Jeremiah 4:20
New International Version
Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment.

New Living Translation
Waves of destruction roll over the land, until it lies in complete desolation. Suddenly my tents are destroyed; in a moment my shelters are crushed.

English Standard Version
Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment.

Berean Standard Bible
Disaster after disaster is proclaimed, for the whole land is laid waste. My tents are destroyed in an instant, my curtains in a moment.

King James Bible
Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

New King James Version
Destruction upon destruction is cried, For the whole land is plundered. Suddenly my tents are plundered, And my curtains in a moment.

New American Standard Bible
Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, And my curtains in an instant.

NASB 1995
Disaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant.

NASB 1977
Disaster on disaster is proclaimed, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant.

Legacy Standard Bible
Destruction upon destruction is called out, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are devastated, My curtains in an instant.

Amplified Bible
News of one [terrible] disaster comes close after another, For the whole land is devastated; Suddenly my tents are spoiled and destroyed, My [tent] curtains [ruined] in a moment.

Christian Standard Bible
Disaster after disaster is reported because the whole land is destroyed. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my tent curtains, in a moment.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Disaster after disaster is reported because the whole land is destroyed. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my tent curtains, in a moment.

American Standard Version
Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment.

Contemporary English Version
I see the enemy defeating us time after time, leaving everything in ruins. Even my own home is destroyed in a moment.

English Revised Version
Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
One disaster follows another. The whole land is ruined. My tents are suddenly destroyed. Their curtains are torn in an instant.

Good News Translation
One disaster follows another; the whole country is left in ruins. Suddenly our tents are destroyed; their curtains are torn to pieces.

International Standard Version
Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed, for the entire land is devastated. Suddenly, my tent is destroyed, in a moment my curtains.

Majority Standard Bible
Disaster after disaster is proclaimed, for the whole land is laid waste. My tents are destroyed in an instant, my curtains in a moment.

NET Bible
I see one destruction after another taking place, so that the whole land lies in ruins. I see our tents suddenly destroyed, their curtains torn down in a mere instant.

New Heart English Bible
Destruction on destruction is proclaimed; for the whole land is laid waste: suddenly are my tents destroyed, and my curtains in a moment.

Webster's Bible Translation
Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is laid waste; suddenly are my tents ruined, and my curtains in a moment.

World English Bible
Destruction on destruction is decreed, for the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, and my curtains gone in a moment.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Destruction on destruction is proclaimed, "" For all the land has been spoiled, "" My tents have suddenly been spoiled, "" In a moment—my curtains.

Young's Literal Translation
Destruction on destruction is proclaimed, For spoiled hath been all the land, Suddenly spoiled have been my tents, In a moment -- my curtains.

Smith's Literal Translation
Breaking upon breaking was called; for all the land was laid waste: suddenly were my tents laid waste, my curtains in a moment.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Destruction upon destruction is called for, and all the earth is laid waste: my tents are destroyed on a sudden, and my pavilions in a moment.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Destruction upon destruction has been called forth. And the entire earth has been devastated. My tabernacles have been destroyed suddenly, and my tents in an instant.

New American Bible
Ruin upon ruin is reported; the whole land is laid waste. In an instant my tents are ravaged; in a flash, my shelters.

New Revised Standard Version
Disaster overtakes disaster, the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are destroyed, my curtains in a moment.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Destruction shall come upon destruction; for the whole land is plundered; suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains are fallen down.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Ruin on ruin shall come, because suddenly all the land is plundered; my tents are plundered and my tents have fallen
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Destruction followeth upon destruction, For the whole land is spoiled; Suddenly are my tents spoiled, My curtains in a moment.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
for all the land is distressed: suddenly my tabernacle is distressed, my curtains have been rent asunder.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Lamentation for Judah
19My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle. 20Disaster after disaster is proclaimed, for the whole land is laid waste. My tents are destroyed in an instant, my curtains in a moment. 21How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the horn?…

Cross References
Isaiah 24:1-3
Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— / people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. / The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.

Ezekiel 7:25-26
Anguish is coming! They will seek peace, but find none. / Disaster upon disaster will come, and rumor after rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but instruction from the priests will perish, as will counsel from the elders.

Lamentations 2:11-12
My eyes fail from weeping; I am churning within. My heart is poured out in grief over the destruction of the daughter of my people, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city. / They cry out to their mothers: “Where is the grain and wine?” as they faint like the wounded in the streets of the city, as their lives fade away in the arms of their mothers.

Hosea 8:7
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.

Zephaniah 1:14-18
The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter. / That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, / a day of horn blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers. ...

Amos 5:16-20
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail. / There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,” says the LORD. / Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light. ...

Joel 1:15-20
Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty. / Has not the food been cut off before our very eyes—joy and gladness from the house of our God? / The seeds lie shriveled beneath the clods; the storehouses are in ruins; the granaries are broken down, for the grain has withered away. ...

Micah 1:6-9
Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble in the open field, a planting area for a vineyard. I will pour her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. / All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again on a prostitute. / Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like a jackal and mourn like an ostrich. ...

Isaiah 5:25-30
Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lie like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised. / He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come! / None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken. ...

2 Kings 21:12-15
this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it. / I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down. / So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. And they will become plunder and spoil to all their enemies, ...

