Jeremiah 9

1Oh 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!footnote a

2Oh 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.

3And 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.

4Take 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.footnote b

5And 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.footnote c

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

7Therefore 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?

8Their 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.footnote dfootnote e

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

10For 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.footnote ffootnote gfootnote h

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

12Who 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?

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

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

15Therefore 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.

16I 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.

17Thus 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:

18And 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.

19For 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.

20Yet 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.

21For 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.

22Speak, 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.

23Thus 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:

24But 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.

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

26Egypt, 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.footnote l

A Lament over Zion

1Oh, that my head were a spring of water,and my eyes a fountain of tears!I would weep day and nightover the slain daughter of my people. 2If 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. 5Each one betrays his friend;no one tells the truth.They have taught their tongues to lie;they wear themselves out committing iniquity. 6You dwellfootnote ain the midst of deception;in their deceit they refuse to know Me,”declares the LORD.

7Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says:“Behold, I will refine them and test them,for what else can I dobecause offootnote bthe daughter of My people? 8Their 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. 9Should I not punish them for these things?declares the LORD.Should I not avenge Myselfon such a nation as this?”

10I 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;footnote cand I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,without inhabitant.”

12Who 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?

13And 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. 14Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.”

15Therefore 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. 16I 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.”

17This is what the LORD of Hosts says:“Take note, and summon the wailing women;send for the most skillful among them. 18Let them come quicklyand take up a lament over us,that our eyes may overflow with tears,and our eyelids may gush with water. 19For the sound of wailingis heard from Zion:‘How devastated we are!How great is our shame!For we have abandoned the landbecause our dwellings have been torn down.’”

20Now, 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. 21For death has climbed in through our windows;it has entered our fortressesto cut off the children from the streets,the young men from the town squares.

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

23This 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. 24But let him who boasts boast in this,that he understands and knows Me,that I am the LORD,footnote dwho exercises loving devotion,footnote ejustice 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— 26Egypt, 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.”