Mourning over Judah

17 This is what the Lord of Armies says:

Consider, and summon the women who mourn;(A)
send for the skillful women.
18 Let them come quickly to raise a lament over us
so that our eyes may overflow with tears,
our eyelids be soaked with weeping.
19 For a sound of lamentation is heard from Zion:
How devastated we are.
We are greatly ashamed,(B)
for we have abandoned the land;
our dwellings have been torn down.

20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you women.
Pay attention to[a] the words from his mouth.
Teach your daughters a lament
and one another a dirge,
21 for Death(C) has climbed through our windows;
it has entered our fortresses,
cutting off children from the streets,
young men from the squares.

22 “Speak as follows: ‘This is what the Lord declares: Human corpses will fall like manure on the surface of the field,(D) like newly cut grain(E) after the reaper with no one to gather it.

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Footnotes

  1. 9:20 Lit Your ears must receive

17 This is what the Lord of armies says:

“Consider and call for the (A)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [a](B)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
So that our (C)eyes may shed tears,
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (D)wailing is heard from Zion:
(E)How devastated we are!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (F)abandoned the land
Because they have torn down our homes.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you (G)women,
And let your ears receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.
21 For (H)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To eliminate the (I)children from the streets,
The young men from the public squares.
22 Speak, “This is what the Lord says:
‘The corpses of people will fall (J)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:17 I.e., professional mourners