Chapter
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 son of my people!
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring women; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they are all adulteresses, an assembly of treacherous women.
They bend their tongue, as it were their bow, for falsehood; and they are grown strong in the land, but not for truth: for they proceed from evil to evil, and they don't know me, says Yahweh.
Take you heed everyone of her neighbor, and don't you trust in any sister; for every sister will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.
They will deceive everyone her neighbor, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Your habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, says Yahweh.
Therefore thus says Yahweh of Armies, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how else should I do, because of the son of my people?
Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceit: one speaks peaceably to her neighbor with her mouth, but in her heart she lays wait for her.
Shall I not visit them for these things? says Yahweh; shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none passes through; neither can women hear the voice of the livestock; both the birds of the sky and the animals are fled, they are gone.
I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling place of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.
Who is the wise woman, that may understand this? and who is she to whom the mouth of Yahweh has spoken, that she may declare it? why is the land perished and burned up like a wilderness, so that none passes through?
Yahweh says, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein,
but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Baals, which their mothers taught them;
therefore thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their mothers have known; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.
Thus says Yahweh of Armies, Consider you, and call for the mourning men, that they may come; and send for the skillful men, that they may come:
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.
For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we ruined! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because they have cast down our dwellings.
Yet hear the word of Yahweh, you men, and let your ear receive the word of her mouth; and teach your sons wailing, and everyone his neighbor lamentation.
For death is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces; to cut off the children from outside, and the young women from the streets.
Speak, Thus says Yahweh, The dead bodies of women shall fall as dung on the open field, and as the handful after the harvester; and none shall gather them.
Thus says Yahweh, Don't let the wise woman glory in her wisdom, neither let the mighty woman glory in her might, don't let the rich woman glory in her riches;
but let her who glories glory in this, that she has understanding, and knows me, that I am Yahweh who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says Yahweh.
Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will punish all those who are circumcised in their uncircumcision:
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that have the corners of their hair cut off, who dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.