Jer 9, Jer 21 | ESV | STEP | Oh 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 !

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 travelers’ lodging 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.
5 Everyone deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
^mthey refuse to know me, declares the Lord.
7 Therefore 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? 13 And the Lord says: ^ad“Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14 but ^aehave stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore 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.”

17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
^ak“Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;
send for the skillful women to come;
18 let them make haste ^aland raise a wailing over us,
^amthat our eyes may run down with tears
and our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
^an‘How we are ruined!
We are utterly shamed,
because we have left the land,
because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
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 For 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.
22 Speak: “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.’”
23 Thus 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, 24 but ^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.”

25 “Behold, 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.”

Jeremiah 21

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him ^ayPashhur the son of Malchiah and ^azZephaniah the priest, the son of ^baMaaseiah, saying, 2 ^bb“Inquire of the Lord for us, ^bcfor Nebuchadnezzar ^{▼▼Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, an alternate spelling of Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) occurring frequently from Jeremiah 21–52; this latter spelling is used throughout Jeremiah for consistency} king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to ^beall his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”

3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ^bfBehold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. ^bgAnd I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you ^bhwith outstretched hand and strong arm, ^biin anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the Lord, ^bjI will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. ^bkHe shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’

8 “And to this people you shall say: ^bl‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, ^bmI set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who stays in this city shall die ^bnby the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and ^bosurrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live ^bpand shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For ^bqI have set my face against this city for harm and ^brnot for good, declares the Lord: ^bsit shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’

Message to the House of David

11 “And to the house of the king of Judah say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

^bt“‘Execute justice ^buin the morning,
and deliver from the hand of the oppressor
him who has been robbed,
^bvlest my wrath go forth like fire,
and burn with none to quench it,
because of your evil deeds.’”
13 ^bw“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,
O rock of the plain,

declares the Lord;
you who say, ^bx‘Who shall come down against us,
or who shall enter our habitations?’
14 ^byI will punish you according to ^bzthe fruit of your deeds,

declares the Lord;
^caI will kindle a fire in her forest,
^cband it shall devour all that is around her.”