12 Who is the (A)wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom (B)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? (C)Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have (D)abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (E)followed the stubbornness of their heart and the (F)Baals, [a]as their (G)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, (H)I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them (I)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will also (J)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (K)sword after them until I have put an end to them.”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:14 Lit which

12 Who is the person wise enough to understand this?(A) Who has the Lord spoken to, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a wilderness, so no one can pass through?

13 The Lord said, “It is because they abandoned my instruction,(B) which I set before them, and did not obey my voice or walk according to it. 14 Instead, they followed the stubbornness of their hearts(C) and followed the Baals as their ancestors taught them.”(D) 15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to feed this people wormwood(E) and give them poisonous water to drink.(F) 16 I will scatter them among the nations(G) that they and their ancestors have not known. I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.”

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