Jeremiah 9

1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people.

2 If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.

3 “They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.

4 “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.

5 Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity.

6 You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.

7 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of the daughter of My people?

8 Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

9 Should I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”

10 I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.

11 “And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”

12 Who is the man wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a desert, so no one can pass through it?

13 And the LORD answered, “It is because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them; they have not walked in it or obeyed My voice.

14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.”

15 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.

16 I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.”

17 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.

18 Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water.

19 For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! How great is our shame! For we have abandoned the land because our dwellings have been torn down.’”

20 Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD. Open your ears to the word of His mouth. Teach your daughters to wail, and one another to lament.

21 For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares.

22 Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”

23 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.

24 But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—

26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

1 ¶ Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they [be] all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.

3 And they bend their tongues [like] their bow [for] lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, [and] weary themselves to commit iniquity.

6 Thine habitation [is] in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

7 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

8 Their tongue [is as] an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: [one] speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.

9 Shall I not visit them for these [things]? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through [them]; neither can [men] hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.

11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, [and] a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

12 ¶ Who [is] the wise man, that may understand this? and [who is he] to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth [and] is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?

13 And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;

14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:

15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, [even] this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

16 I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.

17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning [women], that they may come:

18 And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.

19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast [us] out.

20 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.

21 For death is come up into our windows, [and] is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, [and] the young men from the streets.

22 Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather [them].

23 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let not the rich [man] glory in his riches:

24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these [things] I delight, saith the LORD.

25 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all [them which are] circumcised with the uncircumcised;

26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all [that are] in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all [these] nations [are] uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in the heart.

1 Oh that I had water enough in my head, and that mine eyes were fountains of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of my people!

2 Oh that I had an inn in the wilderness, that I might leave my people, and depart from them. For they are vain adulterers, and an unruly multitude.

3 They shoot with their tongues vain lies, and no truth: and they do violence in the land, and go from wickedness to wickedness, and regard me not, saith the LORD.

4 Let every man beware of his friend, neither let him trust his brother: for brother oppresseth another, and friend betrayeth another.

5 One friend deceiveth another, and speaketh no truer word: they labour how one may deceive another, and are sorry that they cannot make it worse.

6 There is deceitfulness among them everywhere: and for deceitfulness they will not know me, saith the LORD.

7 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will melt them, and try them. For what else shall I do, because my people are so adorned?

8 Their false tongues are murderous arrows: with their mouth they speak kindly against their neighbour, but in their heart they lie in wait for him.

9 Should I not therefore visit these things upon them, saith the LORD, and should not my soul take vengeance upon such a people as these?

10 I have wept and lamented upon the mountains, and lamented upon the waste places: for they are utterly desolate, and none walketh there, neither can cattle be heard to cry. The birds of the air and the cattle are all gone.

11 And I will make Jerusalem a heap of stones, and a dragon's habitation; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, and none shall dwell therein.

12 Who then would be wise, and would let him go to his heart, and declare the things which the mouth of the LORD saith unto him, why the land is laid waste and desolate, as a wilderness where no man walketh?

13 And the LORD said, Because they have forsaken my law, which I commanded them, and have not hearkened unto my words, neither have they walked in them,

14 But follow the dictates of their hearts, and Baalim, as they taught their fathers,

15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed this people with wormwood, and water them with gall.

16 I will scatter them among the heathen, which know neither them nor their fathers; and I will send the sword after them, until they be finished.

17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Create and appoint wailing women to come, and send for them that are able,

18 And hastening to lament, our eyes run with tears, and our eyelids flow with water,

19 And there shall be heard a lamentable cry in Zion, saying, Alas, how we are utterly desolate and confounded! We must leave the land, for they have taken away our dwellings.

20 Hear therefore, ye wives, the word of the LORD, and take heed to the words of his mouth: teach your daughters to weep, and one to mourn, even thus:

21 Death is come in at our windows, and into our palaces, to choke the children in the street, and the young men in the street.

22 Thus saith the LORD; Say: The dead bodies of men shall lie as dung in the field, and as sheaves behind the reaper, which no man gathereth.

23 Thus saith the LORD; Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his strength, neither let the rich man glory in his riches,

24 But let him that will boast boast, that he knoweth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD, which do mercy, and judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for these things please me, saith the LORD.

25 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will visit all the circumcised with the uncircumcised,

26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab, and all that dwell in the wilderness places. For all the heathen have uncircumcised foreskins, but all the house of Israel have uncircumcised hearts.