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Jeremiah 9
Common English Bible
Jeremiah 9
Common English Bible
9 [a] If only my head were a spring of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
I would weep day and night
for the wounds of my people.
2 [b] If only I could flee for shelter in the desert,
to leave my people
and forget them—
for they are all adulterers,
a bunch of crooks.
3 They bend their tongues like bows
to spew out lies;
they are renowned in the land,
but not for truth.
They go from bad to worse.
They don’t know me!
declares the Lord.
4 Be wary of your friends!
Don’t trust your sibling![c]
Every sibling is a cheater,
and every friend traffics in slander.
5 One cheats the other;
no one tells the truth;
they train themselves to lie;
they wear themselves out by doing wrong.
6 You live in a world of deceit,
and in their deceit
they refuse to know me,[d]
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore, the Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
I’m going to refine and test them,
for what else can I do with my people?
8 Their tongue is a lethal arrow;
their words are deceitful.
They wish their neighbors well,
but in their hearts plot their ruin.
9 Shouldn’t I punish them for this?
declares the Lord;
shouldn’t I avenge such a nation?
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains,
and lament for the grazing lands in the wilderness.
They are dried up and deserted;
no sound of the flocks is heard;
no sign of birds or animals is seen;
all have vanished.
11 I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins,
a den for wild dogs.
I will make the towns of Judah a wasteland, without inhabitant.
12 Who is wise enough to understand this?
Who has been taught by the Lord
and can therefore explain it?
Why has the land been reduced to rubble
and laid waste like a desert,
with no one passing through?
13 The Lord says: It is because they have abandoned my Instruction that I gave them, and haven’t obeyed or followed it. 14 Instead, they have followed their own willful hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them. 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, says: I’m going to feed this people bitter food and give them poison to drink. 16 I will scatter them among nations about whom neither they nor their ancestors have ever heard. I will pursue them with the sword until all are gone.
17 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims:
Pay attention!
Summon the women who mourn,
let them come;
send for those best trained,
let them come.
18 Hurry!
Let them weep for us
so that our eyes fill up with tears
and water streams down.
19 The sound of sobbing
is heard from Zion:
“We’re devastated!
We’re so ashamed!
We have to leave the land
and abandon our homes!”
20 Women, hear the Lord’s word.
Listen closely to the word
from his mouth:
teach your daughters to mourn;
teach each other to grieve.
21 Death has climbed through our windows;
it has entered our fortresses
to eliminate children from the streets,
the youth from the squares.
22 Declare what the Lord says:
Dead bodies will lie
like dung on the fields,
like bundles of grain after the harvest,
with no one to pick them up.
23 The Lord proclaims:
the learned should not boast of their knowledge,
nor warriors boast of their might,
nor the rich boast of their wealth.
24 No, those who boast should boast in this:
that they understand and know me.
I am the Lord who acts with kindness,
justice, and righteousness in the world,
and I delight in these things,
declares the Lord.
25 The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will deal with everyone who is physically circumcised: 26 whether they are Egyptians or Judeans, Edomites or Ammonites, Moabites or the desert dwellers who cut the hair on their foreheads. All these nations are really uncircumcised; even the people of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:1 8:23 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:2 9:1 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or brother
- Jeremiah 9:6 Heb uncertain
Jeremiah 9
New International Version
Jeremiah 9
New International Version
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 of unfaithful(F) people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;(G)
it is not by truth
that they triumph[b] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge(H) me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;(I)
do not trust anyone in your clan.(J)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[c](K)
and every friend a slanderer.(L)
5 Friend deceives friend,(M)
and no one speaks the truth.(N)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(O)
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You[d] live in the midst of deception;(P)
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine(Q) and test(R) them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue(S) is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(T)
but in their hearts they set traps(U) for them.(V)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(W) 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.(X)
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(Y) have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(Z) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;(AA)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(AB)
so no one can live there.”(AC)
12 Who is wise(AD) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(AE) 14 Instead, they have followed(AF) the stubbornness of their hearts;(AG) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(AH) and drink poisoned water.(AI) 16 I will scatter them among nations(AJ) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(AK) and I will pursue them with the sword(AL) until I have made an end of them.”(AM)
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(AN) 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.(AO)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined(AP) 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.(AQ)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.(AR)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(AS)
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men(AT) from the public squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung(AU) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(AV)
or the strong boast of their strength(AW)
or the rich boast of their riches,(AX)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(AY) about this:
that they have the understanding to know(AZ) me,
that I am the Lord,(BA) who exercises kindness,(BB)
justice and righteousness(BC) on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(BD)— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[e](BE) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(BF) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(BG)”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
- Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
- Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
- Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads
Jeremiah 9
King James Version
Jeremiah 9
King James Version
9 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain 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 be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.
4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.
7 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
9 Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
13 And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
15 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
16 I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
17 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:
18 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.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.
20 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
21 For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
22 Speak, Thus saith the Lord, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
23 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
25 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
Jeremia 9
BasisBijbel
Jeremia 9
BasisBijbel
Jeremia's diepe verdriet over zijn volk (vervolg)
9 Zat mijn hoofd maar vol met water! Waren mijn ogen maar een bron! Dan had ik tenminste genoeg tranen om dag en nacht te huilen over de doden van Jeruzalem! 2 Wist ik in de woestijn maar een schuilplaats. Dan kon ik mijn volk verlaten. Dan kon ik bij hen weggaan. Want ze zijn allemaal ontrouw aan God. Het is een bende trouweloze mensen."
