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Jeremiah 9
Expanded Bible
Jeremiah 9
Expanded Bible
9 ·I wish [Oh that] my head were like a spring of water
and my eyes like a fountain of tears!
Then I could cry day and night
for ·my people who have been killed [L the corpses of the daughter of my people].
2 ·I wish [Oh that] I had a place in the ·desert [wilderness]—
a house where travelers spend the night—
so I could ·leave [abandon; forsake] my people.
I could go away from them,
because they are all adulterers [C unfaithful to God; 2:20, 23–24; 3:1–5; Hos. 7:4];
·they are all turning against him [L a band of traitors].
Judah’s Failures
3 “They ·use [L bend] their tongues like a bow [C shooting lies from their mouths like arrows; Ps. 64:3–4].
Lies, not truth,
have grown strong in the land.
They go from one evil thing to another.
They do not know ·who I am [L me],” says the Lord.
4 “·Watch out [Be on guard] for your ·friends [or neighbors],
and don’t ·trust [have confidence in] your own ·relatives [L brothers],
because every ·relative [L brother] is a ·cheater [L Jacob, who supplants; Gen. 25:19—35:29],
and every ·friend [or neighbor] ·tells lies about [L goes around slandering] you.
5 Everyone ·lies to [deceives] his ·friend [or neighbor],
and no one speaks ·the truth [honestly].
They [C the people of Judah] have taught their tongues to ·lie [L tell falsehoods].
They have become tired from ·sinning [their iniquity].
6 You [C Jeremiah] live in the middle of lies.
The people refuse to know me,” says the Lord.
7 So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“I will test them [C the people of Judah] as a person ·tests [refines] metal in a fire [6:27–30].
·I have no other choice [L For what else can I do…],
because ·my people have sinned [L of the daughter of my people?].
8 Their tongues are like ·sharp [L deadly] arrows.
Their mouths speak ·lies [deceit].
Everyone speaks ·nicely [peace] to his ·neighbor [or friend],
but he ·is secretly planning to attack him [L sets his ambush in his innards/inwardly].
9 Shouldn’t I punish the people [C of Judah] for doing this?” says the Lord.
“Shouldn’t I ·give a nation like this the punishment [L get revenge on a nation as] it deserves?”
10 I [C Jeremiah] will ·cry loudly [L take up crying and wailing] for the mountains
and sing a ·funeral song [lamentation] for the ·empty fields [L pastures of the wilderness].
They are ·empty [scorched], and no one passes through.
The ·mooing [L sound] of cattle cannot be heard.
The birds of the ·air [heavens]
and the animals have fled and are gone.
11 “I, the Lord, will make the city of Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a home for wild dogs.
I will destroy the cities of Judah
so no one can live there.”
12 What person is wise enough to understand these things? Is there someone who has been ·taught [L spoken to] by the Lord who can explain them [Hos. 14:9]? Why was the land ·ruined [scorched]? Why has it been made like an empty desert where no one goes?
13 The Lord answered, “It is because Judah ·quit following [abandoned; forsook] my ·teachings [laws; instructions] that I gave them. They have not ·obeyed me [L listened to my voice] or ·done what I told them to do [L walked in it]. 14 Instead, they ·were stubborn [L walked after their stubborn hearts] and ·followed [L walked after] the Baals, as their ·ancestors [fathers] taught them to do.” 15 So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: “I will soon make the people of Judah eat ·bitter food [L wormwood; C the bitter tasting leaves of a shrub] and drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them through other nations that they and their ·ancestors [fathers] never knew about. I will ·chase [pursue; L send after] them [C the people of Judah] with the sword until they are all ·killed [consumed; finished].”
17 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“Now, ·think about these things [L reflect; consider]!
Call for the women who ·cry at funerals [mourn; C professional mourners] to come.
Send for those women who are ·good at that job [skilled; wise].
18 Let them come quickly
and ·cry loudly [wail; L raise a lament] for us.
Then our eyes will ·fill [flow] with tears,
and ·streams of water will flow from our eyelids [L eyelids will run with water].
