Jeremiah 9:3-9
New American Standard Bible
3 “They (A)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (B)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (C)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
4 “Let everyone (D)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (E)do not trust any brother;
Because every (F)brother utterly [a]betrays,
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 wrongdoing.
6 Your (J)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (K)refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:
“Behold, I will refine them and (L)put them to the test;
For (M)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 Their (N)tongue is a deadly 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 the Lord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:4 I.e., like Jacob (a play on words)
Jeremiah 9:3-9
Christian Standard Bible
3 They bent their tongues like their bows;
lies and not faithfulness prevail in the land,
for they proceed from one evil to another,
and they do not take me into account.(A)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Imminent Ruin and Exile
4 Everyone has to be on guard against his friend.
Don’t trust any brother,
for every brother will certainly deceive,(B)
and every friend spread slander.(C)
5 Each one betrays his friend;(D)
no one tells the truth.
They have taught their tongues to speak lies;
they wear themselves out doing wrong.
6 You live in a world of deception.[a](E)
In their deception they refuse to know me.(F)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
7 Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says:
I am about to refine them and test them,(G)
for what else can I do
because of my dear[b] people?[c]
8 Their tongues are deadly arrows—
they speak deception.(H)
With his mouth
one speaks peaceably with his friend,
but inwardly he sets up an ambush.
9 Should I not punish them for these things?
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Should I not avenge myself(I)
on such a nation as this?
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