9:1 Who will give water to my head, and a
fountain of tears to my eyes? then would I weep for this my people day and
night, [even] for the slain of the daughter of my people.
9:2 Who would give me a most distant lodge in the wilderness, that I might
leave my people, and depart from them? for they all commit adultery, an
assembly of treacherous men.
9:3 And they have bent their tongue like a bow: falsehood and not
faithfulness has prevailed upon the earth; for they have gone on from evil
to evil, and have not known me, saith Yehovah.
9:4 Beware ye each of his neighbour, and trust ye not in your brethren: for
every one will surely supplant, and every friend will walk craftily.
9:5 Every one will mock his friend; they will not speak truth: their tongue
has learned to speak falsehoods; they have committed iniquity, they ceased
not, so as to return.
9:6 [There is] usury upon usury, and deceit upon deceit: they would not know
me, saith Yehovah.
9:7 Therefore thus saith Yehovah, Behold, I will try them with fire, and
prove them; for I will do [thus] because of the wickedness of the daughter
of my people.
9:8 Their tongue is a wounding arrow; the words of their mouth are
deceitful: [one] speaks peaceably to his neighbour, but in himself retains
enmity.
9:9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith Yehovah: and shall not my
soul be avenged on such a people as this?
9:10 Take up a lamentation for the mountains, and a mournful dirge for the
paths of the wilderness, for they are desolate for want of men; they heard
not the sound of life from the birds of the sky, nor the cattle: they were
amazed, they are gone.
9:11 And I will remove the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and make it a
dwelling-place of dragons; and I will utterly waste the cities of Judah, so
that they shall not be inhabited.
9:12 Who is the wise man, that he may understand this? and he that has the
word of the mouth of Yehovah [addressed] to him, let him tell you wherefore
the land has been destroyed, has been ravaged by fire like a desert, so that
no one passes through it.
9:13 And Yehovah said to me, Because they have forsaken my law, which I set
before them, and have not hearkened to my voice;
9:14 but went after the lusts of their evil heart, and after the idols which
their fathers taught them [to worship]:
9:15 therefore thus saith Yehovah Elohim of Israel, Behold, I will feed them
with trouble and will cause them to drink water of gall:
9:16 and I will scatter them among the nations, to them whom neither they
nor their fathers knew; and I will send a sword upon them, until I have
consumed them with it.
9:17 Thus saith Yehovah, Call ye the mourning women, and let them come; and
send to the wise women, and let them utter their voice;
9:18 and let them take up a lamentation for you, and let your eyes pour down
tears, and your eyelids drop water.
9:19 For a voice of lamentation has been heard in Zion, How are we become
wretched! we are greatly ashamed, for we have forsaken the land, and have
abandoned our tabernacles!
9:20 Hear now, ye women, the word of Elohim, and let your ears receive the
words of his mouth, and teach your daughters lamentation, and [every] woman
her neighbour a dirge.
9:21 For death has come up through your windows, it has entered into our
land, to destroy the infants without, and the young men from the streets.
9:22 And the carcases of the men shall be for an example on the face of the
field of your land, like grass after the mower, and there shall be none to
gather [them].
9:23 Thus saith Yehovah, 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 wealth;
9:24 but let him that boasts boast in this, the understanding and knowing
that I am Yehovah that exercise mercy, and judgment, and righteousness,
upon the earth; for in these things is my pleasure, saith Yehovah.
9:25 Behold, the days come, saith Yehovah, when I will visit upon all the
circumcised their uncircumcision;
9:26 on Egypt, and on Idumea, and on Edom, and on the children of Ammon, and
on the children of Moab, and on every one that shaves his face round about,
[even] them that dwell in the wilderness; for all the Gentiles are
uncircumcised in flesh, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised [in]
their hearts. |
9:1 Oh that my head were waters, and mine
eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of
the daughter of my people!
9:2 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 be all adulterers, an
assembly of treacherous men.
9:3 And 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 know not me, saith Yehovah.
9:4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any
brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will
walk with slanders.
9:5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the
truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to
commit iniquity.
9:6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse
to know me, saith Yehovah.
9:7 Therefore thus saith Yehovah of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and
try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
9:8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh
peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
9:9 Shall I not visit them for these things? saith Yehovah: shall not my
soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
9:10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the
habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so
that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the
cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
9:11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make
the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
9:12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom
the mouth of Yehovah hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land
perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
9:13 And Yehovah saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set
before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
9:14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after
Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
9:15 Therefore thus saith Yehovah of hosts, the Elohim of Israel; Behold, I
will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall
to drink.
9:16 I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their
fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed
them.
9:17 Thus saith Yehovah of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning
women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:
9:18 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.
9:19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are
greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings
have cast us out.
9:20 Yet hear the word of Yehovah, O ye women, and let your ear receive the
word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her
neighbour lamentation.
9:21 For 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.
9:22 Speak, Thus saith Yehovah, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung
upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall
gather them.
9:23 Thus saith Yehovah, 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:
9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and
knoweth me, that I am Yehovah which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and
righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith Yehovah.
9:25 Behold, the days come, saith Yehovah, that I will punish all them
which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
9:26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and
all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all
these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are
uncircumcised in the heart. |