Jeremiah, 9

1. Who will find me a wayfarer's shelter in the desert, for me to quit my people, and leave them far behind? For all of them are adulterers, a conspiracy of traitors.

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

2. They bend their tongues like a bow; not truth but falsehood holds sway in the land; yes, they go from crime to crime, but me they do not know, Yahweh declares.

2. O that I had in the desert a wayfarers' lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men.

3. Let each be on his guard against his friend; do not trust a brother, for every brother aims but to supplant, and every friend is a peddler of slander.

3. They bend their tongue like 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 the LORD.

4. Each one cheats his friend, never telling the truth; they have trained their tongues to lie and devote all their energies to doing wrong.

4. Let every one beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother; for every brother is a supplanter, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

5. You live in a world of bad faith! Out of bad faith, they refuse to know me, Yahweh declares.

5. Every one deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.

6. And, so, Yahweh Sabaoth declares, now I shall purge them and test them, no other way to treat the daughter of my people!

6. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know me, says the LORD.

7. Their tongue is a deadly arrow, their words are in bad faith; with his mouth each wishes his neighbour peace, while in his heart plotting a trap for him.

7. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of my people?

8. Shall I fail to punish them for this, Yahweh demands, or on such a nation fail to exact vengeance?

8. Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth each speaks peaceably to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.

9. I raise the wail and lament for the mountains, the dirge for the desert pastures, for they have been burnt: no one passes there, the sound of flocks is heard no more. Birds of the sky and animals, all have fled, all are gone.

9. Shall I not punish them for these things? says the LORD; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?

10. I shall make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair for jackals, and the towns of Judah an uninhabited wasteland.

10. "Take up weeping and wailing for the mountains, and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness, because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard; both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled and are gone.

11. Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has Yahweh's mouth spoken to explain it? Why is the country annihilated, burnt like the desert where no one passes?

11. I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant."

12. Yahweh says, 'This is because they have forsaken my Law which I gave them and have not listened to my voice or followed it,

12. Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?

13. but have followed their own stubborn hearts, have followed the Baals as their ancestors taught them.'

13. And the LORD says: "Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in accord with it,

14. So Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, 'Now I shall give this people wormwood to eat and poisoned water to drink.

14. but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Ba'als, as their fathers taught them.

15. I shall scatter them among nations unknown to their ancestors or to them; and I shall pursue them with the sword until I have annihilated them.'

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

16. Yahweh Sabaoth says this, 'Prepare to call for the mourning women! Send for those who are best at it!

16. I will scatter them 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. Let them lose no time in raising the lament over us! Let our eyes rain tears, our eyelids run with weeping!

17. Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider, and call for the mourning women to come; send for the skilful women to come;

18. A lament makes itself heard in Zion, "What ruin is ours, what utter shame! For we must leave the country, our homes have been knocked down!" '

18. let them make haste and raise a wailing over us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush with water.

19. Now listen, you women, to Yahweh's word, let your ears take in the word his own mouth speaks. Teach your daughters how to wail and teach one another this dirge,

19. For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion: `How we are ruined! We are utterly shamed, because we have left the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.'"

20. 'Death has climbed in at our windows, and made its way into our palaces; it has cut down the children in the street, the young people in the squares-

20. Hear, O women, the word of the LORD, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; teach to your daughters a lament, and each to her neighbor a dirge.

21. Speak! Yahweh declares this -- human corpses are strewn like dung in the open field, like sheaves left by the reaper, with no one to gather them.'

21. For death has come up into our windows, it has entered our palaces, cutting off the children from the streets and the young men from the squares.

22. Yahweh says this, 'Let the sage not boast of wisdom, nor the valiant of valour, nor the wealthy of riches!

22. Speak, "Thus says the LORD: `The dead bodies of men shall fall like dung upon the open field, like sheaves after the reaper, and none shall gather them.'"

23. But let anyone who wants to boast, boast of this: of understanding and knowing me. For I am Yahweh, who acts with faithful love, justice, and uprightness on earth; yes, these are what please me,' Yahweh declares.

23. Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches;

24. 'Look, the days are coming, Yahweh declares, when I shall punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh:

24. but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the LORD."

25. Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all the men with shaven temples who live in the desert. For all those nations, and the whole House of Israel too, are uncircumcised at heart.'

25. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will punish all those who are circumcised but yet uncircumcised --

26.

26. Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert that cut the corners of their hair; for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart."