‏ Jeremiah 9

1
Ch 8:23 in Hebrew
bOh that my head were waters,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
that I might weep day and night
for the slain of cthe daughter of my people!
2
Ch 9:1 in Hebrew
Oh that I had in the desert
a travelerslodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all eadulterers,
a company of ftreacherous men.
3 gThey bend their tongue like a bow;
falsehood and not truth has grown strong
Septuagint; Hebrew  and not for truth they have grown strong
in the land;
for they proceed from evil to evil,
iand they do not know me, declares the Lord.
4 jLet everyone beware of his neighbor,
and put no trust in any brother,
for every kbrother is a deceiver,
and every neighbor lgoes about as a slanderer.
5Everyone deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
6Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
mthey refuse to know me, declares the Lord.
7Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
Behold, nI will refine them and otest them,
for what else can I do, pbecause of my people?
8 qTheir tongue is a deadly arrow;
rit speaks deceitfully;
with his mouth seach speaks peace to his neighbor,
but in his heart the plans an ambush for him.
9 uShall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?
10“I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains,
and a lamentation for vthe pastures of the wilderness,
wbecause they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
xboth the birds of the air and the beasts
have fled and are gone.
11 yI will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
za lair of jackals,
aaand I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant.”

12 abWho 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 acand laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13And the Lord says: adBecause they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14but aehave stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. 15Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: afBehold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them agpoisonous water to drink. 16 ahI will scatter them among the nations aiwhom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will ajsend the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”

17Thus says the Lord of hosts:
akConsider, and call for the mourning women to come;
send for the skillful women to come;
18let them make haste aland raise a wailing over us,
amthat our eyes may run down with tears
and our eyelids flow with water.
19For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
anHow we are ruined!
We are utterly shamed,
because we have left the land,
because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
20Hear, 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.
21For death has come up into our windows;
it has entered our palaces,
aocutting off the children from the streets
and the young men from the squares.
22Speak: “Thus declares the Lord,
ap‘The dead bodies of men shall fall
like dung upon the open field,
aqlike sheaves after the reaper,
and none shall gather them.’”

23Thus says the Lord: ar“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24but aslet him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. atFor in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

25Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when auI will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh 26 avEgypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and awall who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are axuncircumcised in heart.”

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