Jeremiah 9:4
New International Version
“Beware of your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer.

New Living Translation
“Beware of your neighbor! Don’t even trust your brother! For brother takes advantage of brother, and friend slanders friend.

English Standard Version
Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

Berean Standard Bible
“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.

King James Bible
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

New King James Version
“Everyone take heed to his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; For every brother will utterly supplant, And every neighbor will walk with slanderers.

New American Standard Bible
“Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother utterly betrays, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

NASB 1995
“Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

NASB 1977
“Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor, And do not trust any brother; Because every brother deals craftily, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Let everyone beware of his neighbor, And do not trust any brother, Because every brother surely supplants, And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

Amplified Bible
“Let everyone beware of his neighbor And do not trust any brother. For every brother is a supplanter [like Jacob, a deceiver, ready to grab his brother’s heel], And every neighbor goes around as a slanderer.

Christian Standard Bible
Everyone has to be on guard against his friend. Don’t trust any brother, for every brother will certainly deceive, and every friend spread slander.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Everyone has to be on guard against his friend. Don’t trust any brother, for every brother will certainly deceive, and every friend spread slander.

American Standard Version
Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Let a man beware of his neighbor, and you shall not trust upon any brother, because every brother shall defraud from all, and every friend walks by treachery

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Beware ye each of his neighbour, and trust ye not in your brethren: for every one will surely supplant, and every friend will walk craftily.

Contemporary English Version
Jeremiah, all your friends and relatives tell lies about you, so don't trust them.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Let every man take heed of his neighbor, and let his not trust in any brother of his: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every friend will walk deceitfully.

English Revised Version
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will go about with slanders.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Beware of your neighbors. Don't trust your relatives. Every relative cheats. Every neighbor goes around slandering.

Good News Translation
Everyone must be on guard against their friends, and no one can trust their relatives; for all relatives are as deceitful as Jacob, and everyone slanders their friends.

International Standard Version
"Beware of your neighbors, and don't trust any of your relatives. For all of your relatives act deceitfully, and every friend goes around as a slanderer.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, And trust ye not in any brother; For every brother acteth subtly, And every neighbour goeth about with slanders.

Literal Standard Version
“You each beware of his friend, | And do not trust any brother, | For every brother utterly supplants, | For every friend slanderously walks,

Majority Standard Bible
“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.

New American Bible
Be on your guard, everyone against his neighbor; put no trust in any brother. Every brother imitates Jacob, the supplanter, every neighbor is guilty of slander.

NET Bible
Everyone must be on his guard around his friends. He must not even trust any of his relatives. For every one of them will find some way to cheat him. And all of his friends will tell lies about him.

New Revised Standard Version
Beware of your neighbors, and put no trust in any of your kin; for all your kin are supplanters, and every neighbor goes around like a slanderer.

New Heart English Bible
"Everyone be on guard against his neighbor, and do not trust any brother; for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor will go about with slanders.

Webster's Bible Translation
Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders.

World English Bible
“Everyone beware of his neighbor, and don’t trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go around like a slanderer.

Young's Literal Translation
Each of his friend -- beware ye, And on any brother, do not trust, For every brother doth utterly supplant, For every friend slanderously doth walk,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Lament over Zion
3“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD. 4“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. 5Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity.…

Cross References
Genesis 27:35
But Isaac replied, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing."

Leviticus 19:16
You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.

Psalm 12:2
They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

Psalm 15:3
who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,

Psalm 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.

Proverbs 10:18
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

Proverbs 26:24
A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.


Treasury of Scripture

Take you heed every one of his neighbor, and trust you not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders.

ye heed.

Jeremiah 12:6
For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.

Psalm 12:2,3
They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak…

Psalm 55:11,12
Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets…

neighbour.

Genesis 27:35,36
And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty, and hath taken away thy blessing…

Genesis 32:28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

1 Thessalonians 4:6
That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

walk.

Jeremiah 6:28
They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.

Leviticus 19:16
Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD.

Psalm 15:3
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Jump to Previous
Acteth Beware Craftily Deals Deceiver Evil Faith Friend Friends Goes Guard Heed Neighbor Neighbour Slanderer Slanders Subtly Tricking Trust Utterly Walk
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Acteth Beware Craftily Deals Deceiver Evil Faith Friend Friends Goes Guard Heed Neighbor Neighbour Slanderer Slanders Subtly Tricking Trust Utterly Walk
Jeremiah 9
1. Jeremiah laments the people for their manifold sins;
9. and for their judgment.
12. Disobedience is the cause of their bitter calamity.
17. He exhorts to mourn for their destruction;
23. and to trust not in themselves, but in God.
25. He threatens both Jews and Gentiles.














(4) Take ye heed . . .--The extreme bitterness of the prophet's words is explained in part by what we read afterwards of his personal history (Jeremiah 12:6; Jeremiah 18:18). Then, as at other times, a man's foes were those of his own household (Matthew 10:36).

Every brother will utterly supplant.--The word is that which gave the patriarch his significant name of Jacob, the supplanter (Genesis 25:26; Genesis 27:36). Jeremiah seems to say that the people have forfeited their claims to the name of the true Israel. Every brother Israelite is found to be a thorough-paced Jacob. The adverb "utterly" expresses the force of the Hebrew reduplication of the verb. . . .

Verse 4. - Take ye heed every one of his neighbor. Such was the result of clinging to an unprogressive religion - one which refused to be spiritualized by the prophets. Certainly, if the established religion was so inefficacious, it was self-condemned. Hero we find the prophet depicting a state of society in which the elementary bonds are already dissolved, and suspicion becomes the natural attitude even of a good man. We find a very similar picture in the last chapter of Micah - a chapter, it is true, which stands apart from the rest of the book, as it implies a greater development of wickedness than the rest of Micah and the contemporary prophecies of Isaiah would lead us to expect. Are these prophetic descriptions just and accurate? We may allow something, no doubt, for the warmth of feeling natural to every human preacher, even under the influence of inspiration; but we must not allow ourselves to explain away the obvious meaning of the prophets. The latter and their disciples were "the salt" of their country; and in proportion as their influence declined, the natural effects of a non-moral, purely ritualistic religion showed themselves on a larger scale. Every brother; i.e. every fellow-tribesman or fellow-citizen. Will utterly supplant. There is nothing in the context to suggest an allusion to Genesis 27:36 (Jacob). The verb has its common sense of deceiving. The tense should be the present, not the future, both here and in the next verse. Will walk; rather, goeth about (see Jeremiah 6:28).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Let everyone
אִ֤ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

guard
הִשָּׁמֵ֔רוּ (hiš·šā·mê·rū)
Verb - Nifal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

against
וְעַל־ (wə·‘al-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

his neighbor;
מֵרֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ (mê·rê·‘ê·hū)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

trust
תִּבְטָ֑חוּ (tiḇ·ṭā·ḥū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 982: To trust, be confident, sure

any
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

brother,
אָ֖ח (’āḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

for
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

every
כָל־ (ḵāl)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

brother
אָח֙ (’āḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

deals
עָק֣וֹב (‘ā·qō·wḇ)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 6117: To follow at the heel, assail insidiously, circumvent, overreach

craftily,
יַעְקֹ֔ב (ya‘·qōḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6117: To follow at the heel, assail insidiously, circumvent, overreach

and every
וְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

friend
רֵ֖עַ (rê·a‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

spreads
יַהֲלֹֽךְ׃ (ya·hă·lōḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

slander.
רָכִ֥יל (rā·ḵîl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7400: A scandal-monger


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 9:4 Take you heed everyone of his neighbor (Jer.)
Jeremiah 9:3
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