9Jeremiah 9

1I wish that my eyes were fountains of tears, so I could cry day and night for my people who were killed.Select Jeremiah 9:1

2I wish I could go into the desert and find a hiding place from all who are treacherous and unfaithful to God.Select Jeremiah 9:2

The Answers Jeremiah

3The Lord replied: Lies come from the mouths of my people, like arrows from a bow. With each dishonest deed their power increases, and not one of them will admit that I am God.Select Jeremiah 9:3

4Jeremiah, all your friends and relatives tell lies about you, so don't trust them.Select Jeremiah 9:4

5They wear themselves out, always looking for a new way to cheat their friends.Select Jeremiah 9:5

6Everyone takes advantage of everyone else, and no one will admit that I am God.Select Jeremiah 9:6

7And so I will purify the hearts of my people just as gold is purified in a furnace. I have no other choice.Select Jeremiah 9:7

8They say they want peace, but this lie is deadly, like an arrow that strikes when you least expect it.Select Jeremiah 9:8

9Give me one good reason not to punish them as they deserve. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have spoken.Select Jeremiah 9:9

Jeremiah Weeps for His People

10I weep for the pastureland in the hill country. It's so barren and scorched that no one travels there. No cattle can be found there, and birds and wild animals have all disappeared.Select Jeremiah 9:10

11I heard the Lord reply, “When I am finished, Jerusalem and the towns of Judah will be piles of ruins where only jackals live.”Select Jeremiah 9:11

Why the Land Was Destroyed

12I said to the Lord, “None of us can understand why the land has become like an uncrossable desert. Won't you explain why?”Select Jeremiah 9:12

13The Lord said: I destroyed the land because the people disobeyed me and rejected my laws and teachings.Select Jeremiah 9:13

14They were stubborn and worshiped Baal, just as their ancestors did.Select Jeremiah 9:14

15So I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, promise them poison to eat and drink.Select Jeremiah 9:15

16I'll scatter them in foreign countries that they and their ancestors have never even heard of. Finally, I will send enemy soldiers to kill every last one of them.Select Jeremiah 9:16

The Women Who Are Paid To Weep

17The Lord All-Powerful said, “Make arrangements now for the women who are paid to weep at funerals, especially the women who can cry the loudest.”Select Jeremiah 9:17

18The people answered, “Let them come quickly and cry for us, until our own eyes are flooded with tears.Select Jeremiah 9:18

19Now those of us on Zion cry, ‘We are ruined! We can't stand the shame. Our homes have been destroyed, and we must leave our land.’Select Jeremiah 9:19

20“We ask you women to pay attention to what the Lord says. We will teach you a funeral song that you can teach your daughters and friends:Select Jeremiah 9:20

21‘We were in our fortress, but death sneaked in through our windows. It even struck down children at play and our strongest young men.’Select Jeremiah 9:21

22“The Lord has told us the ground will be covered with dead bodies, like ungathered stalks of grain or manure in a field.”Select Jeremiah 9:22

What the Likes Best

23The Lord says: Don't brag about your wisdom or strength or wealth.Select Jeremiah 9:23

24If you feel you must brag, then have enough sense to brag about worshiping me, the Lord. What I like best is showing kindness, justice, and mercy to everyone on earth.Select Jeremiah 9:24

26Someday I will punish the nations of Egypt, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, and the tribes of the desert. The men of these nations are circumcised, but they don't worship me. And it's the same with you people of Judah. Your bodies are circumcised, but your hearts are unchanged.Select Jeremiah 9:26