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 for travelers;
That I might leave my people,
And go from them!
# Fortheyareall adulterers,
An assembly of treacherous men.
3 “Andliketheir bowthey have bent their tonguesforlies.
They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
# For they proceed fromevil to evil,
# And theydo not know Me,” says theLord.
4 “Everyonetake heed to his neighbor,
And do not trust any brother;
For every brother will utterly supplant,
# And every neighbor willwalk with slanderers.
5 Everyone willdeceive his neighbor,
And will not speak the truth;
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Your dwelling placeisin the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says theLord.
7 Therefore thus says theLordof hosts:
# “Behold,I will refine them and try them;
# For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?
8 Their tongueisan arrow shot out;
# It speaksdeceit;
# Onespeakspeaceably to his neighbor with his mouth,
But in his heart he lies in wait.
9 Shall I not punish them for thesethings?” says theLord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”
10 I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains,
# Andfor the dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation,
Because they are burned up,
So that no one can pass through;
Nor canmenhear the voice of the cattle.
# Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled;
They are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalema heap of ruins,a den of jackals.
I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.”
12 Whoisthe wise man who may understand this? Andwhoisheto whom the mouth of theLordhas spoken, that he may declare it? Why does the land perishandburn up like a wilderness, so that no one can pass through?
13 And theLordsaid, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and havenot obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it,
14 but they havewalked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals,which their fathers taught them,”
15 therefore thus says theLordof hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I willfeed them, this people,with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
16 I willscatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known.And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.”
The People Mourn in Judgment
17 Thus says theLordof hosts:
# “Consider and call forthe mourning women,
That they may come;
And send for skillfulwailingwomen,
That they may come.
18 Let them make haste
And take up a wailing for us,
# Thatour eyes may run with tears,
And our eyelids gush with water.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How we are plundered!
We are greatly ashamed,
Because we have forsaken the land,
# Because we have been cast out ofour dwellings.’ ”
20 Yet hear the word of theLord, O women,
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a lamentation.
21 For death has come through our windows,
Has entered our palaces,
# To kill offthe children—nolongertobeoutside!
Andthe young men—nolongeron the streets!
22 Speak, “Thus says theLord:
# ‘Even the carcasses of men shall fallas refuse on the open field,
Like cuttings after the harvester,
And no one shall gatherthem.’ ”
23 Thus says theLord:
# “Let not the wisemanglory in his wisdom,
# Let not the mightymanglory in hismight,
Nor let the richmanglory in his riches;
24 Butlet him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That IamtheLord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
# For in these I delight,” says theLord.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” says theLord, “thatI will punish allwhoarecircumcised with the uncircumcised—
26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and allwhoarein thefarthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For allthesenationsareuncircumcised, and all the house of Israelareuncircumcised in the heart.”