Jeremiah 9
1 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!
Who makes my head waters, And my eye a fountain of tears? And I weep by day and by night, For the wounded 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 are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
Who gives me in a wilderness A lodging-place for travelers? And I leave my people, and go from them, For all of them [are] adulterers, An assembly of treacherous ones.
3 “They bend their tongue, as their bow, for falsehood. They have grown strong in the land, but not for truth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they don’t know me,” says the LORD.
“And they bend their tongue, Their bow [is] a lie, And they have not been mighty for steadfastness in the land, For they have gone forth from evil to evil, And they have not known Me,” A declaration of YHWH!
4 “Everyone beware of his neighbour, and don’t trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will go around like a slanderer.
“You each beware of his friend, And do not trust any brother, For every brother utterly supplants, For every friend slanderously walks,
5 Friends deceive each other, and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies. They weary themselves committing iniquity.
And they each mock at his friend, And they do not speak truth, They taught their tongue to speak falsehood, They have labored to commit iniquity.
6 Your habitation is in the middle of deceit. Through deceit, they refuse to know me,” says the LORD.
Your dwelling [is] in the midst of deceit, Through deceit they refused to know Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
7 Therefore the LORD of Armies says, “Behold, I will melt them and test them; for how should I deal with the daughter of my people?
Therefore, thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Behold, I am refining them, and have tried them, For how do I deal with the daughter of My people?
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow. It speaks deceit. One speaks peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart, he waits to ambush him.
Their tongue [is] a slaughtering arrow, It has spoken deceit in its mouth, It speaks peace with its neighbor, And in its heart it lays its ambush,
9 Shouldn’t I punish them for these things?” says the LORD. “Shouldn’t my soul be avenged on a nation such as this?
Do I not see after them for these things?” A declaration of YHWH, “Does My soul not avenge itself against a nation such as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains, and lament for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are burnt up, so that no one passes through; Men can’t hear the voice of the livestock. Both the birds of the sky and the animals have fled. They are gone.
I lift up weeping and wailing for the mountains, And a lamentation for the habitations of the wilderness, For they have been burned up without any passing over, Nor have they heard the voice of livestock, From the bird of the heavens and to the beast—they have fled, They have gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling place of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
“And I make Jerusalem become heaps, A habitation of dragons, And I make the cities of Judah a desolation, Without inhabitant.”
12 Who is wise enough to understand this? Who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD has spoken, that he may declare it? Why has the land perished and burnt up like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?
Who [is] the wise man? And he understands this, And he to whom the mouth of YHWH spoke? And he declares it, For why has the land perished? It has been burned up as a wilderness, Without any passing through.
13 The LORD says, “Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in my ways,
And YHWH says: “Because of their forsaking My law that I set before them, And they have not listened to My voice nor walked in it,
14 but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them.”
And they walk after the stubbornness of their heart, And after the Ba‘alim, That their fathers taught them,”
15 Therefore the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.
Therefore, thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: “Behold, I am causing them—this people—to eat wormwood, And I have caused them to drink water of gall,
16 I will scatter them also amongst the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”
And I have scattered them among nations Which they did not know, they and their fathers, And have sent the sword after them, Until I have consumed them.”
17 The LORD of Armies says, “Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come. Send for the skilful women, that they may come.
Thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Consider, and call for mourning women, And they come, And send to the wise women, And they come,
18 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.
And they hurry, and lift up a wailing for us. And tears run down our eyes, And waters flow from our eyelids.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, ‘How we are ruined! We are greatly confounded because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: How we have been spoiled! We have been greatly ashamed, Because we have forsaken the land, Because they have cast down our dwelling places.”
20 Yet hear the LORD’s word, you women. Let your ear receive the word of his mouth. Teach your daughters wailing. Everyone teach her neighbour a lamentation.
But hear, you women, a word of YHWH, And your ear receives a word of His mouth, And teach your daughters wailing, And each her neighbor lamentation.
21 For death has come up into our windows. It has entered into our palaces to cut off the children from outside, and the young men from the streets.
For death has come up into our windows, It has come into our palaces, To cut off the suckling from outside, Young men from the broad places.
22 Speak, “The LORD says, “‘The dead bodies of men will fall as dung on the open field, and as the handful after the harvester. No one will gather them.’”
Speak thus, “A declaration of YHWH, And the carcass of man has fallen, As dung on the face of the field, And as a handful after the reaper, And there is none gathering.”
23 The LORD says, “Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom. Don’t let the mighty man glory in his might. Don’t let the rich man glory in his riches.
Thus said YHWH: “Do not let the wise boast himself in his wisdom, Nor let the mighty boast himself in his might, Do not let the rich boast himself in his riches,
24 But let him who glories glory in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for I delight in these things,” says the LORD.
But let the boaster boast himself in this, In understanding and knowing Me, For I [am] YHWH, doing kindness, Judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, For I have delighted in these,” A declaration of YHWH.
25 “Behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that I will punish all those who are circumcised only in their flesh:
“Behold, days are coming,” A declaration of YHWH, “And I have laid a charge on all circumcised in the foreskin,
26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab, and all who 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.”
On Egypt, and on Judah, and on Edom, And on the sons of Ammon, and on Moab, And on all cutting the corner [of the beard], Who are dwelling in the wilderness, For all the nations [are] uncircumcised, And all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in heart!”
