| Holman Christian Standard Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1If my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear people. | 1Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people. |
| 2If only I had a traveler's lodging place in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a solemn assembly of treacherous people. | 2If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people. |
| 3They 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. This is the LORD's declaration. | 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. |
| 4Everyone has to be on guard against his friend. Don't trust any brother, for every brother will certainly deceive, and every friend spread slander. | 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 speak lies; they wear themselves out doing wrong. | 5Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity. |
| 6You live in a world of deception. In their deception they refuse to know Me. This is the LORD's declaration. | 6You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD. |
| 7Therefore, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I am about to refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of My dear people? | 7Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of the daughter of My people? |
| 8Their tongues are deadly arrows-- they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peaceably with his friend, but inwardly he sets up an ambush. | 8Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him. |
| 9Should I not punish them for these things? This is the LORD's declaration. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this? | 9Should I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?” |
| 10I will raise weeping and a lament over the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness grazing land, for they have been so scorched that no one passes through. The sound of cattle is no longer heard. From the birds of the sky to the animals, everything has fled--they have gone away. | 10I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away. |
| 11I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a jackals' den. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, an uninhabited place. | 11“And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.” |
| 12Who is the man wise enough to understand this? Who has the LORD spoken to, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a wilderness, so no one can pass through? | 12Who is the man wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a desert, so no one can pass through it? |
| 13The LORD said, "It is because they abandoned My instruction that I set in front of them and did not obey My voice or walk according to it. | 13And the LORD answered, “It is because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them; they have not walked in it or obeyed My voice. |
| 14Instead, they followed the stubbornness of their hearts and followed after the Baals as their fathers taught them." | 14Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.” |
| 15Therefore, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: "I am about to feed this people wormwood and give them poisonous water to drink. | 15Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. |
| 16I will scatter them among the nations that they and their fathers have not known. I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off." | 16I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.” |
| 17This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Consider, and summon the women who mourn; send for the skillful women. | 17This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them. |
| 18Let them come quickly to raise a lament over us so that our eyes may overflow with tears, our eyelids soaked with weeping. | 18Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water. |
| 19For a sound of lamentation is heard from Zion: How devastated we are. We are greatly ashamed, for we have abandoned the land; our dwellings have been torn down. | 19For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! How great is our shame! For we have abandoned the land because our dwellings have been torn down.’ ” |
| 20Now hear the word of the LORD, you women. Pay attention to the word of His mouth. Teach your daughters a lament and one another a dirge, | 20Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD. Open your ears to the word of His mouth. Teach your daughters to wail, and one another to lament. |
| 21for Death has climbed through our windows; it has entered our fortresses, cutting off children from the streets, young men from the squares. | 21For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares. |
| 22Speak as follows: This is what the LORD says: Human corpses will fall like manure on the surface of the field, like newly cut grain after the reaper with no one to gather it. | 22Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.” |
| 23This is what the LORD says: The wise man must not boast in his wisdom; the strong man must not boast in his strength; the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth. | 23This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. |
| 24But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me-- that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the LORD's declaration. | 24But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. |
| 25"The days are coming"--the LORD's declaration--"when I will punish all the circumcised yet uncircumcised: | 25“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised yet uncircumcised: |
| 26Egypt, Judah, Edom, the Ammonites, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair on their temples. All these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart." | 26Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.” |
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