King James Version

Jeremiah 4:30

And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

ואתיvtyand theeאַתָּהconjunction, pronoun, personal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “and thee”H859thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youthee, thou, ye, you.וְאַ֨תְּveatand theeאַתָּהconjunction, pronoun, personal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “and thee”H859thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youthee, thou, ye, you.שָׁד֜וּדshaduddeadשָׁדַדverb, qal, passive participle, absolute — “dead”, a verb used as a describing wordH7703properly, to be burly, i.e. (figuratively) powerful (passively, impregnable); by implication, to ravagedead, destroy(-er), oppress, robber, spoil(-er), [idiom] utterly, (lay) waste.מַֽהmahhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.תַּעֲשִׂ֗יtaasidoעָשָׂהverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “do”, an unfinished actionH6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationaccomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, [idiom] certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, [phrase] displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, f…כִּֽיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…תִלְבְּשִׁ֨יtilbeshiclotheלָבַשׁverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “clothe”, an unfinished actionH3847properly, wrap around, i.e. (by implication) to put on agarment or clothe (oneself, or another), literally or figuratively(in) apparel, arm, array (self), clothe (self), come upon, put (on, upon), wear.שָׁנִ֜יshanicrimsonשָׁנִיnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “crimson”, the ordinary formH8144crimson, properly, the insect or its color, also stuff dyed with itcrimson, scarlet (thread).כִּיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…תַעְדִּ֣יtadipass byעָדָהverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “pass by”, an unfinished actionH5710to advance, i.e. pass on or continue; causatively, to remove; specifically, to bedeck (i.e. bring an ornament upon)adorn, deck (self), pass by, take away.עֲדִיadimouthעֲדִיnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “mouth”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5716finery; generally an outfit; specifically, a headstall[idiom] excellent, mouth, ornament.זָהָ֗בzahavgoldזָהָבnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “gold”, the ordinary formH2091gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear skygold(-en), fair weather.כִּֽיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…תִקְרְעִ֤יtiqreirendקָרַעverb, qal, imperfect, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “rend”, an unfinished actionH7167to rend, literally or figuratively (revile, paint the eyes, as if enlarging them)cut out, rend, [idiom] surely, tear.בַפּוּךְ֙vapukhein fair coloursפּוּךְpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in fair colours”, the ordinary formH6320dye (specifically, stibium for the eyes)fair colours, glistering, paint(-ed) (-ing).עֵינַ֔יִךְeynayikheye , , -sightעַיִןnoun, common, both genders, dual, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “eye , , -sight”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5869an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)affliction, outward appearance, [phrase] before, [phrase] think best, colour, conceit, [phrase] be content, countenance, [phrase] displease, eye((-brow), (-d), -sight), face, [phrase] favour, fountain, furrow (from the margin), [idiom] him…לַשָּׁ֖וְאlashaveto falseשָׁוְאpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to false”, the ordinary formH7723evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain)false(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.תִּתְיַפִּ֑יtityapibe beautifulיָפָהverb, hithpael, imperfect, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “be beautiful”, an unfinished actionH3302properly, to be bright, i.e. (by implication) beautifulbe beautiful, be (make self) fair(-r), deck.מָאֲסוּmaasvabhorמָאַסverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “abhor”, a completed actionH3988to spurn; also (intransitively) to disappearabhor, cast away (off), contemn, despise, disdain, (become) loathe(some), melt away, refuse, reject, reprobate, [idiom] utterly, vile person.בָ֥ךְvakheinבָ֥ךְpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “in”inעֹגְבִ֖יםogevimdoteעֲגַבverb, qal, participle, absolute — “dote”, a verb used as a describing wordH5689to breathe after, i.e. to love (sensually)dote, lover.נַפְשֵׁ֥ךְnafshekhecreatureנֶפֶשׁnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “creature”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…יְבַקֵּֽשׁוּyevaqeshvbeseechבָּקַשׁverb, piel, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “beseech”, an unfinished actionH1245to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive afterask, beg, beseech, desire, enquire, get, make inquisition, procure, (make) request, require, seek (for).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And thou, that art spoiled, what doest thou, that thou clothest thyself with scarlet, that thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, that thou enlargest thine eyes with paint? In vain dost thou make thyself fair; thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And thou, when thou art made desolate, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou enlargest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair; thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

Young’s Literal Translation

And thou, O spoiled one, what dost thou? For thou puttest on scarlet, For thou adornest thyself [with] ornaments of gold. For thou rendest with pain thine eyes, In vain thou dost make thyself fair, Kicked against thee have doting ones, Thy life they do seek.

World English Bible

You, when you are made desolate, what will you do? Though you clothe yourself with scarlet, though you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, though you enlarge your eyes with makeup, you make yourself beautiful in vain. Your lovers despise you. They seek your life.

Darby Translation

— And thou, wasted one, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rendest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair: [thy] lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

Douay-Rheims

But when thou art spoiled what wilt thou do? though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, and paintest thy eyes with stibic stone, thou shalt dress thyself out in vain: thy lovers have despised thee, they will seek thy life.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And what wilt thou do? Though thou clothe thyself with scarlet, and adorn thyself with golden ornaments; though thou adorn thine eyes with stibium, thy beauty will be in vain: thy lovers have rejected thee, they seek thy life.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ σὺ τί ποιήσεις; ἐὰν περιβάλῃ κόκκινον, καὶ κοσμήσῃ κόσμῳ χρυσῷ· ἐὰν ἐγχρίσῃ στίβι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, εἰς μάταιον ὡραϊσμός σου· ἀπώσαντό σε οἱ ἐρασταί σου, τὴν ψυχήν σου ζητοῦσιν.