1 “If you will return, Israel,then return to me,” says the Lord.“If you will throw away your idols that I hate,then don’t wander away from me.
2 If you say when you make a promise,‘As surely as the Lord lives,’and you can say it in a truthful, honest, and right way,then the nations will be blessed by him,and they will praise him for what he has done.”
3 This is what the Lord says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem:“Plow your unplowed fields,and don’t plant seeds among thorns.
4 Give yourselves to the service of the Lord,and decide to obey him,people of Judah and people of Jerusalem.If you don’t, my anger will spread among you like a fire,and no one will be able to put it out,because of the evil you have done.
5 “Announce this message in Judah and say it in Jerusalem:‘Blow the trumpet throughout the country!’Shout out loud and say,‘Come together!Let’s all escape to the strong, walled cities!’
6 Raise the signal flag toward Jerusalem!Run for your lives, and don’t wait,because I am bringing disaster from the northThere will be terrible destruction.”