Jeremiah 9:3-9

New Century Version

Judah’s Failures

³“They use their tongues like a bow,
    shooting lies from their mouths like arrows.
Lies, not truth,
    have grown strong in the land.
They go from one evil thing to another.
    They do not know who I am,” says the Lord.
⁴“Watch out for your friends,
    and don’t trust your own relatives,
because every relative is a cheater,
    and every friend tells lies about you.
⁵Everyone lies to his friend,
    and no one speaks the truth.
The people of Judah have taught their tongues to lie.
    They have become tired from sinning.
⁶Jeremiah, you live in the middle of lies.
    With their lies the people refuse to know me,” says the Lord.

⁷So this is what the Lord All-Powerful says:

“I will test the people of Judah as a person tests metal in a fire.
    I have no other choice,
    because my people have sinned.
⁸Their tongues are like sharp arrows.
    Their mouths speak lies.
Everyone speaks nicely to his neighbor,
    but he is secretly planning to attack him.
⁹Shouldn’t I punish the people for doing this?” says the Lord.
    “Shouldn’t I give a nation like this the punishment it deserves?”