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!

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 O h 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, a congregation of rebels.

Oh 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 adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men.

3 A nd they bend their tongues like their bow for lies, but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth for they proceed from evil to evil, and they did not recognize me, said the LORD.

“They bend their tongue like their bow; Lies and not truth prevail in the land; For they proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me,” declares the Lord.

4 T ake heed each one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

“Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

5 A nd they will deceive each one his neighbour and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies and weary themselves to commit iniquity.

“Everyone deceives his neighbor And does not speak the truth, They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves committing iniquity.

6 T hine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

“Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.

7 T herefore thus hath the LORD of the hosts said, Behold, I will melt them and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, I will refine them and assay them; For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?

8 T heir tongue is as a sharp arrow; it speaks deceit: one speaks peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth but in heart he lays in wait.

“Their tongue is a deadly arrow; It speaks deceit; With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor, But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.

9 S hall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD; shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

“ Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord. “On a nation such as this Shall I not avenge Myself?

10 U pon the mountains I will lift up weeping and wailing and lamentation upon the habitations of the wilderness because they are burned up, so that no one can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and even the beasts of the earth are fled; they are gone.

“For the mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing, And for the pastures of the wilderness a dirge, Because they are laid waste so that no one passes through, And the lowing of the cattle is not heard; Both the birds of the sky and the beasts have fled; they are gone.

11 A nd I will make Jerusalem heaps and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

“I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, A haunt of jackals; And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”

12 ¶ Who is the wise man that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD has spoken that he may declare for what cause the land perishes and is burned up like a wilderness that no one passes through?

Who is the wise man that may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined, laid waste like a desert, so that no one passes through?

13 A nd the LORD said, Because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them, and have not heard my voice, neither walked therein,

The Lord said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it,

14 b ut have walked after the imagination of their own heart and after the Baalim, which their fathers taught them,

but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,”

15 T herefore thus hath the LORD of the hosts the God of Israel said: Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink.

therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “behold, I will feed them, this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.

16 I will scatter them also among Gentiles whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.

I will scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have annihilated them.”

17 T hus hath the LORD of the hosts said, Consider ye and call for the mourning women that they may come and send for cunning women that they may come,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; And send for the wailing women, that they may come!

18 a nd 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.

“Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us, That our eyes may shed tears And our eyelids flow with water.

19 F or a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we destroyed! We are greatly confounded. Why have we forsaken the land? Why have our dwellings cast us out?

“For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion, ‘ How are we ruined! We are put to great shame, For we have left the land, Because they have cast down our dwellings.’”

20 Y et hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth and teach your daughters wailing and each one her neighbour lamentation.

Now hear the word of the Lord, O you women, And let your ear receive the word of His mouth; Teach your daughters wailing, And everyone her neighbor a dirge.

21 F or death is come up into our windows and is entered into our palaces to cut off the children from without and the young men from the streets.

For death has come up through our windows; It has entered our palaces To cut off the children from the streets, The young men from the town squares.

22 S peak, Thus hath the LORD said, Even the carcasses of men shall fall as dung upon the open field and as the handful after the harvestman, and there shall be none to gather them.

Speak, “Thus says the Lord, ‘The corpses of men will fall like dung on the open field, And like the sheaf after the reaper, But no one will gather them.’”

23 ¶ Thus hath the LORD said, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches;

Thus says the Lord, “ Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;

24 b ut let him that glories glory in this, that he understands me and knows me, that I am the LORD who does mercy, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, said the LORD.

but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

25 B ehold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will visit all those who are circumcised with the uncircumcised:

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised—

26 E gypt and Judah and Edom and the sons of Ammon and Moab and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all the Gentiles are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”