Jeremiah 4:2

You must be truthful, honest and upright when you take an oath saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’ ¹  If you do, ²  the nations will pray to be as blessed by him as you are and will make him the object of their boasting.” ³ 

Ge 22:18; De 10:20; 1Ki 3:6; Ps 72:17; Ps 99:4; Isa 45:23; Isa 45:25; Isa 48:1,2; Isa 65:16; Jer 5:2; Jer 9:24; Ho 2:19; Zec 8:8; 1Co 1:31; 2Co 10:17; Ga 3:8; Php 3:3

¹ tn Heb “If you [= you must, see the translator’s note on the word “do” later in this verse] swear/take an oath, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, justice, and righteousness…”

² tn 4:1-2a consists of a number of “if” clauses, two of which are formally introduced by the Hebrew particle אִם (’im) while the others are introduced by the conjunction “and,” followed by a conjunction (“and” = “then”) with a perfect in 4:2b which introduces the consequence. The translation “You must…. If you do,” was chosen to avoid a long and complicated sentence.

³ tn Heb “bless themselves in him and make their boasts in him.”