eyes of God's glory. Sin must be put away out of the heart, else it is not put away out of God's sight, for the heart and all that is in it lie open before his eye. 3. They must not return to sin again; so some understand that, Thou shalt not remove, reading it, Thou shalt not, or must not, wander. "If thou wilt put away thy abominations, and wilt not wander after them again, as thou hast done, all shall be well." 4. They must give unto God the glory due unto his name (v. 2): "Thou shalt sear, The Lord liveth. His existence shall be with thee the most sacred fact, than which nothing can be more sure, and his judgment the supreme court to which thou shalt appeal, than which nothing can be more awful." Swearing is an act of religious worship, in which we are to give honour to God three ways:-(1.) We must swear by the true God only, and not by creatures, or any false gods,-by the God that liveth, not by the gods that are deaf and dumb and dead,-by him only, and not by the Lord and by Malcham, as Zec. 1:5. (2.) We must swear that only which is true, in truth and in righteousness, not daring to assert that which is false, or which we do not know to be true, nor to assert that as certain which is doubtful, nor to promise that which we mean not to perform, nor to violate the promise we have made. To say that which is untrue, or to do that which is unrighteous, is bad, but to back either with an oath is much worse. (3.) We must do it solemnly, swear in judgment, that is, when judicially called to it, and not in common conversation. Rash swearing is as great a profanation of God's name as solemn swearing is an honour to it. See Deu. 10:20; Mt. 5:34, 37.

II. He encourages them to keep in this good mind and adhere to their resolutions. If the scattered Israelites will thus return to God, 1. They shall be blessed themselves; for to that sense the first words may be read: "If thou wilt return to me, then thou shalt return, that is, thou shalt be brought back out of thy captivity into thy own land again, as was of old promised," Deu. 4:29; 30:2. Or, "Then thou shalt rest in me, shalt return to me as they rest, even while thou art in the land of thy captivity." 2. They shall be blessings to others; for their returning to God again will be a means of others turning to him who never new him. If thou wilt own the living Lord, thou wilt thereby influence the nations among whom thou art to bless themselves in him, to place their happiness in his favour and to think themselves happy in being brought to the fear of him. See Isa. 65:16. They shall bless themselves in the God of truth, and not in false gods, shall do themselves the honour, and give themselves the satisfaction, to join themselves to him; and then in him shall they glory; they shall make him their glory, and shall please, nay, shall pride, themselves in the blessed change they have made. Those that part with their sins to return to God, however they scrupled at the bargain at first, when they go away, then they boast.

Calvin's Commentary

1. If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.

1. Si reverteris Israel, dicit Jehova, ad me revertere (vel, apud me quiesce;) et si abstuleris abominationes tuas a facie mea, et non fueris vagus (alii, et non migrabis.)

The Prophet no doubt requires here from the people a sincere return to God, inasmuch as they had often pretended to confess their sins, and had given many signs of repentance, while they were acting deceitfully with him. As then they had often dealt falsely with God and with his prophets, Jeremiah bids them to return to God without any disguise and in good faith. With regard to what is here substantially taught, this is the Prophet's meaning; but there is some ambiguity in the words.

Some read thus, "If thou returnest, Israel, to me, saith Jehovah, "connecting "to me, 'ly, "with the first clause, then they read separately "tsvv, teshub, thou shalt rest;" and so they think that what follows is the repetition of the same thing, "If thou wilt take away thine abominations from before me, thou shalt not migrate;" that is, I will not cast thee out as I have threatened. Others take the verb tsvv, teshub, in the same sense, (for it is the same verb repeated,) "If thou wilt return, Israel, return to me." The Prophet doubtless bids the Israelites to return to God in sincerity, and without any disguise, and not to act falsely with him, as they had often done.

