¹⁴ Why are we sitting here?
    Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities^(A)
    and perish there!
For the Lord our God has doomed us to perish
    and given us poisoned water^(B) to drink,
    because we have sinned^(C) against him.
¹⁵ We hoped for peace^(D)
    but no good has come,
for a time of healing
    but there is only terror.^(E)
16 The snorting of the enemy’s horses^(F)
    is heard from Dan;^(G)
at the neighing of their stallions
    the whole land trembles.^(H)
They have come to devour^(I)
    the land and everything in it,
    the city and all who live there.

¹⁷ “See, I will send venomous snakes^(J) among you,
    vipers that cannot be charmed,^(K)
    and they will bite you,”
declares the Lord.

³ “They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;^(D)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph^[a] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge^(E) me,”
declares the Lord.
⁴ “Beware of your friends;^(F)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.^(G)
For every one of them is a deceiver,^[b](H)
    and every friend a slanderer.^(I)
5 Friend deceives friend,^(J)
    and no one speaks the truth.^(K)
They have taught their tongues to lie;^(L)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
⁶ You^[c] live in the midst of deception;^(M)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

“See, I will refine^(N) and test^(O) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
⁸ Their tongue^(P) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,^(Q)
    but in their hearts they set traps^(R) for them.^(S)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(T) myself
    on such a nation as this?”

¹⁰ I will weep and wail for the mountains
    and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.^(U)
They are desolate and untraveled,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds^(V) have all fled
    and the animals are gone.

¹¹ “I will make Jerusalem a heap^(W) of ruins,
    a haunt of jackals;^(X)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah^(Y)
    so no one can live there.”^(Z)