Jeremiah 4:16

4:16 They are saying, ¹ 

‘Announce to the surrounding nations, ² 

“The enemy is coming!” ³ 

Proclaim this message ⁴  to Jerusalem:

“Those who besiege cities ⁵  are coming from a distant land.

They are ready to raise the battle cry against ⁶  the towns in Judah.”’

Jeremiah 9:11

9:11 The Lord said, ⁷ 

“I will make Jerusalem ⁸  a heap of ruins.

Jackals will make their home there. ⁹ 

I will destroy the towns of Judah

so that no one will be able to live in them.”

Jeremiah 33:10

33:10 “I, the Lord, say: ¹⁰  ‘You and your people are saying ¹¹  about this place, “It lies in ruins. There are no people or animals in it.” That is true. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem ¹²  will soon be desolate, uninhabited either by people or by animals. But happy sounds will again be heard in these places.

Jeremiah 34:22

34:22 For I, the Lord, affirm that ¹³  I will soon give the order and bring them back to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it down. I will also make the towns of Judah desolate so that there will be no one living in them.”’”

Jeremiah 44:6

44:6 So my anger and my wrath were poured out and burned like a fire through the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. That is why they have become the desolate ruins that they are today.’

Deuteronomy 28:49-53

28:49 The Lord will raise up a distant nation against you, one from the other side of the earth ¹⁴  as the eagle flies, ¹⁵  a nation whose language you will not understand, 28:50 a nation of stern appearance that will have no regard for the elderly or pity for the young. 28:51 They ¹⁶  will devour the offspring of your livestock and the produce of your soil until you are destroyed. They will not leave you with any grain, new wine, olive oil, calves of your herds, ¹⁷  or lambs of your flocks ¹⁸  until they have destroyed you. 28:52 They will besiege all of your villages ¹⁹  until all of your high and fortified walls collapse – those in which you put your confidence throughout the land. They will besiege all your villages throughout the land the Lord your God has given you. 28:53 You will then eat your own offspring, ²⁰  the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you, because of the severity of the siege ²¹  by which your enemies will constrict you.

Lamentations 5:11

5:11 They raped ²²  women in Zion,

virgins in the towns of Judah.

¹ tn The words “They are saying” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection and are supplied in the translation for clarification.

² tn The word “surrounding” is not in the text but is implicit and is supplied in the translation for clarification.

³ tc Or “Here they come!” Heb “Look!” or “Behold!” Or “Announce to the surrounding nations, indeed [or yes] proclaim to Jerusalem, ‘Besiegers…’” The text is very elliptical here. Some of the modern English versions appear to be emending the text from הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) to either הֵנָּה (hennah, “these things”; so NEB), or הַזֶּה (hazzeh, “this”; so NIV). The solution proposed here is as old as the LXX which reads, “Behold, they have come.”

⁴ tn The words, “this message,” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation to make the introduction of the quote easier.

⁵ tn Heb “Besiegers.” For the use of this verb to refer to besieging a city compare Isa 1:8.

⁶ tn Heb “They have raised their voices against.” The verb here, a vav (ו) consecutive with an imperfect, continues the nuance of the preceding participle “are coming.”

⁷ tn The words “the Lord said” are not in the text, but it is obvious from the content that he is the speaker. These words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁸ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁹ tn Heb “a heap of ruins, a haunt for jackals.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “Thus says the Lord.” For the first person rendering see the translator’s note at the end of v. 2.

¹¹ tn Heb “You.” However, the pronoun is plural as in 32:36, 43. See the translator’s note on 32:36.

¹² map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹³ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “from the end of the earth.”

¹⁵ tn Some translations understand this to mean “like an eagle swoops down” (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), comparing the swift attack of an eagle to the attack of the Israelites’ enemies.

¹⁶ tn Heb “it” (so NRSV), a collective singular referring to the invading nation (several times in this verse and v. 52).

¹⁷ tn Heb “increase of herds.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “growth of flocks.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “gates,” also in vv. 55, 57.

²⁰ tn Heb “the fruit of your womb” (so NAB, NRSV); NASB “the offspring of your own body.”

²¹ tn Heb “siege and stress.”

²² tn Heb “ravished.”