Jeremiah 4:16

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Warn the nations: Look!Proclaim to Jerusalem:Those who besiege are comingfrom a distant land;they raise their voicesagainst the cities of Judah.

Hebrew Names Version
make you mention to the nations; behold, publish against Yerushalayim, [that] watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Yehudah.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, "Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah.

New American Standard Bible
"Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim to Jerusalem, 'Enemies are coming from a remote country, And they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.

New Century Version
"Report this to the nations. Spread this news in Jerusalem: ‘Invaders are coming from a faraway country, shouting words of war against the cities of Judah.

Amplified Bible
"Warn the [neighboring] nations now [that our enemy is coming]! Announce to Jerusalem, 'Besiegers are coming from a far country, And they lift their voices and shout against the cities of Judah.

World English Bible
make you 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.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Make ye mention of the heathen, and publish in Ierusalem, Beholde, the skoutes come from a farre countrey, and crie out against the cities of Iudah.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Make mention of it to the nations, saying, ‘Behold!'Make it heard over Jerusalem,‘Besiegers come from a far country,And give forth their voices against the cities of Judah.

Berean Standard Bible
Warn the nations now! Proclaim to Jerusalem: "A besieging army comes from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord said, "Tell the nations that my people have rebelled against me. And so an army will come from far away to surround Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. I, the Lord , have spoken.

Complete Jewish Bible
"Report it to the nations, proclaim about Yerushalayim: ‘[Enemies] are coming from a distant country, watching and shouting their war cry against the cities of Y'hudah.'

Darby Translation
Inform the nations; behold, make Jerusalem to hear: Besiegers come from a far country, and raise their voice against the cities of Judah.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Report it to this nation. Spread the news to the people in Jerusalem. Enemies are coming from a faraway country. They are shouting words of war against the cities of Judah.

George Lamsa Translation
Make mention to the nations and publish to Jerusalem, Behold, multitudes of Gentiles are coming from a far country, and they shall shout against the cities of Judah.

Good News Translation
They have come to warn the nations and to tell Jerusalem that enemies are coming from a country far away. These enemies will shout against the cities of Judah

Lexham English Bible
"Report to the nations, ‘Here they are!' Proclaim against Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers are coming from a distant land, and they raise their voice against the cities of Judah.'

Literal Translation
Tell it to the nations: Behold, proclaim against Jerusalem, Besiegers are coming from a distant land and will set their voice against the cities of Judah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Beholde, the Heithen geue Ierusalem warnynge, and preach vnto her, that hir destroyers are comynge from farre countrees. They tell the cities of Iuda the same also,

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
Make this come to the minds of the nations, make a statement openly against Jerusalem, that attackers are coming from a far country and their voices will be loud against the towns of Judah.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Make ye mention to the nations: behold--publish concerning Jerusalem--watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.'

King James Version (1611)
Make ye mention to the nations, behold, publish against Ierusalem, that watchers come from a farre countrey, and giue out their voice against the cities of Iudah.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Remember the heathen, and geue Hierusalem warning, and preache vnto her, that watchers ouer her are commyng from farre countries, they haue cryed out against the cities of Iuda.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Remind ye the nations; behold, they are come: proclaim it in Jerusalem, that bands are approaching from a land afar off, and have uttered their voice against the cities of Juda.

English Revised Version
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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Reise, ye folkis; lo! it is herd in Jerusalem that keperis ben comun fro a fer lond, and yyuen her vois on the citees of Juda.

Update Bible Version
make mention to the nations; Look, publish against Jerusalem [that] watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

New English Translation
They are saying, ‘Announce to the surrounding nations, "The enemy is coming!" Proclaim this message to Jerusalem: "Those who besiege cities are coming from a distant land. They are ready to raise the battle cry against the towns in Judah."'

New King James Version
"Make mention to the nations, Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, That watchers come from a far country And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.

New Living Translation
"Warn the surrounding nations and announce this to Jerusalem: The enemy is coming from a distant land, raising a battle cry against the towns of Judah.

New Life Bible
"Tell it to the nations now! Make it known over all Jerusalem, saying, ‘An army is coming from a far country, and they lift up their voices against the cities of Judah.

New Revised Standard
Tell the nations, "Here they are!" Proclaim against Jerusalem, "Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Put ye in mind the nations Lo! publish ye against Jerusalem, Blockaders! are coming in from a land afar off, - And have uttered against the cities of Judah their voice:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Say ye to the nations: Behold it is heard in Jerusalem, that guards are coming from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Juda.

Revised Standard Version
Warn the nations that he is coming; announce to Jerusalem, "Besiegers come from a distant land; they shout against the cities of Judah.

Young's Literal Translation
Make ye mention to the nations, Lo, sound ye to Jerusalem: `Besiegers are coming from the land afar off, And they give forth against cities of Judah their voice.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Report it to the nations, now! Proclaim over Jerusalem, 'Besiegers come from a far country, And lift their voices against the cities of Judah.