De mensen zijn door en door slecht
3 De Heer zegt: "Met hun tong schieten ze leugens af, als pijlen uit een boog. Ze regeren onrechtvaardig over het land. Ze plegen de ene misdaad na de andere. En Mij willen ze niet kennen. 4 Pas op voor je vriend. Vertrouw zelfs je broer niet. Want je broers bedriegen je en je vrienden spreken kwaad over je. 5 Iedereen bedriegt zelfs zijn beste vriend. Niemand spreekt de waarheid. Iedereen liegt en bedriegt. Niemand doet nog iets goeds. 6 Leugen wordt op leugen gestapeld. Bedrog op bedrog. En Mij willen ze niet kennen, zegt de Heer. 7 Daarom zegt de Heer van de hemelse legers: Ik zal hen smelten zoals je goud smelt. Ik kijk of er nog iets goeds in hen te vinden is. Want wat moet Ik anders doen met Jeruzalem? 8 Hun tong is zo dodelijk als een pijl. Eén en al leugens en bedrog. De mensen praten vriendelijk tegen elkaar. Maar in gedachten bedenken ze hoe ze de ander kunnen beroven. 9 Zou Ik hen daar soms niet voor straffen? zegt de Heer. Kan Ik zo'n volk dan zomaar zijn gang laten gaan?"
10 Jeremia zegt: "Ik wil een treurlied zingen over de bergen. Ik zal huilen over de graslanden in de dalen. Want ze zijn afgebrand. Alles is zo doods als een woestijn. Er is niemand meer. Er is geen geblaat van vee meer te horen. Alle vogels en dieren zijn verdwenen."
11 De Heer zegt: "Ik zal Jeruzalem veranderen in een hoop stenen. Het zal een plek worden waar de jakhalzen komen schuilen. Ik zal de steden van Juda helemaal verwoesten. Er zal niemand meer wonen."
12 Jeremia zegt: "Wie is wijs genoeg om dit te begrijpen? Kan degene tegen wie de Heer dit gezegd heeft het ook uitleggen? Waarom is het land vernietigd en verbrand? Waarom is het land zo doods geworden als een woestijn? Waarom woont er niemand meer?"
13 De Heer zegt: "Omdat ze zich niet gehouden hebben aan de wet die Ik hun had gegeven. Omdat ze niet naar Mij hebben willen luisteren en niet hebben geleefd zoals Ik het wil. 14 Omdat ze koppig en ongehoorzaam hebben gedaan wat ze zelf wilden. Omdat ze andere goden hebben aanbeden. Dat hebben ze van hun ouders geleerd. 15 Daarom laat Ik hen bittere kruiden eten en bittere gal drinken, zegt de Heer van de hemelse legers, de God van Israël. 16 Ik zal hen verspreiden onder andere volken die zij en hun ouders niet kenden. En Ik zal hun vijanden achter hen aan sturen, totdat Ik hen helemaal vernietigd heb."
Treurlied over het verwoeste Jeruzalem
17 Dit zegt de Heer van de hemelse legers: "Let op en roep de klaagvrouwen! 18 Zorg dat ze zo gauw mogelijk komen. Vraag hun om treurliederen voor jullie te zingen. Laat de tranen over jullie wangen stromen. 19 Want uit Jeruzalem is gehuil en gejammer te horen: 'De stad is vernietigd! We zijn verloren! We moeten ons land verlaten! Ze hebben al onze steden verwoest!' 20 Luister, klaagvrouwen, naar wat de Heer zegt. Leer dit klaaglied. Leer het ook aan jullie dochters en vriendinnen:
21 'De dood is door onze ramen naar binnen geklommen.
Hij is onze paleizen binnen gekomen.
Hij heeft de kinderen in de straten gedood,
de jonge mensen op de pleinen vermoord.
22 De Heer zegt:
De lijken van de mensen liggen overal,
als mest op het veld,
als korenhalmen die achter de maaier op de grond vallen,
en door niemand worden opgeraapt.' "
Israël gedraagt zich als de volken die geen verbond met God hebben
23 De Heer zegt: "Laten wijze mensen maar niet blij zijn over hun wijsheid. Laten sterke mensen maar niet blij zijn over hun kracht. Laten rijke mensen maar niet blij zijn over hun rijkdom. 24 Maar als iemand blij wil zijn, laat hij er dan blij over zijn dat hij Mij kent. Dat hij weet dat Ik de Heer ben, dat Ik goed en liefdevol ben en dat Ik rechtvaardig over de aarde heers. Want dat zijn de dingen waar Ik van geniet, zegt de Heer. 25 Er komt een tijd, zegt de Heer, dat Ik mijn volk zal straffen, ook al heeft het een verbond met Mij. Ik zal hen net zo straffen als de volken die geen verbond met Mij hebben. 26 Ik zal ze allemaal straffen: Egypte en Juda, Edom en de Ammonieten, Moab en alle volken die in de woestijn leven en die de hoeken van hun haar afscheren. Al die andere volken hebben geen verbond met Mij. Het volk Israël heeft wél een verbond met Mij, maar toch wil het niet naar Mij luisteren."[a] (lees verder)
Footnotes
- Jeremia 9:26 Eigenlijk staat hier: 'Ik zal iedereen die zich heeft laten besnijden, straffen, samen met de volken die niet besneden zijn. Want de Israëlieten hebben wel hun geslachtsdeel laten besnijden, maar ze hebben een onbesneden hart.' Alle Joodse mannen moesten hun geslachtsdeel laten besnijden. Dat was het teken van het verbond van God met het Joodse volk. Lees Genesis 17:9-14. Een 'onbesneden hart' is een hart dat weigert God te gehoorzamen.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
BasisBijbel (BB)
© stichting BasisBijbel 2013 Gecorrigeerde tekst © 2015 Alle rechten voorbehouden Uitgegeven bij de ZakBijbelBond: 2016