I have as yet mentioned only what others have thought; but, in my judgment, the most suitable rendering is, "If thou wilt return, Israel, rest in me, "arrete toi, as we say in French. Rest then in me; and then a definition is given, If thou wilt take away thine abominations (for the copulative is to be taken as expletive or explanatory) from my sight, and wilt not wander What some of those I have referred to have given as their rendering, "If thou wilt return to me, Israel, thou shalt rest," I wholly reject, as it seems forced: but I allow this reading, "If thou wilt return, Israel, thou shalt rest in me;" or this, "If thou wilt return, Israel, return to me;" for the difference is not great. The Prophet here evidently condemns the hypocrisy which the Israelites had practiced; for they had often professed themselves as ready to render obedience to God, and afterwards proved that they had made a false profession. Since then deceit and emptiness had been so often found in them, the Prophet demands here, in the name and by the command of God, that they should in truth and sincerity return to him.

If this reading be approved, "Israel, return to me," the intimation is, that they ever took circuitous courses, that they might not return directly to God: for it is usual with hypocrites to make a great show of repentance and at the same time to shun God. If then we follow this reading, the Prophet means this, "Israel, there is no reason for thee hereafter to think that thou gainest anything by boasting with thy mouth of thy repentance; return to me; know that thou hast to do with God, who is not deceived, as he never deceives any: return then faithfully to me, and let thy conversion be sincere and in no way deceptive."

But if the verb, tsvv, teshub, be taken in the other sense, there would be no great difference in the meaning; "If thou wilt return, Israel, thou shalt rest in me;" that is, thou shalt hereafter have nothing to do with idols and with thy perverted ways. Thus the Prophet briefly shews that the return of Israel would be nothing, except they acquiesced in God alone, and wandered not after vain objects, as they had often done. And with this view corresponds what follows, "Even if thou takest away (for the copulative, as I have said, is to be taken as explanatory) thine abominations from my sight, and wilt wander no more, vl' tnvd, vela tanud." For the vice which Jeremiah meant especially to condemn was this, -- that Israel, while pretending a great show of religion, yet vacillated and did not devote themselves with all their heart to God, but were changeable in their purpose. This vice then is what Jeremiah justly condemns; and hence I am disposed to embrace this view "Israel, if thou wilt return, rest in me;" that is, continue constantly faithful to me: but how can this be done? "Even if thou wilt take away thy abominations, and if thou wilt not wander;" for thy levity and inconstancy hitherto has been well known. [98]

Whatever view we may take, this passage deserves to be noticed as being against hypocrites, who dare not openly to reject prophetic warnings; but while they shew some tokens of repentance, they still by windings shun the presence of God. They indeed testify by their mouth that they seek God, but yet have recourse to subterfuges: and hence I have said that this passage is remarkably useful, so that we may know that God cannot be pacified by those fallacious trifles which hypocrites bring forward, but that he requires a sincere heart, and that he abominates all dissimulation. It is therefore expressly said, If thou wilt take away thy abominations from my sight For hypocrites ever regard display and seek to be approved by men, and are satisfied with their approbation; but God calls their attention to himself. It must at the same time be observed, that he cannot be deceived; for he is the searcher of hearts. It follows --

Footnotes:

[98] The best rendering is that which connects "to me" with the former clause: the end of the verse, as Grotius observes, proves this. If they returned to God, they were to return from captivity; and if they cast away their abominations, they were not to be vagabonds or to wander any more. This seems to be the meaning. The v before l' in the last clause is left out in ten MSS., and in the Vulgate, Targum, and Syriac. The verse then would be as follows, -- 1. If thou wilt return, Israel, saith Jehovah, to me, Thou shalt be restored, (that is, from captivity:) If thou wilt remove thy abominations from my sight, Thou shalt not be a wanderer. -- Ed.

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Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision B. Jesus Talks with Nicodemus. ^D John III. 1-21. ^d 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [Nicodemus is mentioned only by John. His character is marked by a prudence amounting almost to timidity. At John vii. 50-52 he defends Jesus, but without committing himself as in any way interested in him: at John xix. 38, 39 he brought spices for the body of Jesus, but only after Joseph of Arimathæa had secured the body. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament