^{1 Ref} If only my head was a stream of waters and my eyes fountains of weeping, so that I might go on weeping day and night for the dead of the daughter of my people!

^{2 Ref} If only I had in the waste land a night's resting-place for travellers, so that I might go away, far from my people! for they are all untrue, a band of false men.

^{3 Ref} Their tongues are bent like a bow to send out false words: they have become strong in the land, but not for good faith: they go on from evil to evil, and they have no knowledge of me, says the Lord.

^{4 Ref} Let everyone keep watch on his neighbour, and put no faith in any brother: for every brother will certainly be tricking his brother, and every neighbour will go about saying evil.

^{5 Ref} Everyone will make sport of his neighbour with deceit, not saying what is true: their tongues have been trained to say false words; they are twisted, hating to come back.

^{6 Ref} There is wrong on wrong, deceit on deceit; they have given up the knowledge of me, says the Lord.

^{7 Ref} So the Lord of armies has said, See, I will make them soft in the fire and put them to the test; this I will do because of their evil-doing.

^{8 Ref} His tongue is an arrow causing death; the words of his mouth are deceit: he says words of peace to his neighbour, but in his heart he is waiting secretly for him.

^{9 Ref} Am I not to send punishment for these things? says the Lord: will not my soul take payment from such a nation as this?

^{10 Ref} Give yourselves to weeping, crying out in sorrow for the mountains; and for the fields of the waste land send up a song of grief, because they are burned up, so that no one goes through; there is no sound of cattle; the bird of the heavens and the beast are in flight and are gone.

^{11 Ref} And I will make Jerusalem a mass of broken stones, the living-place of jackals; and I will make the towns of Judah a waste, with no man living there.

^{12 Ref} Who is the wise man able to see this? who is he to whom the word of the Lord has come, so that he may make it clear? why is the land given to destruction and burned up like a waste place, so that no one goes through?

^{13 Ref} And the Lord said, Because they have given up my law which I put before them, giving no attention to my voice and not being guided by it;

^{14 Ref} But they have been walking in the pride of their hearts, going after the Baals, as their fathers gave them teaching.

^{15 Ref} So the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said, I will give them, even this people, bitter plants for food and bitter water for drink.

^{16 Ref} And I will send them wandering among the nations, among people strange to them and to their fathers: and I will send the sword after them till I have put an end to them.

^{17 Ref} This is what the Lord of armies has said: Take thought and send for the weeping women, so that they may come; and send for the wise women, so that they may come:

^{18 Ref} Let them quickly make cries of sorrow for us, so that drops may be flowing from our eyes till they are streaming with water.

^{19 Ref} For a sound of weeping goes up from Zion, a cry, How has destruction come on us? we are overcome with shame because we have gone away from our land; he has sent us out from our house.

^{20 Ref} But even now, give ear to the word of the Lord, O you women; let your ears be open to the word of his mouth, training your daughters to give cries of sorrow, everyone teaching her neighbour a song of grief.

^{21 Ref} For death has come up into our windows, forcing its way into our great houses; cutting off the children in the streets and the young men in the wide places.

^{22 Ref} The bodies of men will be falling like waste on the open fields, and like grain dropped by the grain-cutter, and no one will take them up.

^{23 Ref} This is the word of the Lord: Let not the wise man take pride in his wisdom, or the strong man in his strength, or the man of wealth in his wealth:

^{24 Ref} But if any man has pride, let it be in this, that he has the wisdom to have knowledge of me, that I am the Lord, working mercy, giving true decisions, and doing righteousness in the earth: for in these things I have delight, says the Lord.

^{25 Ref} See, the day is coming, says the Lord, when I will send punishment on all those who have circumcision in the flesh;

^{26 Ref} On Egypt and on Judah and on Edom and on the children of Ammon and on Moab and on all who have the ends of their hair cut, who are living in the waste land: for all these nations and all the people of Israel are without circumcision in their hearts.

^{1 Ref} Who doth make my head waters, And mine eye a fountain of tears? And I weep by day and by night, For the wounded of the daughter of my people.

^{2 Ref} Who doth give me in a wilderness A lodging-place of travellers? And I leave my people, and go from them, For all of them `are' adulterers, An assembly of treacherous ones.

^{3 Ref} And they bend their tongue, their bow `is' a lie, And not for stedfastness have they been mighty in the land, For from evil unto evil they have gone forth, And Me they have not known, An affirmation of Jehovah!

