Wycliffe WYC
New International Reader's Version NIRV
1 Who shall give water to mine head, and a well of tears to mine eyes? (Who shall make my head to be full of water, and my eyes to be a well of tears?) And (then) I shall beweep day and night (for) the slain men of the daughter of my people.
1
I wish my head were a spring of water! I wish my eyes were a fountain of tears! I would sob day and night over my people who have been killed.
2 Who shall give me into a wilderness of diverse waygoers? (Who shall show me a place for waygoers in the wilderness?) And (then) I shall forsake my people, and I shall go away from them. For why all be adulterers, and the companies of trespassers against the law;
2
I wish I had somewhere to go in the desert where a traveler could stay! Then I could leave my people. I could get away from them. All of them commit adultery by worshiping other gods. They aren't faithful to the Lord.
3 and they held forth their tongue as a bow of leasing, and not of truth. They be comforted in (the) earth, for they went out from evil to evil, and they knew not me, saith the Lord. (and they put forth their tongues like bows sending out lies, and not truth. They be made comfortable on the earth, as they go from evil to evil, and they do not even know me, saith the Lord.)
3
"They get ready to use their tongues like bows," announces the Lord. "Their mouths shoot out lies like arrows. They tell lies to gain power in the land. They go from one sin to another. They do not pay any attention to me.
4 Each man keep him(self) from his neighbour, and have no trust in any brother of him; for why each brother deceiving shall deceive, and each friend shall go guilefully (for each brother shall deceive, and each friend shall be deceitful).
4
Be on guard against your friends. Do not trust the members of your own family. Every one of them cheats. Every friend tells lies.
5 And a man shall scorn his brother, and shall not speak truth; for they taught their tongue to speak leasing; they travailed to do wickedly. (And a man shall mock his brother, and shall not speak the truth; for they taught their tongues to speak lies; they laboured to do wickedly.)
5
One friend cheats another. No one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues how to lie. They wear themselves out sinning.
6 Thy dwelling is in the midst of guile; in guile they forsook to know me, saith the Lord.
6
Jeremiah, you live among people who tell lies. When they lie, they refuse to pay any attention to me," announces the Lord.
7 Therefore the Lord of hosts saith these things, Lo! I shall well (them) together, and I shall prove them; for why what other thing shall I do from the face of the daughter of my people? (for what else shall I do with my people?)
7
So the LORD who rules over all says, "I will put them through the fire to test them. What else can I do? My people are so sinful!
8 The tongue of them is an arrow wounding, and [it] spake guile; in his mouth he speaketh peace with his friend, and privily he setteth treasons to him. (Their tongue is like a wounding arrow, and it spoke deceitfully; yea, he speaketh peace to his friend with his mouth, but privately he setteth treasons for him.)
8
Their tongues are like deadly arrows. They tell lies. With their mouths all of them speak kindly to their neighbors. But in their hearts they set traps for them.
9 Whether I shall not visit on these things, saith the Lord, either shall not my soul take vengeance on such a folk? (Shall I not punish them for these things, saith the Lord, or shall not my soul take vengeance upon such a nation?)
9
Shouldn't I punish them for that?" announces the Lord. "Shouldn't I pay back the nation that does those things?"
10 On hills I shall take weeping and mourning, and wailing on the fair things of desert, for they be burnt [up]; for no man is passing forth, and they heard not the voice of him that wieldeth; from a bird of the air unto [the] sheep, they passed over, and went away. (I shall take up weeping and mourning for the hills, and wailing for the beautiful things of the desert, for they be dried up; for no one is passing forth, and they did not hear the sound of the cattle; yea, from a bird of the air unto the sheep, they passed over it, and went away.)
10
I will cry and sob over the fields in the hills. I will sing a song of sadness about the desert grasslands. They are dry and empty. No one travels through them. The mooing of cattle isn't heard there. The birds of the air have flown away. All of the animals are gone.
