Jeremiah 4:1-9

“If you will return, O Israel,” says the LORD, “If you will return to Me, And if you will put away your detestable things and remove your man-made gods from My sight, And not stray or waver, And if you swear [your oaths], ‘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.” For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, “Plow your uncultivated ground [for a season], And do not sow among thorns. “Circumcise (dedicate, sanctify) yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskin [sins] of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire [consuming all that gets in its way] And burn and there will be no one to quench it, Because of the evil of your acts.” ¶Declare 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.’ “Raise a banner toward Zion [to mark the way for those seeking safety inside Jerusalem’s walls]! Seek refuge, do not stand [immobile], For I am bringing evil from the north (the army of Babylon), And great destruction. “A lion has left his lair, And a destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone out from his place To desolate your land; Your cities will be in ruins Without an inhabitant. “For this reason, put on sackcloth [for mourning], Lament (mourn with expressions of grief for the dead) and wail, For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us.” “It shall come about in that day,” says the LORD, “that the heart and courage of the king will fail (be paralyzed), and also the heart of the princes; the priests will be appalled and the prophets will be astounded and horrified.”