KJV ORIGINAL
O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Oh my people, put on rough clothing and roll around in ashes. Mourn and cry bitterly, like you would if your only child had died, because the destroyer will suddenly attack us.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is urgently warning his people to prepare for devastating grief because a terrible enemy is about to destroy their nation.
📚 Historical Context
Jeremiah prophesied during the final decades before Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon in 586 BC. He repeatedly warned the people of Judah that their disobedience to God would result in military conquest and exile. The 'spoiler' or destroyer refers to the Babylonian army that would soon devastate Jerusalem and take the survivors into captivity.
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