Jeremiah 9

1 Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes? and I will weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.

Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a spring of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.

2 Who will give me in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men, and I will leave my people, and depart from them? because they are all adulterers, an assembly of transgressors.

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 are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men."

3 And they have bent their tongue, as a bow, for lies, and not for truth: they have strengthened themselves upon the earth, for they have proceeded from evil to evil, and me they have not known, saith the Lord.

"They bend their tongue as a bow. Falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know me," says YHWH.

4 Let every man take heed of his neighbor, and let his not trust in any brother of his: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every friend will walk deceitfully.

"Everyone be on guard against his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.

5 And a man shall mock his brother, and they will not speak the truth: for they have taught their tongue to speak lies: they have laboured to commit iniquity.

Everyone deceives his neighbor, and does not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies; they do evil, they do not cease so as to return.

6 Thy habitation is in the midst of deceit: Through deceit they have refused to know me, saith the Lord.

Oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit. They refuse to know me," says YHWH.

7 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold I will melt, and try them: for what else shall I do before the daughter of my people?

Therefore thus says YHWH of hosts, "Look, I will melt them, and try them; for how should I deal with the wickedness of the daughter of my people?

8 Their tongue is a piercing arrow, it hath spoken deceit: with his mouth one speaketh peace with his friend, and secretly he lieth in wait for him.

Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit: one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait for him.

9 Shall I not visit them for these things, saith the Lord? or shall not my soul be revenged on such a nation?

Shall I not visit them for these things?" says YHWH; "shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

10 For the mountains I will take up weeping and lamentation, and for the beautiful places of the desert, mourning: because they are burnt up, for that there is not a man that passeth through them: and they have not heard the voice of the owner: from the fowl of the air to the beasts they are gone away and departed.

"For the mountains I will take up weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through; nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the sky and the animals have fled, they are gone."

11 And I will make Jerusalem to be heaps of sand, and dens of dragons: and I will make the cities of Juda desolate, for want of an inhabitant.

"I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling place of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant."

12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this, and to whom the word of the mouth of the Lord may come that he may declare this, why the land hath perished, and is burnt up like a wilderness, which none passeth through?

"Who is the wise man, that may understand this? Who is he to whom the mouth of YHWH has spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that none passes through?"

13 And the Lord said: Because they have forsaken my law, which I gave them, and have not heard my voice, and have not walked in it.

YHWH says, "Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked in it,

14 But they have gone after the perverseness of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them.

but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them;

15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Behold I will feed this people with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

therefore thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Look, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

16 And I will scatter them among the nations, which they and their fathers have not known: and I will send the sword after them till they be consumed.

I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.'"

17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, and let them come: and send to them that are wise women, and let them make haste:

Thus says YHWH of hosts, "Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the skillful women, that they may come:"

18 Let them hasten and take up a lamentation for us: let our eyes shed tears, and our eyelids run down with waters.

"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 Sion: How are we wasted and greatly confounded? because we have left the land, because our dwellings are cast down.

For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, 'How are we ruined. We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.'"

20 Hear therefore, ye women, the word of the Lord: and let your ears receive the word of his mouth: and teach your daughters wailing: and every one her neighbor mourning.

"Yet hear the word of YHWH, you women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters wailing, and everyone her neighbor lamentation.

21 For death is come up through our windows, it is entered into our houses to destroy the children from without, the young men from the streets.

'For death has come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from outside, and the young men from the streets.'

22 Speak: Thus saith the Lord: Even the carcass of man shall fall as dung upon the face of the country, and as grass behind the back of the mower, and there is none to gather it.

Speak, 'Thus says YHWH, "The dead bodies of men shall fall as dung on the open field, and as the handful after the harvester; and none shall gather them."'"

23 Thus saith the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the strong man glory in his strength, and let not the rich man glory in his riches:

Thus says YHWH, "Do not let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, do not let the rich man glory in his riches;

24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, for I am the Lord that exercise mercy, and judgment, and justice in the earth: for these things please me, saith the Lord.

but let him who boasts boast in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am YHWH who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight," says YHWH.

25 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, and I will visit upon every one that hath the foreskin circumcised.

"Look, the days come," says YHWH, "that I will punish all those who are circumcised in uncircumcision:

26 Upon Egypt, and upon Juda, and upon Edom, and upon the children of Ammon, and upon Moab, and upon all that have their hair polled round, that dwell in the desert: for all the nations are uncircumcised in the flesh, but all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the people of Ammon, and Moab, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off, who dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart."