Jeremiah 9:3-9
Legacy Standard Bible
3 “They (A)bend their tongue like their bow;
Lies and unfaithfulness prevail in the land,
For they (B)go onward from evil to evil,
And they (C)do not know Me,” declares Yahweh.
4 “Let everyone (D)beware of his neighbor,
And (E)do not trust any brother,
Because every (F)brother [a]surely supplants,
And every neighbor (G)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone (H)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth;
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (I)weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Your (J)habitation is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (K)refuse to know Me,” declares Yahweh.
7 Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Behold, I will refine them and (L)test them;
For (M)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 Their (N)tongue is a slaughtering arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (O)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (P)sets an ambush for him.
9 (Q)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares Yahweh.
“On a nation such as this
Shall I not avenge Myself?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:4 Heb sounds like Jacob (a play on words)
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
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