Jeremiah 9:12-22

12 Who is a wise man that shall understand these things, and to whom the word of the mouth of the Lord shall be made, that he tell this? Why the earth perished, it is burnt as desert, for none is that passeth? (Who is so wise that he shall understand these things, and to whom the word from the mouth of the Lord shall be made, so that he shall tell this out? Why hath the land perished, and it is burned up like a desert, and there is no one who passeth through it?)
13 And the Lord said, For they forsook my law, which I gave to them, and they heard not my voice, and they went not therein; (And the Lord said, For they deserted my Law, which I gave to them, and they did not listen to, or obey, my voice, and they did not follow it;)
14 and they went after the shrewdness of their heart, and after Baalim, which they learned of their fathers; (and they went after the depravity of their hearts, and went after the Baalim, which they learned from their fathers;)
15 therefore the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Lo! I shall feed this people with wormwood, and I shall give to them (to) drink the water of gall (and I shall give them the water of gall to drink).
16 And I shall scatter them among heathen men, which they and their fathers knew not; and I shall send sword after them, till they be wasted. (And I shall scatter them among the heathen, whom they and their fathers did not know; and I shall send the sword after them, until they be destroyed.)
17 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Behold ye, and call ye women that wail, and come they; and send ye to those women that be wise, and haste they. (The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, Behold ye, and call ye for women who wail, and come they; and send ye for those women who be wise, and hasten they here.)
18 Haste they, and take they wailing on you (Yea, hasten they here, and take they up wailing for you); your eyes bring down tears, and your eyelids flow with waters;
19 for the voice of wailing is heard from Zion. How be we destroyed, and shamed greatly? for we have forsaken the land, for our tabernacles be forsaken. (for the voice of wailing is heard in Zion. How we be destroyed, and so greatly shamed! for we have left the land, we have abandoned our tents.)
20 Therefore, women, hear ye the word of the Lord, and your ears take the word of his mouth; and teach ye your daughters wailing, and each woman teach her neighbour mourning.
21 For why death ascended by your windows, it entered into your houses, to lose little children withoutforth, and young men from the streets. (For death hath gone in by your windows, it entered into your houses; and it hath destroyed the little children outside, and the young men in the streets.)
22 Speak thou, The Lord saith these things, And the dead body of a man shall fall down as a turd on the face of the country(side), and as hay behind the back of the mower, and none there is that gathereth (and there is no one who gathereth them).
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.