“‘When people fall down, do they not get up?^(Y)
    When someone turns away,^(Z) do they not return?
⁵ Why then have these people turned away?
    Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;^(AA)
    they refuse to return.^(AB)
6 I have listened^(AC) attentively,
    but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent^(AD) of their wickedness,
    saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course^(AE)
    like a horse charging into battle.
⁷ Even the stork in the sky
    knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
    observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know^(AF)
    the requirements of the Lord.

⁸ “‘How can you say, “We are wise,
    for we have the law^(AG) of the Lord,”
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
    has handled it falsely?
⁹ The wise^(AH) will be put to shame;
    they will be dismayed^(AI) and trapped.^(AJ)
Since they have rejected the word^(AK) of the Lord,
    what kind of wisdom^(AL) do they have?
¹⁰ Therefore I will give their wives to other men
    and their fields to new owners.^(AM)
From the least to the greatest,
    all are greedy for gain;^(AN)
prophets^(AO) and priests alike,
    all practice deceit.^(AP)
11 They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
“Peace, peace,” they say,
    when there is no peace.^(AQ)
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?
    No, they have no shame^(AR) at all;
    they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
    they will be brought down when they are punished,^(AS)
says the Lord.^(AT)

¹³ “‘I will take away their harvest,
declares the Lord.
    There will be no grapes on the vine.^(AU)
There will be no figs^(AV) on the tree,
    and their leaves will wither.^(AW)
What I have given them
    will be taken^(AX) from them.^[a]’”

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

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

¹⁸ You who are my Comforter^[b] in sorrow,
    my heart is faint^(BJ) within me.
¹⁹ Listen to the cry of my people
    from a land far away:^(BK)
“Is the Lord not in Zion?
    Is her King^(BL) no longer there?”

“Why have they aroused^(BM) my anger with their images,
    with their worthless^(BN) foreign idols?”^(BO)

²⁰ “The harvest is past,
    the summer has ended,
    and we are not saved.”

²¹ Since my people are crushed,^(BP) I am crushed;
    I mourn,^(BQ) and horror grips me.
²² Is there no balm in Gilead?^(BR)
    Is there no physician^(BS) there?
Why then is there no healing^(BT)
    for the wound of my people?

³ “They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;^(CA)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph^[d] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge^(CB) me,”
declares the Lord.
⁴ “Beware of your friends;^(CC)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.^(CD)
For every one of them is a deceiver,^[e](CE)
    and every friend a slanderer.^(CF)
5 Friend deceives friend,^(CG)
    and no one speaks the truth.^(CH)
They have taught their tongues to lie;^(CI)
    they weary themselves with sinning.
⁶ You^[f] live in the midst of deception;^(CJ)
    in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.

“See, I will refine^(CK) and test^(CL) them,
    for what else can I do
    because of the sin of my people?
⁸ Their tongue^(CM) is a deadly arrow;
    it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,^(CN)
    but in their hearts they set traps^(CO) for them.^(CP)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
    declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge^(CQ) 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.^(CR)
They are desolate and untraveled,
    and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds^(CS) have all fled
    and the animals are gone.

¹¹ “I will make Jerusalem a heap^(CT) of ruins,
    a haunt of jackals;^(CU)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah^(CV)
    so no one can live there.”^(CW)

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women^(DH) to come;
    send for the most skillful of them.
¹⁸ Let them come quickly
    and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
    and water streams from our eyelids.^(DI)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
    ‘How ruined^(DJ) we are!
    How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
    because our houses are in ruins.’”

²⁰ Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
    open your ears to the words of his mouth.^(DK)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
    teach one another a lament.^(DL)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows^(DM)
    and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
    and the young men^(DN) from the public squares.

“‘Dead bodies will lie
    like dung^(DO) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
    with no one to gather them.’”

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom^(DP)
    or the strong boast of their strength^(DQ)
    or the rich boast of their riches,^(DR)
24 but let the one who boasts boast^(DS) about this:
    that they have the understanding to know^(DT) me,
that I am the Lord,^(DU) who exercises kindness,^(DV)
    justice and righteousness^(DW) on earth,
    for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
    but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.^(A)

² From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,^(B)
    but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.

³ Those who guard their lips^(C) preserve their lives,^(D)
    but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.^(E)

⁴ A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,^(F)
    but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

⁵ The righteous hate what is false,^(G)
    but the wicked make themselves a stench
    and bring shame on themselves.

⁶ Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
    but wickedness overthrows the sinner.^(H)

⁷ One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;^(I)
    another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.^(J)

⁸ A person’s riches may ransom their life,
    but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.^(K)

⁹ The light of the righteous shines brightly,
    but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.^(L)

¹⁰ Where there is strife, there is pride,
    but wisdom is found in those who take advice.^(M)

¹¹ Dishonest money dwindles away,^(N)
    but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.^(O)

¹³ Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,^(P)
    but whoever respects^(Q) a command is rewarded.^(R)

¹⁴ The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,^(S)
    turning a person from the snares of death.^(T)

¹⁵ Good judgment wins favor,
    but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.^[a]

¹⁶ All who are prudent act with^[b] knowledge,
    but fools expose^(U) their folly.^(V)

¹⁷ A wicked messenger falls into trouble,^(W)
    but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.^(X)

¹⁸ Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,^(Y)
    but whoever heeds correction is honored.^(Z)

¹⁹ A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,^(AA)
    but fools detest turning from evil.

²⁰ Walk with the wise and become wise,
    for a companion of fools suffers harm.^(AB)

²¹ Trouble pursues the sinner,^(AC)
    but the righteous^(AD) are rewarded with good things.^(AE)

²² A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
    but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.^(AF)

²³ An unplowed field produces food for the poor,
    but injustice sweeps it away.

²⁴ Whoever spares the rod^(AG) hates their children,
    but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline^(AH) them.^(AI)

²⁵ The righteous eat to their hearts’ content,
    but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.^(AJ)