Jeremiah 6:4

The NET Bible®

They will say, ‘Prepare to do battle against it! Come on! Let's attack it at noon!' But later they will say, ‘Oh, oh! Too bad! The day is almost over and the shadows of evening are getting long.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Set them apart for war against her;rise up, let’s attack at noon.Woe to us, for the day is passing;the evening shadows grow long.

Hebrew Names Version
Prepare you war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us! for the day declines, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

King James Version
Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

English Standard Version
"Prepare war against her; arise, and let us attack at noon! Woe to us, for the day declines, for the shadows of evening lengthen!

New American Standard Bible
'Prepare for war against her; Arise, and let's attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!

New Century Version
They say, "Get ready to fight against Jerusalem! Get up! We will attack at noon! But it is already getting late; the evening shadows are growing long.

Amplified Bible
"[They shout], 'Prepare for war against her; Arise, let us [take her by surprise and] attack her at noon. But alas, the daylight pales, The evening shadows grow long.

World English Bible
Prepare you war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us! for the day declines, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Prepare warre against her: arise, and let vs goe vp toward the South: wo vnto vs: for the day declineth, and the shadowes of the euening are stretched out.

Legacy Standard Bible
Set yourselves apart for war against her;Arise, and let us go up at noon.Woe to us, for the day declines,For the shadows of the evening stretch out!

Berean Standard Bible
"Prepare for battle against her; rise up, let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the daylight is fading; the evening shadows grow long.

Contemporary English Version
Kings will tell their troops, "If we reach Jerusalem in the morning, we'll attack at noon. But if we arrive later,

Complete Jewish Bible
"Prepare for war against her! Get up! Let's attack at noon!" "Woe to us! for the day is waning, evening shadows are lengthening."

Darby Translation
Prepare war against her. Arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day hath declined, for the shadows of the evening are lengthening.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Get ready to fight against Jerusalem. Get up! We will attack the city at noon. But it is already getting late. The evening shadows are growing long.

George Lamsa Translation
Prepare war against her; and say, Arise, let us go up at noon. Woe to us! for the day is spent, and the shadows of the evening are lengthened.

Good News Translation
They will say, "Prepare to attack Jerusalem! Get ready! We'll attack at noon!" But then they will say, "It's too late, the day is almost over, and the evening shadows are growing long.

Lexham English Bible
Sanctify war against her. Arise, and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day turns, for the shadows of evening are lengthened.

Literal Translation
Consecrate war against her. Rise up and let us go up at noon. Woe to us, for the day wanes! For the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Make batell agaynst her (shal they saye:) Arise, let vs go vp, while it is yet daye. Alas, the daye goeth awaye, & the night shadowes fall downe:

American Standard Version
Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day declineth, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Bible in Basic English
Make war ready against her; up! let us go up when the sun is high. Sorrow is ours! for the day is turned and the shades of evening are stretched out.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
'Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon!' 'Woe unto us! for the day declineth, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out!'

King James Version (1611)
Prepare yee warre against her: arise, and let vs goe vp at noone: woe vnto vs, for the day goeth away, for the shadowes of the euening are stretched out.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Make battayle against her [shall they say] aryse, let vs go vp whyle it is yet day: Alas the day goeth away, and the night shadowes fall downe.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Prepare yourselves for war against her; rise up, and let us go up against her at noon. Woe to us! for the day has gone down, for the shadows of the day fail.

English Revised Version
Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day declineth, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Halewe ye batel on it. Rise ye togidire, and stie we in myddai. Wo to vs, for the dai is bowid doun, for shadewis ben maad lengere in the euentid.

Update Bible Version
Prepare war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us! for the day declines, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Webster's Bible Translation
Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us! for the day departeth, for the shadows of the evening are lengthened.

New King James Version
"Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us, for the day goes away, For the shadows of the evening are lengthening.

New Living Translation
They shout, ‘Prepare for battle! Attack at noon!' ‘No, it's too late; the day is fading, and the evening shadows are falling.'

New Life Bible
Make war against her. Rise up, let us go and fight her at noon. It is bad for us, for the day is passing! The shadows of the evening are longer!

New Revised Standard
"Prepare war against her; up, and let us attack at noon!" "Woe to us, for the day declines, the shadows of evening lengthen!"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Hallow ye against her a war, Arise! and let us go up in broad noon. Woe to us, for the day, hath turned, for the shadows of evening, stretch along.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Prepare ye war against her: arise, and let us go up at midday: woe unto us, for the day is declined, for the shadows of the evening are grown longer.

