Jeremiah 9:3-9
English Standard Version
3 (A)They bend their tongue like a bow;
falsehood and not truth has grown strong[a] in the land;
for they proceed from evil to evil,
(B)and they do not know me, declares the Lord.
4 (C)Let everyone beware of his neighbor,
and put no trust in any brother,
for every (D)brother is a deceiver,
and every neighbor (E)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
(F)they refuse to know me, declares the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, (G)I will refine them and (H)test them,
for what else can I do, (I)because of my people?
8 (J)Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
(K)it speaks deceitfully;
with his mouth (L)each speaks peace to his neighbor,
but in his heart (M)he plans an ambush for him.
9 (N)Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:3 Septuagint; Hebrew and not for truth they have grown strong
Jeremiah 9:3-9
Common English Bible
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![a]
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,[b]
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?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or brother
- Jeremiah 9:6 Heb uncertain
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible