Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for theybeall adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
And they bend their tonguesliketheir bowforlies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith theLORD.
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies,andweary themselves to commit iniquity.
Thine habitationisin the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith theLORD.
Therefore thus saith theLORDof hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
Their tongueis asan arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit:onespeaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
Shall I not visit them for thesethings? saith theLORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass throughthem;neither canmenhear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
And I will make Jerusalem heaps,anda den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Whoisthe wise man, that may understand this? andwho is heto whom the mouth of theLORDhath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perishethandis burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
And theLORDsaith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
Therefore thus saith theLORDof hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them,eventhis people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
Thus saith theLORDof hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunningwomen, that they may come:
And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have castusout.
Yet hear the word of theLORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
For death is come up into our windows,andis entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without,andthe young men from the streets.
Speak, Thus saith theLORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gatherthem.
Thus saith theLORD, Let not the wisemanglory in his wisdom, neither let the mightymanglory in his might, let not the richmanglory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that IamtheLORDwhich exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in thesethingsI delight, saith theLORD.
Behold, the days come, saith theLORD, that I will punish allthem which arecircumcised with the uncircumcised;
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and allthat arein the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for allthesenationsareuncircumcised, and all the house of Israelareuncircumcised in the heart.