Revised Standard Version
"Prepare war against her; up, and let us attack at noon!" "Woe to us, for the day declines, for the shadows of evening lengthen!"

Young's Literal Translation
Sanctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Prepare war against her; Arise, and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, For the shadows of the evening lengthen!

Contextual Overview

¹ "Run for safety, people of Benjamin! Get out of Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem! For disaster lurks out of the north; it will bring great destruction. ² I will destroy Daughter Zion, who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden. ³ Kings will attack it with their armies. They will encamp in siege all around it. Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him. ⁴ They will say, ‘Prepare to do battle against it! Come on! Let's attack it at noon!' But later they will say, ‘Oh, oh! Too bad! The day is almost over and the shadows of evening are getting long. ⁵ So come on, let's go ahead and attack it by night and destroy all its fortified buildings.' ⁶ All of this is because the Lord who rules over all has said: ‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem and build up a siege ramp against its walls. This is the city which is to be punished. Nothing but oppression happens in it. ⁷ As a well continually pours out fresh water so it continually pours out wicked deeds. Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it. All I see are sick and wounded people.' ⁸ So take warning, Jerusalem, or I will abandon you in disgust and make you desolate, a place where no one can live."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Prepare: Jeremiah 5:10, Jeremiah 51:27, Jeremiah 51:28, Isaiah 5:26-30, Isaiah 13:2-5, Joel 3:9

at noon: Jeremiah 15:8, Zephaniah 2:4

for the: Jeremiah 8:20

shadows: Song of Solomon 2:17

Reciprocal: Judges 19:9 - the day groweth to an end Job 7:2 - the shadow Hosea 4:5 - and the prophet Obadiah 1:1 - Arise

Cross-References

Genesis 6:15
This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.

Genesis 6:20
Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive.

Genesis 6:21
And you must take for yourself every kind of food that is eaten, and gather it together. It will be food for you and for them."

Genesis 6:22
And Noah did all that God commanded him—he did indeed.

Genesis 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth."

Numbers 13:33
We even saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim), and we seemed like grasshoppers both to ourselves and to them."

Numbers 16:2
and rebelled against Moses, along with some of the Israelites, 250 leaders of the community, chosen from the assembly, famous men.

Deuteronomy 3:11
Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy that his sarcophagus was made of iron. Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide according to standard measure.)

1 Samuel 17:4
Then a champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Prepare ye war against her,.... Not only proclaim it, but prepare themselves for it; get everything ready for the siege, and begin it. These are either the words of the Lord, calling upon the Chaldeans in his providence to act such a part against Jerusalem; or of the Chaldeans themselves, stirring up one another to it; which latter seems to be the sense; since it follows:

arise, and let us go up at noon; scale the walls, and take the city; which, though in the heat of the day, and not so proper a time, yet such was the eagerness of the army, and their confidence of carrying the place at once; and concluding there was no need of waiting till the evening, or of taking any secret measures for the siege; they propose to go up at noon, in the heat of the day, and in the sight of their enemies, and storm the city:

woe unto us, for the day goes away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out; which some take to be the words of the besiegers, lamenting they had lost time, had not proceeded according to their first purpose, had neglected going up at noontime, and now the evening was coming upon them; or as being angry, and out of humour, that the city was not taken by them so soon as they expected: though, according to Kimchi, they are the words of the prophet; and he may represent the besieged, mourning over their unhappy case and circumstances; the day of prosperity declining, and nothing but darkness and distress coming upon them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Prepare ye war - Rather, Sanctify ye war against her. War in ancient times was never undertaken without religions solemnities (see Deuteronomy 20:2 note). For some of these compare Ezekiel 21:21-23.

At noon - The mid-day heat is so great in the East as to be usually passed under shelter 2 Samuel 4:5; Song of Solomon 1:7. The morning-march of an army was made fasting, and was usually over by eight or nine. But so great is the impatience of the Chaldeans for the assault that they cry, “we will make the assault at noon!”

Woe unto us! - Or,

Alas for us! “for the day” has turned

For the evening shadows are lengthening!

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 6:4. Prepare ye war against her — The words of the invaders exciting each other to the assault, and impatient lest any time should be lost; lest the besieged should have time to strengthen themselves, or get in supplies.