Jeremiah 9

Who would give me in the wilderness a farthest lodging place? Then I would leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.

And they bent their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not faithfulness has prevailed in the land; for they went out from evils to evils, and me they did not know.

Each of you, guard yourselves against his neighbor, and do not trust in their brothers; for every brother will utterly supplant with the heel, and every friend will walk deceitfully.

Each one will mock at his friend; they will surely not speak truth. Their tongue has learned to speak falsehoods; they did wrong and did not cease to turn back.

Interest upon interest, deceit upon deceit; they refused to know me.

Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will refine them with fire and test them; for I will act because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people.

Their tongue is a wounding arrow; the words of their mouth are deceitful. One speaks peaceably to his neighbor, but within himself he holds enmity.

Shall I not visit for these things, says the Lord, or shall not my soul take vengeance on such a people?

Take up wailing upon the mountains, and a lament upon the paths of the wilderness; for they have failed because there are no people. They did not hear the sound of any living thing; from the birds of the sky even to the cattle, they were startled and were gone.

And I will give Ierousalem over to deportation and to a dwelling place of serpents, and I will make the cities of Iouda a desolation, so that they are not inhabited.

Who is the man of understanding? Let him understand this. And he to whom the word of the mouth of the Lord comes, let him declare to you: For what reason has the land perished, been kindled like a wilderness, so that no one passes through it?

And the Lord said to me: Because they forsook my law that I set before their face, and they did not listen to my voice,

but they walked after the things pleasing to their evil heart and after the idols that their fathers taught them;

therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed them hardships and give them water of gall to drink.

And I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers knew, and I will send the sword after them until I have utterly consumed them by it.

Thus says the Lord: Call the women who wail, and let them come; and send to the wise women, and let them raise their voice.

And let them take up a lament over you, and let your eyes bring down tears, and let your eyelids stream with water.

For a voice of lamentation was heard in Sion: How we have been ruined! We were utterly put to shame, for we have forsaken the land and cast away our tents.

Hear now, O women, the word of God, and let your ears receive the words of his mouth; and teach your daughters lamentation, and each woman her neighbor a dirge.

For death has come up through your windows, it has entered into your land, to cut off the infants outside and the young men from the streets.

And the corpses of men shall become an example upon the face of the plain of your land, and like grass behind a reaper, and there shall be none to gather them.

Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his riches.

But rather let him who boasts boast in this: to understand and to know that I am the Lord who works mercy and judgement and righteousness upon the earth; for in these is my will, says the Lord.

Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will visit upon all those circumcised in their uncircumcision:

upon Egypt and upon Judea and upon Edom and upon the sons of Ammon and upon the sons of Moab and upon everyone who shaves round what is upon his face, those who dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised in flesh, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in their hearts.