1 O h 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 reservoir 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 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.

Oh, that I had in the wilderness a lodging place (a mere shelter) for wayfaring men, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers; they are a gang of treacherous men.

3 “ 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.

And they bend their tongue, their bow for the lies. And not according to faithfulness do they rule and become strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know and understand and acknowledge Me, says the Lord.

4 “ 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.

Let everyone beware of his neighbor and put no trust in any brother. For every brother is an utter and complete supplanter (one who takes by the heel and trips up, a deceiver, a Jacob), and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

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

And they deceive and mock every one his neighbor and do not speak the truth. They have taught their tongues to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity.

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

Your habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know and understand Me, says the Lord.

7 T herefore 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?

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will melt them and test them, for how else should I deal with the daughter of My people?

8 “ 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.

Their tongue is a murderous arrow; it speaks deceitfully; one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lays snares and waits in ambush for him.

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

Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord. Shall I not avenge Myself 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 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.

For the mountains I will take up a weeping and wailing and for the pastures of the wilderness a lament, because they are burned up and desolated, so that no one passes through; neither can men hear the lowing of cattle. Both the fowls of the air and the beasts have fled, they are gone!

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

I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling place of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

12 W ho 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?

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

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

And the Lord says, Because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them, and have not listened to and obeyed My voice or walked in accordance with it

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

But have walked stubbornly after their own hearts and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,

15 t herefore 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.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them bitter and poisonous water to drink.

16 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.”

I will scatter them also among nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword among them and after them until I have consumed them.

17 T hus 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!

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider and call for the mourning women to come; send for the skillful women to come.

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

Let them make haste and raise a wailing over us and for us, that our eyes may run down with tears and our eyelids gush with water.

19 “ 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.’”

For a sound of wailing is heard out of Zion: How we are plundered and ruined! We are greatly confounded and utterly put to shame, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.

20 N ow 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.

Yet hear the word of the Lord, O you women, and let your ears receive the word of His mouth; teach your daughters a lament, and each one her neighbor a dirge.

21 F or 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.

For death has come up into our windows; it has entered into our palaces, cutting off the children from outdoors and the young men from the streets.

22 S peak, “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.’”

Speak, Thus says the Lord: The dead bodies of men shall fall like dung on the open field and like sheaves behind the reaper, and none shall gather them.

23 T hus 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;

Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich glory and boast in his riches;

24 b ut 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.

But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

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

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish all who though circumcised are still uncircumcised —

26 E gypt 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.”

Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab, and all who live in the desert and who clip off the corners of their hair and beards; for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.