Matthew 24:6-8
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. / Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. / All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Luke 21:9-11
When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.” / Then He told them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. / There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, along with fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

Mark 13:7-8
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. / Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Revelation 6:12-17
And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, / and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. / The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. ...

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.


Treasury of Scripture

Destruction on destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

upon destruction.

Jeremiah 4:6
Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

Jeremiah 17:18
Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

Leviticus 26:18,21,24,28
And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins…

suddenly.

Jeremiah 10:19,20
Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it…

Isaiah 33:20
Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

Isaiah 54:2
Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

in.

Exodus 33:5
For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.

Numbers 16:21,45
Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment…

Psalm 72:19
And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

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Cried Curtains Destroyed Destruction Devastated Disaster Followeth Follows Hard Instant Laid Moment News Proclaimed Ruined Ruins Shelter Spoiled Straight Suddenly Tents Waste Wasted Whole
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Cried Curtains Destroyed Destruction Devastated Disaster Followeth Follows Hard Instant Laid Moment News Proclaimed Ruined Ruins Shelter Spoiled Straight Suddenly Tents Waste Wasted Whole
Jeremiah 4
1. God calls Israel by his promise
3. He exhorts Judah to repentance by fearful judgments
19. A grievous lamentation for Judah














Disaster after disaster
The Hebrew word for "disaster" here is "שֶׁבֶר" (sheber), which conveys a sense of breaking or shattering. This repetition emphasizes the relentless and overwhelming nature of the calamities facing Judah. Historically, this reflects the period of impending Babylonian invasion, a time of great turmoil and fear. The phrase serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, urging believers to remain steadfast in their faith to avoid spiritual and moral collapse.

is proclaimed
The Hebrew root "קָרָא" (qara) means to call out or announce. This suggests that the disasters are not random but are declared by God through His prophets. It underscores the role of prophecy in the Old Testament as a divine warning system. For the contemporary believer, it is a call to heed the warnings found in Scripture and to live in accordance with God's will, recognizing that His proclamations are both just and merciful.

for the whole land is devastated
The term "devastated" comes from the Hebrew "שָׁדַד" (shadad), meaning to destroy or lay waste. This reflects the totality of the destruction that sin brings, not just physically but spiritually. Archaeological evidence from the period shows the extensive damage inflicted upon Judah by invading forces, serving as a tangible reminder of the consequences of disobedience. Spiritually, it calls Christians to consider the impact of sin on their lives and communities, urging repentance and restoration.

Suddenly my tents are destroyed
The imagery of "tents" being destroyed speaks to the nomadic lifestyle of ancient Israel, where tents were a symbol of home and security. The suddenness of their destruction highlights the unexpected and swift nature of divine judgment. This serves as a warning to remain vigilant in faith, as spiritual complacency can lead to sudden downfall. It encourages believers to build their lives on the solid foundation of Christ, rather than the temporary shelters of worldly security.

my curtains in an instant
"Curtains" here refer to the fabric that provided privacy and protection within the tent. The Hebrew word "יְרִיעָה" (yeri'ah) suggests something that is easily torn or removed. The phrase "in an instant" emphasizes the rapidity of the loss. Historically, this reflects the suddenness of the Babylonian attacks. For the believer, it is a metaphor for the fragility of life and the importance of being spiritually prepared at all times. It serves as a call to seek refuge in God, whose protection is eternal and unshakeable.

(20) Destruction upon destruction is cried.--Literally, Breaking upon breaking, or crash upon crash, is reported.

Suddenly are my tents spoiled.--The tent dwelling retained its position even amid the cities and villages of Israel (2Samuel 18:17; 1Kings 8:66). The "curtains" are, of course, those of the tent (Isaiah 54:2). Conspicuous among such survivals of the nomad form of life we find the Rechabites of Jeremiah 35

Verse 20. - My tents. Jeremiah uses a similar phrase in Jeremiah 30:18 (scrap. also 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 8:66; 1 Kings 12:16; Psalm 132:3; also Isaiah 29:1, "city where David encamped, i.e. dwelt"). The expression is evidently a "survival" of the nomadic, tent-dwelling age. (Comp. the parallel phrase, "my curtains," i.e. my tent-curtains; comp. Jeremiah 10:20; Isaiah 54:2; Song of Solomon 1:5.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Disaster
שֶׁ֤בֶר (še·ḇer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7667: A breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash

after
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

disaster
שֶׁ֙בֶר֙ (še·ḇer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7667: A breaking, fracture, crushing, breach, crash

is proclaimed,
נִקְרָ֔א (niq·rā)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

for
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the whole
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

land
הָאָ֑רֶץ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

is laid waste.
שֻׁדְּדָ֖ה (šud·də·ḏāh)
Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7703: To deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin

My tents
אֹהָלַ֔י (’ō·hā·lay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 168: A tent

are destroyed
שֻׁדְּד֣וּ (šud·də·ḏū)
Verb - Pual - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7703: To deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin

in an instant,
פִּתְאֹם֙ (piṯ·’ōm)
Adverb
Strong's 6597: Suddenness, suddenly

my curtains
יְרִיעֹתָֽי׃ (yə·rî·‘ō·ṯāy)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3407: A hanging

in a moment.
רֶ֖גַע (re·ḡa‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7281: A wink, a very short space of time


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 4:20 Destruction on destruction is cried (Jer.)
Jeremiah 4:19
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