Contextual Overview

⁵"Sound the alarm in Judah, broadcast the news in Jerusalem. Say, ‘Blow the ram's horn trumpet through the land!' Shout out—a bullhorn bellow!— ‘Close ranks! Run for your lives to the shelters!' Send up a flare warning Zion: ‘Not a minute to lose! Don't sit on your hands!' Disaster's descending from the north. I set it off! When it lands, it will shake the foundations. Invaders have pounced like a lion from its cover, ready to rip nations to shreds, Leaving your land in wrack and ruin, your cities in rubble, abandoned. Dress in funereal black. Weep and wail, For God 's sledgehammer anger has slammed into us head-on. ⁹ "When this happens" — God 's Decree— "King and princes will lose heart; priests will be baffled and prophets stand dumbfounded." ¹⁰ Then I said, "Alas, Master God ! You've fed lies to this people, this Jerusalem. You assured them, ‘All is well, don't worry,' at the very moment when the sword was at their throats." ¹¹At that time, this people, yes, this very Jerusalem, will be told in plain words: "The northern hordes are sweeping in from the desert steppes— A wind that's up to no good, a gale-force wind. I ordered this wind. I'm pronouncing my hurricane judgment on my people." ¹³Look at them! Like banks of storm clouds, racing, tumbling, their chariots a tornado, Their horses faster than eagles! Woe to us! We're done for! Jerusalem! Scrub the evil from your lives so you'll be fit for salvation. How much longer will you harbor devious and malignant designs within you? ¹⁵What's this? A messenger from Dan? Bad news from Ephraim's hills! Make the report public. Broadcast the news to Jerusalem: "Invaders from far off are raising war cries against Judah's towns. They're all over her, like a dog on a bone. And why? Because she rebelled against me." God 's Decree. ¹⁸ "It's the way you've lived that's brought all this on you. The bitter taste is from your evil life. That's what's piercing your heart."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye: Jeremiah 6:18, Jeremiah 31:10, Jeremiah 50:2, Isaiah 34:1

watchers: Jeremiah 4:17, Jeremiah 5:6, Jeremiah 16:6, Jeremiah 39:1

from: Jeremiah 5:15, Deuteronomy 28:49-52, Isaiah 39:3

give out: Jeremiah 2:15, Ezekiel 21:22

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 1:15 - and against Jeremiah 6:3 - they shall Jeremiah 8:16 - was heard Jeremiah 8:19 - the voice Jeremiah 15:8 - the mother

Cross-References

Genesis 3:8
When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.

Exodus 20:18
All the people, experiencing the thunder and lightning, the trumpet blast and the smoking mountain, were afraid—they pulled back and stood at a distance. They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we'll listen, but don't have God speak to us or we'll die."

2 Kings 24:20
The source of all this doom to Jerusalem and Judah was God 's anger— God turned his back on them as an act of judgment. And then Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon.

Job 1:12
God replied, "We'll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. Just don't hurt him." Then Satan left the presence of God .

Job 2:7
Satan left God and struck Job with terrible sores. Job was ulcers and scabs from head to foot. They itched and oozed so badly that he took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, then went and sat on a trash heap, among the ashes.

Psalms 5:11
But you'll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration. You are famous, God , for welcoming God-seekers, for decking us out in delight.

Jeremiah 23:39
"Are you paying attention? You'd better, because I'm about to take you in hand and throw you to the ground, you and this entire city that I gave to your ancestors. I've had it with the lot of you. You're never going to live this down. You're going down in history as a disgrace."

Jeremiah 52:3
The source of all this doom to Jerusalem and Judah was God 's anger. God turned his back on them as an act of judgment. Zedekiah revolted against the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar set out for Jerusalem with a full army. He set up camp and sealed off the city by building siege mounds around it. He arrived on the ninth year and tenth month of Zedekiah's reign. The city was under siege for nineteen months (until the eleventh year of Zedekiah).

Luke 13:26
"You'll protest, ‘But we've known you all our lives!' only to be interrupted with his abrupt, ‘Your kind of knowing can hardly be called knowing. You don't know the first thing about me.'

John 1:3
Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Make ye mention to the nations,.... This, according to Kimchi, is the sum and substance of the voice from Dan. It seems to be a summons to the nations to gather together to join the king of Babylon in his enterprise against Jerusalem; see 2 Kings 24:2:

publish against Jerusalem; what follows:

that watchers come from afar country; from Babylon, which is said to be a far country, Isaiah 39:3, these are the soldiers of the king of Babylon; they are called Notzerim; which word agrees with the latter part of Nebuchadnezzar's name; to which some b think there is some reference, showing that his army is meant. It should be rendered "besiegers", as it is by some c; for these were not Nebuchadnezzar's bodyguard, but his whole army, who were come up to besiege Jerusalem; and they are compared to watchers and keepers of a field in the next verse, where another word is used. The Targum is,

"the army of a rapacious people, like the grape gatherers, come from a far country:''

and give out their voice against the cities of Judah; threaten the ruin of them; blow the trumpet, the alarm of war; give the orders to besiege; and, being sure of victory, triumph before the attack is made.

b R. Joseph Kimchi, R. Jonah, and Ben Melech, but disapproved of by Abarbinel. c נצרים "obsessores", Calvin, Buxtorf; a צור, vel צרר, "obsedit"; so Jarchi.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Proclaim ye to the pagan, “Behold!” Cry aloud concerning “Jerusalem, that watchers” are on their way “from a far country: and” will “give out their voice against the cities of Judah.” The pagan are summoned to witness the chastisement of Jerusalem, that they may take warning thereby. By “watchers” are meant besiegers, who will surround the city with a line of sentinels.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 4:16. Watchers come from a far country — Persons to besiege fortified places.