ULT JER Chapter 9

◄ JER 9 ► ║ ═ ©

9 I wish that my head were waters, and my eyes were a fountain of tears,

that I might weep day and night, for the slain ones of the daughter of my people.

2 Who will give me a lodging place of travelers in the desert, that I might leave my people and walk away from them.

For all of them are adulterers, an assembly of ones dealing treacherously!

3 “And they tread on their tongues their bow, for lies,

and not for truth they are strong in the land.

For from evil thing to evil thing they go, and they do not know me,”—the declaration of Yahweh.

4 Let each one take heed to his neighbor, and do not trust any brother,

for every brother deceiving he deceives, and every neighbor walks in slander.

5 And each one deceives his neighbor, and they do not speak the truth;

they have taught their tongue to speak deceitful things; they weary themselves committing iniquity.

6 Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me,”—the declaration of Yahweh.

7 Therefore, thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Behold, I am refining them and will test them,

for how shall I act from before the face of the daughter of my people?

8 Their tongue is a murderous arrow, it speaks a deceitful thing.

With his mouth he speaks peace with his neighbor, but in his midst he sets ambush of him.

9 Shall I not punish upon them because of these things”—the declaration of Yahweh—

“Shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?”

10 For the mountains I will take up weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation,

because they are burned up so that there is not a man passing through, and they do not hear the sound of cattle,

from the bird of the heavens and to the beast they have fled; they are gone.

11 “And I will make Jerusalem to piles of ruins, a dwelling-place of jackals,

and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without dwellers.”

12 Who is the man that is wise that he may understand this? And to whom has the mouth of Yahweh spoken to, that he may declare it?

Why does the land perish, burn up like the wilderness so that there is not a man passing through?

13 And Yahweh said, “Because of their forsaking my law that I set before the face of them, and they do not listen to my voice and they do not walk in it. 14 But they have walked after the stubbornness of their hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am feeding them, this people wormwood and making them drink water of poison. 16 And I will scatter them among the nations whom they have not known, they nor their fathers, and I will send out the sword after them until I consume them.”

17 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Think about this,

and call for the ones who chant laments that they may come, and send for those who are skilled that they may come.

18 Let them hurry and take up a wailing for us,

that our eyes may go down with tears, and our eyelids flow with water.

19 For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion, ‘How we are devastated.

We are greatly ashamed, because we have left the land because they have cast down our dwellings.’ ”

20 Now hear women, the word of Yahweh, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth,

and teach your daughters wailing and each woman, her neighbor a lament.

21 For death has come up into our windows, it has entered into our palaces,

to cut off children from outside, young men from the open plazas.

22 Speak “Thus is the declaration of Yahweh—‘and the corpse of man will fall like dung upon the face of the field,

and like sheaves after the harvester, and there is no one to gather them.’ ”

23 Thus says Yahweh, “Do not let the wise one boast in his wisdom,

and do not let the mighty one boast in his strength. Do not let the rich one boast in his riches.

24 But let him who boasts, boast in this, understanding and knowing me,

that I am Yahweh, the one doing covenant faithfulness, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these I take pleasure—the declaration of Yahweh.”

25 “Behold, days are coming”—the declaration of Yahweh—“when I will punish upon all of the ones being circumcised in foreskin, 26 upon Egypt and upon Judah, and upon Edom and upon the sons of Ammon, and upon Moab and upon all of those being cut off of corner, those dwelling in the desert, for all of the nations are uncircumcised, and all of the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”