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A Lament over Zion
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!
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!
Oh 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.
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.
“My people bend their tongues like bows
to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth.
They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,”
says the LORD.
to shoot out lies.
They refuse to stand up for the truth.
They only go from bad to worse.
They do not know me,”
says the LORD.
“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.
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they proceed from evil to evil,
And they do not know Me,” declares the LORD.
“Beware of your neighbor!
Don’t even trust your brother!
For brother takes advantage of brother,
and friend slanders friend.
Don’t even trust your brother!
For brother takes advantage of brother,
and friend slanders friend.
“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.
And do not trust any brother;
Because every brother deals craftily,
And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
They all fool and defraud each other;
no one tells the truth.
With practiced tongues they tell lies;
they wear themselves out with all their sinning.
no one tells the truth.
With practiced tongues they tell lies;
they wear themselves out with all their sinning.
“Everyone deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth,
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They weary themselves committing iniquity.
And does not speak the truth,
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They weary themselves committing iniquity.
They pile lie upon lie
and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,”
says the LORD.
and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,”
says the LORD.
“Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.
Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.
Therefore 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?
“Behold, I will refine them and assay them;
For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows.
They speak friendly words to their neighbors
while scheming in their heart to kill them.
They speak friendly words to their neighbors
while scheming in their heart to kill them.
“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.
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.
Should I not punish them for this?” says the LORD.
“Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”
“Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”
“Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD.
“On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?
“On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?
I will weep for the mountains
and wail for the wilderness pastures.
For they are desolate and empty of life;
the lowing of cattle is heard no more;
the birds and wild animals have all fled.
and wail for the wilderness pastures.
For they are desolate and empty of life;
the lowing of cattle is heard no more;
the birds and wild animals have all fled.
“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.
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.
“I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,” says the LORD.
“It will be a place haunted by jackals.
The towns of Judah will be ghost towns,
with no one living in them.”
“It will be a place haunted by jackals.
The towns of Judah will be ghost towns,
with no one living in them.”
“I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
A haunt of jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
A haunt of jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
Who is wise enough to understand all this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it to others? Why has the land been so ruined that no one dares to travel through it?
Who 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?
The LORD replies, “This has happened because my people have abandoned my instructions; they have refused to obey what I said.
The LORD said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it,
Instead, they have stubbornly followed their own desires and worshiped the images of Baal, as their ancestors taught them.
but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,”
So now, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Look! I will feed them with bitterness and give them poison to drink.
therefore 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.
I will scatter them around the world, in places they and their ancestors never heard of, and even there I will chase them with the sword until I have destroyed them completely.”
Weeping in Jerusalem
Weeping in Jerusalem
“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.”
This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Consider all this, and call for the mourners.
Send for the women who mourn at funerals.
“Consider all this, and call for the mourners.
Send for the women who mourn at funerals.
Thus 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!
“Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the wailing women, that they may come!
Quick! Begin your weeping!
Let the tears flow from your eyes.
Let the tears flow from your eyes.
“Let them make haste and take up a wailing for us,
That our eyes may shed tears
And our eyelids flow with water.
That our eyes may shed tears
And our eyelids flow with water.
“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.’”
‘How are we ruined!
We are put to great shame,
For we have left the land,
Because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
Listen, you women, to the words of the LORD;
open your ears to what he has to say.
Teach your daughters to wail;
teach one another how to lament.
open your ears to what he has to say.
Teach your daughters to wail;
teach one another how to lament.
Now 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.
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a dirge.
For death has crept in through our windows
and has entered our mansions.
It has killed off the flower of our youth:
Children no longer play in the streets,
and young men no longer gather in the squares.
and has entered our mansions.
It has killed off the flower of our youth:
Children no longer play in the streets,
and young men no longer gather in the squares.
For 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.
It has entered our palaces
To cut off the children from the streets,
The young men from the town squares.
This is what the LORD says:
“Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,
like bundles of grain after the harvest.
No one will be left to bury them.”
“Bodies will be scattered across the fields like clumps of manure,
like bundles of grain after the harvest.
No one will be left to bury them.”
Speak, “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.’”
‘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.’”
This is what the LORD says:
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
“Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom,
or the powerful boast in their power,
or the rich boast in their riches.
Thus 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;
But those who wish to boast
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
should boast in this alone:
that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD
who demonstrates unfailing love
and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
and that I delight in these things.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
but 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.
“A time is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will punish all those who are circumcised in body but not in spirit —
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised —
Egypt 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.”