^{4 Ref} Each of his friend -- beware ye, And on any brother, do not trust, For every brother doth utterly supplant, For every friend slanderously doth walk,

^{5 Ref} And each at his friend they mock, And truth they do not speak, They taught their tongue to speak falsehood, To commit iniquity they have laboured.

^{6 Ref} thy dwelling `is' in the midst of deceit, Through deceit they refused to know Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.

^{7 Ref} Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Lo, I am refining them, and have tried them, For how do I do because of the daughter of My people?

^{8 Ref} A slaughtering arrow `is' their tongue, Deceit it hath spoken in its mouth, Peace with its neighbour it speaketh, And in its heart it layeth its ambush,

^{9 Ref} For these things do not I see after them? An affirmation of Jehovah, Against a nation such as this doth not My soul avenge itself?

^{10 Ref} For the mountains I lift up weeping and wailing, And for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, For they have been burnt up without any passing over, Nor have they heard the voice of cattle, From the fowl of the heavens unto the beast they have fled, they have gone.

^{11 Ref} And I make Jerusalem become heaps, A habitation of dragons, And the cities of Judah I make a desolation, Without inhabitant.

^{12 Ref} Who `is' the wise man? and he understandeth this, And he to whom the mouth of Jehovah spake? And he doth declare it, For what hath the land perished? It hath been burnt up as a wilderness, Without any passing through.

^{13 Ref} And Jehovah saith: Because of their forsaking My law that I set before them, And they have not hearkened to My voice nor walked in it,

^{14 Ref} And they walk after the stubbornness of their heart, And after the Baalim, that their fathers taught them,

^{15 Ref} Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Lo, I am causing them -- this people -- to eat wormwood, And I have caused them to drink water of gall,

^{16 Ref} And I have scattered them among nations Which they knew not, they and their fathers, And have sent after them the sword, Till I have consumed them.

^{17 Ref} Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Consider ye, and call for mourning women, And they come, And to the wise women send, and they come,

^{18 Ref} And they hasten, and lift up for us a wailing. And run down our eyes do tears, And from our eyelids do waters flow.

^{19 Ref} For -- a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: How have we been spoiled! We have been greatly ashamed, Because we have forsaken the land, Because they have cast down our tabernacles.

^{20 Ref} But hear, ye women, a word of Jehovah, And your ear receiveth a word of His mouth, And teach ye your daughters wailing, and each her neighbour lamentation.

^{21 Ref} For death hath come up into our windows, It hath come into our palaces, To cut off the suckling from without, Young men from the broad places.

^{22 Ref} Speak thus -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And fallen hath the carcase of man, As dung on the face of the field, And as a handful after the reaper, And there is none gathering.

^{23 Ref} Thus said Jehovah: Let not the wise boast himself in his wisdom, Nor let the mighty boast himself in his might, Let not the rich boast himself in his riches,

^{24 Ref} But -- in this let the boaster boast himself, In understanding and knowing Me, For I `am' Jehovah, doing kindness, Judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, For in these I have delighted, An affirmation of Jehovah.

^{25 Ref} Lo, days are coming -- an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have laid a charge on all circumcised in the foreskin,

^{26 Ref} On Egypt, and on Judah, and on Edom, And on the sons of Ammon, and on Moab, And on all cutting the corner `of the beard', Who are dwelling in the wilderness, For all the nations `are' uncircumcised, And all the house of Israel `are' uncircumcised in heart!

^{1 Ref} 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!

^{2 Ref} 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.

^{3 Ref} 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 the LORD.

^{4 Ref} 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.

^{5 Ref} 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.

^{6 Ref} Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

^{7 Ref} Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

^{8 Ref} 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 Ref} Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

^{10 Ref} 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.

^{11 Ref} And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.

^{12 Ref} Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?

^{13 Ref} And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;

^{14 Ref} But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:

^{15 Ref} Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

^{16 Ref} 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.

^{17 Ref} Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:

^{18 Ref} 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 Ref} 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.

^{20 Ref} Yet 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 every one her neighbour lamentation.

^{21 Ref} 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.

^{22 Ref} Speak, Thus saith the LORD, 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.

^{23 Ref} Thus saith the LORD, 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:

^{24 Ref} But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

^{25 Ref} Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;

^{26 Ref} 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.