Jeremiah 9 - GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

9 [a]“I wish that my head were ⌞filled with⌟ water
and my eyes were a fountain of tears
so that I could cry day and night
for my dear people who have been killed.
2 I wish I had a place to stay in the desert.
I would abandon my people and go away from them.
They are all adulterers,
a mob of traitors.
3 They use their tongues like bows that shoot arrows.
Lies and dishonesty rule the land.[b]
They go from one evil thing to another,
and they don’t know me,” declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your neighbors.
Don’t trust your relatives.
Every relative cheats.
Every neighbor goes around slandering.
5 Everyone cheats his neighbor.
No one speaks the truth.
My people train their tongues to speak lies.
They wear themselves out doing wrong.
6 Oppression follows oppression.[c]
Deceit follows deceit.
They refuse to acknowledge me,” declares the Lord.

7 This is what the Lord of Armies says:

I will now refine them with fire and test them.
What else can I do for my dear people?
8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows.
They speak deceitfully.
People speak politely to their neighbors,
but they think of ways to set traps for them.
9 I will punish them for these things, declares the Lord.
I will punish this nation.
I still won’t be satisfied.

10 I will cry and weep for the mountains.
I will sing a funeral song for the pastures in the wilderness.
They are destroyed so that no one can travel through them.
No one can hear the sound of cattle.
Birds and cattle have fled.
They are gone.
11 I will turn Jerusalem into a pile of rubble, a home for jackals.
I will destroy the cities of Judah so that no one can live there.
12 No one is wise enough to understand this.
To whom has the Lord revealed this
so that they can explain it?
The land dies; it has been ruined like the desert
so that no one can travel through it.

13 The Lord answered,

“They’ve abandoned my teachings that I placed in front of them.
They didn’t obey me, and they didn’t follow them.
14 They followed their own stubborn ways and other gods—the Baals,
as their ancestors taught them.”

15 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says:

I am going to feed these people bitterness
and give them poison to drink.
16 I will scatter them among nations
that they and their ancestors haven’t heard of.
I will send armies after them until I’ve wiped them out.

17 This is what the Lord of Armies says:

Consider this:
Call for the women who cry at funerals.
Send for those who are the most skilled.
18 They should come quickly and cry for us.
Our eyes will run with tears.
Our eyelids will flow with water.
19 The sound of crying is heard from Zion.
“We’re ruined! We’re very ashamed.
We must leave our land because our homes have been torn down.”

20 Listen to the Lord’s word, you women,
and open your ears to hear his words.
Teach your daughters how to cry.
Teach your neighbors funeral songs.
21 Death has come through our windows and entered our palaces.
Death has cut down the children in the streets
and the young men in the marketplaces.

22 This is what the Lord says:

Dead bodies will fall like manure on the field.
They will be like grain that has been cut but not gathered.

The Lord Is the Only True God

23 This is what the Lord says:

Don’t let wise people brag about their wisdom.
Don’t let strong people brag about their strength.
Don’t let rich people brag about their riches.
24 If they want to brag, they should brag that they understand and know me.
They should brag that I, the Lord, act out of love, righteousness,
and justice on the earth.
This kind of bragging pleases me, declares the Lord.
25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will punish all who are circumcised.
26 I will punish Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, and Moab.
I will punish all who shave the hair on their foreheads
or live in the desert.
Even though these nations are circumcised,
all Israel has uncircumcised hearts.”

Footnotes

  1. 9:1 Jeremiah 9:1–26 in English Bibles is Jeremiah 8:23–9:25 in the Hebrew Bible.
  2. 9:3 Greek; Masoretic Text “They bend their tongue. Their bow is falsehood. And not for truth are they strong in the land.”
  3. 9:6 Greek; Masoretic Text “Your sitting is in the midst of deceit.”

You Might Also Like:

Jeremiah 9 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

9 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 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 ...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

9 Who shall give water to mine head, and a well of tears to mine eyes? (Who shall make my head to be full of water, and my eyes to be a well of tears?) And (then) I shall beweep day and night (for) the slain men of the daughter of my people. 2 Who shall give me into a wilderness of diverse waygoers?...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - World English Bible (WEB)

9 Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a spring 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 of wayfaring men;that I might leave my people, and go from them!For they are all adulterers, an assembly of treach...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - The Voice (VOICE)

9 Jeremiah: O that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears; Then I could weep day and night for my poor people who have been slaughtered.2 O that I had a place in the desert I could run to, a haven for travelers. Then I could leave my people, for they are all an adulterous an...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

9 If only I had a travelers’ lodging place in the wilderness, then I might leave my people and get away from them! For they are all adulterers, a bunch of traitors.2 They bend their tongue like a bow. Lies, not faithfulness, prevail in the land. “For they go from evil to evil and do not know Me,” sa...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

9 [a] O 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 [b] O that I had in the desert a wayfarers’ lodging place,that I might leave my people and go away from them!For they are all adulterers, a company of treach...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

9 [a] O 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 [b] O that I had in the desert a wayfarers’ lodging place,that I might leave my people and go away from them!For they are all adulterers, a company of treach...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

9 [a] O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears,so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!2 [b] O that I had in the desert a traveller’s lodging-place,that I might leave my people and go away from them!For they are all adulterers, a band of trait...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

9 [a]O that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears,so that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!(A)2 [b]O that I had in the desert a traveler’s lodging place,that I might leave my people and go away from them!For they are all adulterers, a ban...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New Living Translation (NLT)

9 [a]If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears,I would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered.2 [b]Oh, that I could go away and forget my people and live in a travelers’ shack in the desert.For they are all adulterers— a pack of treacherous liars. J...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New Life Version (NLV)

9 If only my head were a well of water, and my eyes a well of tears, that I might cry day and night for my people who have been killed! 2 If only I had a place in the desert for travelers to stay, that I might leave my people, and go away from them! For none of them are faithful. They are a gatheri...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Disobedience Brings God’s Judgment9 Oh, (A)that my head were waters,And my eyes a fountain of tears,That I might weep day and nightFor the slain of the daughter of my people!2 Oh, that I had in the wildernessA lodging place for travelers;That I might leave my people,And go from them!For (B)they are ...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

9 [a]Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears!I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.2 Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travellers,so that I might leave my people and go away from them;for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful pe...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New International Version (NIV)

9 [a]1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears!(A)I would weep(B) day and night for the slain of my people.(C)2 Oh, that I had in the desert(D) a lodging place for travelers,so that I might leave my people and go away from them;for they are all adulterers,(E) a crowd ...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

9 I wish my head were a spring of water! I wish my eyes were a fountain of tears!I would weep day and night for my people who have been killed.2 I wish I had somewhere to go in the desert where a traveler could stay!Then I could leave my people. I could get away from them.All of them commit adultery...
Read More

Jeremiah 9 - New English Translation (NET)

9 (8:23)[a] I wish that my head were a well full of water[b]and my eyes were a fountain full of tears!If they were, I could cry day and nightfor those of my dear people[c] who have been killed.2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the wildernesswhere I could spend some time like a weary traveler.[...
Read More