Jeremiah 9

1 Oh, that my head [a fountain of weeping] were a spring of water, and my eyes [overflowing with grief] a fountain of tears! I would weep [mourn, lament] day and night over the slain [killed, murdered] daughter of my people [nation, community]. word study 2 If only I had a traveler’s lodge [a temporary shelter, a night’s resting-place] in the wilderness [the desert, a desolate land], I would abandon [leave, give up on] my people and depart [go away, leave behind] from them, for they are all adulterers [faithless, unfaithful ones, a crowd of treacherous men], a crowd [an assembly, a band] of faithless people [those who have not remained faithful, a mob of people who deceive others]. word study 3 “They bend their tongues [for deceit] like bows; lies [falsehood, untruth] prevail over truth [faithfulness, integrity] in the land [the earth, the world]. For they proceed [go, walk] from evil [wickedness, wrongdoing] to evil [sin, iniquity], and they do not take Me [acknowledge, consider] into account [know, recognize],” declares the LORD [Yehovah, the sovereign God]. word study 4 “Let everyone [take heed, beware] guard against his neighbor [close friend, companion]; do not trust [have faith, rely] any brother [kinsman, fellow], for every brother [relative, sibling] deals [acts, behaves] craftily [deceitfully, with cunning], and every friend [companion, acquaintance] spreads [utters, tells] slander [false, malicious talk, defamation]. word study 5 Each one [deceives] betrays his friend [neighbor, companion]; no one tells [speaks, utters] the truth [reality, what is right]. They have taught [trained, instructed] their tongues [language, speech] to lie [speak falsehood, deceive]; they wear themselves out [weary, exhaust] committing [practicing, doing] iniquity [wickedness, evil, unrighteousness]. word study 6 You dwell [reside, have your habitation] in the midst of [surrounded by, immersed in] deception [falsehood, deceit]; in their deceit [lies, dishonesty] they refuse [reject, turn away from] to know [acknowledge, recognize] Me [as their Lord, the one true God],” declares [says, speaks] the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God]. word study 7 Therefore this is what the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] of Hosts [the armies of heaven] says: “Behold, I will refine [melt, purify] them and test [try, prove] them, for what else can I do [how shall I deal] because of the daughter [the people, the children] of My people [My beloved, My chosen ones]? word study 8 Their tongues [are as arrows shot out, speaking deceit] are deadly arrows [causing death, poisoned]; they speak [utter, declare] deception [falsehood, lies]. With his mouth a man speaks [says, declares] peace [peaceably, friendly words] to his neighbor, but in his heart [inner being, soul] he sets [lays, prepares] a trap [ambush, wait] for him. word study 9 Should I not punish [visit, bring judgment upon] them for these things [their wicked deeds, sinful actions]? declares the LORD [the Supreme Ruler, Yehovah]. Should I not avenge [take revenge, execute justice] Myself on such a nation [a people, a community] as this [guilty, rebellious]?” word study 10 I will take up a weeping [and lamentation, mourning] and wailing [sorrowful cry] for the mountains [heaps of stones, rugged terrain], a dirge [funeral song, lamentation] over the wilderness [desolate, uninhabited] pasture [open land for livestock], for they have been scorched [burned up, devastated] so no one passes through [travels, journeys], and the lowing [sound, voice] of cattle [livestock, domesticated animals] is not heard [perceived, listened to]. Both the birds [fowl, flying creatures] of the air [heavens, sky] and the beasts [wild animals, creatures] have fled [escaped, departed]; they have gone away [vanished, disappeared]. word study 11 “And I will make Jerusalem [a heap of ruins, a mass of broken stones] a heap of rubble [a dwelling place of jackals, a haunt for wild animals], a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah [desolate, waste, without inhabitant] a desolation [completely empty, without any people], without inhabitant.” word study 12 Who is the man wise [wise and discerning] enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] spoken, that he may explain [declare and interpret] it? Why is the land [the earth, the physical world] destroyed and scorched [burned up, laid waste] like a desert [a wilderness, a barren land], so no one can pass through it? word study 13 And the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] answered, “It is because they have forsaken [abandoned, turned away from] My law [instruction, divine guidance], which I set [established, gave] before them; they have not walked [followed, lived according to] in it or obeyed [listened to, heeded] My voice [command, word]. word study 14 Instead, they have followed [the stubbornness of their own heart, pride] the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after [idols, the Baalim] the Baals, as [their ancestors, fathers] their fathers taught them [by tradition, example].” word study 15 Therefore this is what the LORD [the Commander of the armies of angels, the God of Israel] of Hosts, the God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people [even them, as a form of judgment] wormwood [bitter plants] and give them poisoned water [water of gall, a source of pain] to drink [as a consequence of their actions]. word study 16 I will scatter them among [among the heathen, to many nations] the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known [been acquainted with, familiar], and I will send [enable their enemies to strike with] a sword [enemies with swords] after them until I have finished them off [consumed them, wiped them out].” word study 17 This is what the LORD [the Commander of the armies of angels] of Hosts says: “Take note [consider ye, be aware of what’s happening], and summon the wailing [mourning] women; send for the most skillful [cunning, wise] among them [that they may come]. word study 18 Let them come quickly [with all haste, as soon as possible] and take up a lament [wailing, mourning song] over us, that our eyes [the windows of the soul] may overflow [run down, gush out] with tears, and our eyelids [the outer covering of the eye] may gush [flow like streams, pour out] with water. word study 19 For the sound [voice, cry] of wailing [lamentation, mourning] is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated [ruined, laid waste] we are! How great is our shame [confusion, disgrace]! For we have abandoned [forsaken, left] the land because our dwellings [houses, homes] have been torn down [cast down, demolished].’” word study 20 Now, O women [ye women, you females], hear [listen, pay attention to] the word [message, utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah]. Open [let your ears receive, give heed to] your ears to the word [instruction, command] of His mouth. Teach [train, instruct] your daughters to wail [lament, mourn], and one another [each other, every one her neighbor] to lament [sing songs of sadness, mourn]. word study 21 For death [has come up, entered in] has climbed in through our windows [and palaces]; it has entered [come into, slipped into] our fortresses [strongholds, great houses] to cut off [destroy, kill] the children [young ones, sucklings] from the streets [outside, without], the young men [youth, young people] from the town squares [broad places, marketplaces]. word study 22 Declare that this is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: “The corpses [dead bodies, lifeless remains] of men will fall like dung [waste, refuse] upon the open field [the face of the country, the land], like newly cut grain [freshly cut stalks, a handful after the harvestman] behind the reaper [the grain-cutter, the harvester], with no one [none, nobody] to gather [collect, pick up] it.” word study 23 This is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: “Let not the wise man [one who has discernment and understanding] boast in his wisdom [insight and knowledge], nor the strong man [one who has physical or mental power] in his strength [ability and might], nor the wealthy man [one who has riches and possessions] in his riches [material wealth and abundance]. word study 24 But let him who boasts [glories, takes pride] boast in this, that he understands [has wisdom, knows] and knows [is intimately aware of] Me, that I am the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God], who exercises [shows, demonstrates] loving devotion [lovingkindness, mercy], justice [righteous judgment] and righteousness [moral integrity] on the earth [the world, all creation]— for I delight [take pleasure, am pleased] in these things,” declares [says, utters] the LORD. word study 25 “Behold [look, take notice], the days [a period of time, an era] are coming,” declares the LORD [the sovereign God, Yehovah], “when I will punish [judge, discipline] all who are circumcised [physically marked, outwardly devoted] yet uncircumcised [spiritually unmarked, inwardly unrepentant, having a heart that is not changed]: word study 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants [people, who dwell] of the desert [wilderness] who clip [cut off, trim] the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised [without circumcision, unclean], and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised [unclean, without circumcision] in heart [spirit, inner being].” word study