Jeremiah 9

Wycliffe Bible

9 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.

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;

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.)

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).

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.)

⁶ Thy dwelling is in the midst of guile; in guile they forsook to know me, saith 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?)

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.)

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?)

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.)

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.)

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).

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;

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.)

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;)

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.)