MLV(i)
1 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!
2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place of wayfaring men, that I might leave my people and go from them! For they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 3 And they bend their tongue–their bow–for falsehood and they have grown strong in the land, but not for truth. For they proceed from evil to evil and they do not know me, says Jehovah.
4 You* take heed each one of his neighbor and trust you* not in any brother, for every brother will utterly supplant and every neighbor will go about with gossipers. 5 And they will deceive each one his neighbor and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies. They inwardly set up an ambush. 6 Your habitation is in the midst of deceit. Through deceit they refuse to know me, says Jehovah.
7 Therefore Jehovah of hosts says thus: Behold, I will melt them and try them, for how else should I do, because of the daughter of my people? 8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit. He speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies wait for him.
9 Shall I not visit them for these things? says Jehovah. Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 For the mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none passes through, nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; they are gone. 11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling-place of jackals. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.
12 Who is the wise man, who may understand this and he to whom the mouth of Jehovah has spoken, that he may declare it? Why has the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that none passes through?
13 And Jehovah says, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them and have not obeyed my voice, nor walked in it, 14 but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them.
15 Therefore Jehovah of hosts says thus, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink. 16 I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them.
17 Jehovah of hosts says thus, Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come and send for the skillful women, that they may come. 18 And let them make haste and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears and our eyelids gush out with waters. 19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How we are ruined! We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.
20 Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O you* women and let your* ear receive the word of his mouth and teach your* daughters wailing and each one her neighbor lamentation.
21 For death has come up into our windows. It has entered into our palaces, to cut off the sons from outside, the young men from the streets. 22 Speak, Jehovah says thus: The dead bodies of men will fall as manure upon the open field and as the handful after the harvestman and none will gather.
23 Jehovah says thus: Do not let the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man glory in his might. Do not let the rich man glory in his riches, 24 but let he who boasts boast in this, that he has understanding and knows me, that I am Jehovah who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness, in the earth. For in these things I delight, says Jehovah.
25 Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will punish all those who are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 26 Egypt and Judah and Edom and the sons of Ammon and Moab and all who have the corners of their hair cut off, who dwell in the wilderness. For all the nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.
2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place of wayfaring men, that I might leave my people and go from them! For they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 3 And they bend their tongue–their bow–for falsehood and they have grown strong in the land, but not for truth. For they proceed from evil to evil and they do not know me, says Jehovah.
4 You* take heed each one of his neighbor and trust you* not in any brother, for every brother will utterly supplant and every neighbor will go about with gossipers. 5 And they will deceive each one his neighbor and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies. They inwardly set up an ambush. 6 Your habitation is in the midst of deceit. Through deceit they refuse to know me, says Jehovah.
7 Therefore Jehovah of hosts says thus: Behold, I will melt them and try them, for how else should I do, because of the daughter of my people? 8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit. He speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies wait for him.
9 Shall I not visit them for these things? says Jehovah. Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 For the mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none passes through, nor can men hear the voice of the cattle. Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled; they are gone. 11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling-place of jackals. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.
12 Who is the wise man, who may understand this and he to whom the mouth of Jehovah has spoken, that he may declare it? Why has the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that none passes through?
13 And Jehovah says, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them and have not obeyed my voice, nor walked in it, 14 but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them.
15 Therefore Jehovah of hosts says thus, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink. 16 I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. And I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them.
17 Jehovah of hosts says thus, Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come and send for the skillful women, that they may come. 18 And let them make haste and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears and our eyelids gush out with waters. 19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How we are ruined! We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.
20 Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O you* women and let your* ear receive the word of his mouth and teach your* daughters wailing and each one her neighbor lamentation.
21 For death has come up into our windows. It has entered into our palaces, to cut off the sons from outside, the young men from the streets. 22 Speak, Jehovah says thus: The dead bodies of men will fall as manure upon the open field and as the handful after the harvestman and none will gather.
23 Jehovah says thus: Do not let the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man glory in his might. Do not let the rich man glory in his riches, 24 but let he who boasts boast in this, that he has understanding and knows me, that I am Jehovah who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness, in the earth. For in these things I delight, says Jehovah.
25 Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will punish all those who are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 26 Egypt and Judah and Edom and the sons of Ammon and Moab and all who have the corners of their hair cut off, who dwell in the wilderness. For all the nations are uncircumcised and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.