1 aOh that my head
were waters
And my eyes
a fountain
of tears
, That I might weep
day
and night
For the slain
of the bdaughter
of my people
!
1 aOh that I had
in the desert
A wayfarers'
lodging
place
; That I might leave
my people
And go
from them! For all
of them are badulterers
, An assembly
of ctreacherous
men.
"They abend their tongue
like their bow
; Lies
and not truth
prevail
in the land
; For they bproceed
from evil
to evil
, And they cdo not know
Me," declares
the LORD
.
"Let everyone abe on guard
against
his neighbor
, And bdo not trust
any
brother
; Because
every
cbrother
deals
1craftily
, And every
neighbor
dgoes
about as a slanderer
.
"Everyone adeceives
his neighbor
And does not speak
the truth
, They have taught
their tongue
to speak
lies
; They bweary
themselves committing
iniquity
.
"Your adwelling is in the midst
of deceit
; Through deceit
they brefuse
to know
Me," declares
the LORD
.
Therefore thus
says
the LORD
of hosts
, "Behold
, I will refine
them and aassay
them; For bwhat
else can I do
, because
of the daughter
of My people
?
"Their atongue is a deadly
arrow
; It speaks
deceit
; With his mouth
one bspeaks
peace
to his neighbor
, But inwardly
he csets
an ambush
for him.
" aShall I not punish them for these
things
?" declares
the LORD
. "On a nation
such
as this
Shall I not avenge
Myself
?
"For the amountains I will take
up a weeping
and wailing
, And for the pastures
of the bwilderness
a dirge
, Because
they are claid
waste
so
that no
one
passes
through
, And the lowing
of the cattle
is not heard
; Both
the dbirds
of the sky
and the beasts
have fled
; they are gone
.
"I will make Jerusalem
a aheap
of ruins, A haunt
of bjackals
; And I will make
the cities
of Judah
a cdesolation
, without
inhabitant
."
Who is the awise
man
that may understand
this
? And who is he to whom
bthe mouth
of the LORD
has spoken
, that he may declare
it? cWhy
is the land
ruined
, laid
waste
like a desert
, so
that no
one
passes
through
?
The LORD said
, "Because
they have aforsaken
My law
which
I set
before
them, and have not obeyed
My voice
nor
walked
according to it,
but have awalked after
the stubbornness
of their heart
and after
the bBaals
, as their cfathers
taught
them,"
therefore thus
says
the LORD
of hosts
, the God
of Israel
, "behold
, aI will feed
them, this
people
, with wormwood
and give
them bpoisoned
water
to drink
.
"I will ascatter them among the nations
, whom
neither
they nor
their fathers
have known
; and I will send
the bsword
after
them until
I have annihilated
them."
Thus says
the LORD
of hosts
, "Consider
and call
for the amourning
women
, that they may come
; And send
for the 1 bwailing
women
, that they may come
!
"Let them make haste
and take
up a wailing
for us, That our aeyes
may shed
tears
And our eyelids
flow
with water
.
"For a voice of awailing
is heard
from Zion
, ` bHow
are we ruined
! We are put
to great
shame
, For we have cleft
the land
, Because
they have cast
down
our dwellings
.' "
Now hear
the word
of the LORD
, O you awomen
, And let your ear
receive
the word
of His mouth
; Teach
your daughters
wailing
, And everyone
her neighbor
a dirge
.
For adeath has come
up through our windows
; It has entered
our palaces
To cut
off
the bchildren
from the streets
, The young
men
from the town
squares
.
Speak, "Thus
says
the LORD
, `The corpses
of men
will fall
alike dung
on the open
field
, And like the sheaf
after
the reaper
, But no
one
will gather
them."'
Thus says
the LORD
, " aLet not a wise
man
boast
of his wisdom
, and let not the bmighty
man
boast
of his might
, let not a crich
man
boast
of his riches
;
but let him who boasts aboast
of this
, that he understands
and knows
Me, that I am the LORD
who bexercises
lovingkindness
, justice
and righteousness
on earth
; for I cdelight
in these
things
," declares
the LORD
.
"Behold, the days
are coming
," declares
the LORD
, "that I will punish
all
who are circumcised
and yet auncircumcised
--
Egypt and Judah
, and Edom
and the sons
of Ammon
, and Moab
and aall
those inhabiting
the desert
who clip
the hair on their temples
; for all
the nations
are uncircumcised
, and all
the house
of Israel
are buncircumcised
of heart
."