19 The sound of ·loud crying [lamentation] is heard from ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]:
‘We are ·truly ruined [devastated; desolated]!
We are truly ·ashamed [humiliated]!
We must ·leave [abandon; forsake] our land,
because our ·houses [residences] are ·in ruins [L thrown down].’”
20 Now, women [C of Judah], listen to the word of the Lord;
·open your ears to hear [L let your ears take in] the words of his mouth.
Teach your daughters ·how to cry loudly [a lament].
Teach ·one another [L each her neighbor] a ·funeral song [dirge].
21 Death has climbed in through our windows
and has entered our ·strong cities [palaces].
·Death has taken away [L …to cut off] our children who play in the streets
and the young men ·who meet in [L from] the city squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord says:
‘The ·dead bodies [corpses] of people will ·lie [L fall]
in the open field like dung.
They will lie like grain ·a farmer has cut [L after the harvester/reaper],
but there will be no one to gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“The wise must not ·brag [boast] about their wisdom.
The strong must not ·brag [boast] about their strength.
The rich must not ·brag [boast] about their ·money [riches].
24 But if people want to ·brag [boast], let them ·brag [boast]
that they understand and know me.
Let them ·brag [boast] that I am the Lord,
and that I am ·kind [loyal] and ·fair [just],
and ·that I do things that are right [righteous] on earth.
·This kind of bragging pleases me [L In this I am pleased],” says the Lord [1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17; James 1:9–10].
25 The Lord says, “The ·time is [L days are] coming when I will punish all those who are circumcised only in the ·flesh [L foreskin; C observing external rituals (Gen. 17:9–14), but not from the heart; 4:4; 6:10]: 26 the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, ·Ammon [L the sons of Ammon], Moab, and the ·desert [wilderness] people who ·cut their hair short [L shave their temples; Deut. 14:1]. ·The men in all those countries [L All these nations] are not circumcised. And the ·whole family [L house] of Israel ·does not give itself to serving me [L is uncircumcised in/of heart].”
Jeremiah 9
New International Version
Jeremiah 9
New International Version
9 [a]1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!(A)
I would weep(B) day and night
for the slain of my people.(C)
2 Oh, that I had in the desert(D)
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,(E)
a crowd of unfaithful(F) people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;(G)
it is not by truth
that they triumph[b] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge(H) me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;(I)
do not trust anyone in your clan.(J)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[c](K)
and every friend a slanderer.(L)
5 Friend deceives friend,(M)
and no one speaks the truth.(N)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(O)
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You[d] live in the midst of deception;(P)
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine(Q) and test(R) them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue(S) is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,(T)
but in their hearts they set traps(U) for them.(V)
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge(W) myself
on such a nation as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.(X)
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds(Y) have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap(Z) of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;(AA)
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah(AB)
so no one can live there.”(AC)
12 Who is wise(AD) enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law.(AE) 14 Instead, they have followed(AF) the stubbornness of their hearts;(AG) they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food(AH) and drink poisoned water.(AI) 16 I will scatter them among nations(AJ) that neither they nor their ancestors have known,(AK) and I will pursue them with the sword(AL) until I have made an end of them.”(AM)
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women(AN) to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.(AO)
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined(AP) we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’”
20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.(AQ)
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.(AR)
21 Death has climbed in through our windows(AS)
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men(AT) from the public squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung(AU) on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom(AV)
or the strong boast of their strength(AW)
or the rich boast of their riches,(AX)
24 but let the one who boasts boast(AY) about this:
that they have the understanding to know(AZ) me,
that I am the Lord,(BA) who exercises kindness,(BB)
justice and righteousness(BC) on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh(BD)— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.[e](BE) For all these nations are really uncircumcised,(BF) and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.(BG)”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 9:1 In Hebrew texts 9:1 is numbered 8:23, and 9:2-26 is numbered 9:1-25.
- Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
- Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob
- Jeremiah 9:6 That is, Jeremiah (the Hebrew is singular)
- Jeremiah 9:26 Or wilderness and who clip the hair by their foreheads
Expanded Bible (EXB)
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.