11 And I shall give Jerusalem into heaps of gravel, and into dens of dragons; and I shall give the cities of Judah into desolation, for there is no dweller. (And I shall make Jerusalem into heaps of dirt, and into the dens of dragons, or of jackals; and I shall bring the cities of Judah into desolation, for there shall be no inhabitants there.)
11
The LORD says, "I will knock all of Jerusalem's buildings down. I will make it a home for wild dogs. The towns of Judah will be completely destroyed. No one will be able to live in them."
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?)
12
Who is wise enough to understand those things? Who has been taught by the Lord? Who can explain them? Why has the land been destroyed so completely? Why has it become like a desert that no one can go across?
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;)
13
The LORD answered me, "Because my people have turned away from my law. I gave it to them. But they have not kept it. They have not obeyed me.
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;)
14
Instead, they have done what their stubborn hearts wanted them to do. They have worshiped the gods that are named after Baal. They have done what their people have taught them to do down through the years."
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).
15
So now the LORD who rules over all speaks. He is the God of Israel. He says, "I will make these people eat bitter food. I will make them drink poisoned water.
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.)
16
I will scatter them among the nations. They and their people before them have not had anything to do with those nations before. I will chase these people with swords. I will hunt them down until I have destroyed them."
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.)
17
The LORD rules over all. He says, "Here is something I want you to think about. Send for the women who sob over the dead. Send for the most skilled among them."
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;
18
Let them come quickly and sob over us. Let them cry until tears flow from our eyes. Let them sob until water pours out of our eyes.
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.)
19
People are heard sobbing in Zion. They are saying, "We are destroyed! We are filled with shame! We must leave our land. Our houses have been torn down."
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.
20
Women, hear the LORD's message. Listen to what he's saying. Teach your daughters how to sob over the dead. Teach one another a song of sadness.
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.)
21
Death has climbed in through our windows. It has entered our forts. It has removed the children from the streets. It has taken the young people out of the market places.
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).
22
Say, "The LORD announces, " 'The dead bodies of men will be like trash lying in the open fields. They will lie there like grain that is cut down at harvest time. No one will gather them up.' "
23 (And) The Lord saith these things, A wise man have not glory in his wisdom, and a strong man have not glory in his strength, and a rich man have not glory in his riches;
23
The LORD says, "Do not let a wise man brag about how wise he is. Do not let a strong man boast about how strong he is. Do not let a rich person brag about how rich he is.
24 but he that hath glory, have glory in this, to know and know me, for I am the Lord, that do mercy, and doom, and rightfulness in [the] earth. For why these things please me, saith the Lord. (but he who hath glory, have glory in this, to know and to understand me, for I am the Lord, who do mercy, and judgement, and righteousness/who do mercy, and justice, and what is right, upon the earth. Yea, because these things please me, saith the Lord.)
24
But here is what the one who brags should boast about. He should brag that he has understanding and knows me. I want him to know that I am the Lord. No matter what I do on earth, I am always kind, fair and right. And I take delight in that," announces the Lord.
25 Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall visit on each man that hath prepuce uncircumcised; (Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall punish each man who hath an uncircumcised prepuce;)
25
"The days are coming when I will judge people," announces the Lord. "I will punish all those who are circumcised only in their bodies.
26 on Egypt, and on Judah, and on Edom, and on the sons of Ammon, and on Moab, and on all men that be clipped on long hair, and dwell in desert; for why all heathen men have prepuce, forsooth all the house of Israel be uncircumcised in heart. (yea, in Egypt, and in Judah, and in Edom, and among the Ammonites, and in Moab, and among all the men who have clipped their long hair, and live in the desert; for all heathen men have prepuces, and all the house of Israel have uncircumcised hearts.)
26
That includes the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon and Moab. It also includes all those who live in the desert in places far away. None of the people in those nations is really circumcised. And not even the people of Israel are circumcised in their hearts."
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.