Jeremiah 9

1 Τίς δῴη μοι ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ σταθμὸν ἔσχατον, καὶ καταλείψω τὸν λαόν μου, καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι ἀπʼ αὐτῶν; ὅτι πάντες μοιχῶνται, σύνοδος ἀθετούντων,

2 καὶ ἐνέτειναν τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτῶν ὡς τόξον· ψεῦδος, καὶ οὐ πίστις ἐνίσχυσεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἐκ κακῶν εἰς κακὰ ἐξήλθοσαν, καὶ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, φησὶ Κύριος.

3 Ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ φυλάξασθε, καὶ ἐπʼ ἀδελφοῖς αὐτῶν μὴ πεποίθατε, ὅτι πᾶς ἀδελφὸς πτέρνῃ πτερνιεῖ, καὶ πᾶς φίλος δολίως πορεύσεται.

4 Ἕκαστος κατὰ τοῦ φίλου αὐτοῦ καταπαίξεται, ἀλήθειαν οὐ μὴ λαλήσωσι· μεμάθηκεν ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν λαλεῖν ψευδῆ, ἠδίκησαν, καὶ οὐ διέλιπον τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι.

5 Τόκος ἐπὶ τόκῳ, καὶ δόλος ἐπὶ δόλῳ· οὐκ ἤθελον εἰδέναι με, φησὶ Κύριος.

6 Διατοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πυρώσω αὐτοὺς, καὶ δοκιμῶ αὐτούς· ὅτι ποιήσω ἀπὸ προσώπου πονηρίας θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου.

7 Βολὶς τιτρώσκουσα ἡ γλῶσσα αὐτῶν, δόλια τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν· τῷ πλησίον αὐτοῦ λαλεῖ εἰρηνικὰ, καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχει τὴν ἔχθραν.

8 Μὴ ἐπὶ τούτοις οὐκ ἐπισκέψομαι; λέγει Κύριος· ἢ ἐν λαῷ τοιούτῳ οὐκ ἐκδικήσει ἡ ψυχή μου;

9 Ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη λάβετε κοπετὸν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς τρίβους τῆς ἐρήμου θρῆνον, ὅτι ἐξέλιπον παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ἀνθρώπους· οὐκ ἤκουσαν φωνὴν ὑπάρξεως ἀπὸ πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἕως κτηνῶν, ἐξέστησαν, ᾤχοντο.

10 Καὶ δώσω τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ εἰς μετοικίαν, καὶ εἰς κατοικητήριον δρακόντων, καὶ τὰς πόλεις Ἰούδα εἰς ἀφανισμὸν θήσομαι, παρὰ τὸ μὴ κατοικεῖσθαι.

11 Τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ συνετὸς, καὶ συνέτω τοῦτο; καὶ ᾧ λόγος στόματος Κυρίου πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀναγγειλάτω ὑμῖν, ἕνεκεν τίνος ἀπώλετο ἡ γῆ, ἀνήφθη, ὡς ἔρημος, παρὰ τὸ μὴ διοδεύεσθαι αὐτήν;

12 Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς μὲ, διὰ τὸ ἐγκαταλιπεῖν αὐτοὺς τὸν νόμον μου, ὃν ἔδωκα πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν τῆς φωνῆς μου,

13 ἀλλʼ ἐπορεύθησαν ὀπίσω τῶν ἀρεστῶν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν τῆς κακῆς, καὶ ὀπίσω τῶν εἰδώλων ἃ ἐδίδαξαν αὐτοὺς οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν.

14 Διατοῦτο τάδε λέγει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ψωμιῶ αὐτοὺς ἀνάγκας, καὶ ποτιῶ αὐτοὺς ὕδωρ χολῆς,

15 καὶ διασκορπιῶ αὐτοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, εἰς οὓς οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπαποστελῶ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς τὴν μάχαιραν, ἕως τοῦ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ.

16 Τάδε λέγει Κύριος, καλέσατε τὰς θρηνούσας, καὶ ἐλθέτωσαν, καὶ πρὸς τὰς σοφὰς ἀποστείλατε, καὶ φθεγξάσθωσαν,

17 καὶ λαβέτωσαν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς θρῆνον, καὶ καταγαγέτωσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὑμῶν δάκρυα, καὶ τὰ βλέφαρα ὑμῶν ῥείτω ὕδωρ,

18 ὅτι φωνὴ οἰκτροῦ ἠκούσθη ἐν Σιών· πῶς ἐταλαιπωρήσαμεν, κατῃσχύνθημεν σφόδρα, ὅτι ἐγκατελίπομεν τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἀπεῤῥίψαμεν τὰ σκηνώματα ἡμῶν;

19 Ἀκούσατε δὴ γυναῖκες λόγον Θεοῦ, καὶ δεξάσθω τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν λόγους στόματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ διδάξατε τὰς θυγατέρας ὑμῶν οἶκτον, καὶ γυνὴ τὴν πλησίον αὐτῆς θρῆνον.

20 Ὅτι ἀνέβη θάνατος διὰ τῶν θυρίδων ὑμῶν, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν, τοῦ ἐκτρίψαι νήπια ἔξωθεν, καὶ νεανίσκους ἀπὸ τῶν πλατειῶν.

21 Καὶ ἔσονται οἱ νεκροὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς παράδειγμα ἐπὶ προσώπου τοῦ πεδίου τῆς γῆς ὑμῶν, ὡς χόρτος ὀπίσω θερίζοντος, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ συνάγων.

22 Τάδε λέγει Κύριος, μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ σοφὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐν τῆ ἰσχύϊ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ,

23 ἀλλʼ ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος, συνιεῖν καὶ γινώσκειν, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι Κύριος ὁ ποιῶν ἔλεος καὶ κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἐν τούτοις τὸ θέλημά μου, λέγει Κύριος.

24 Ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ἐπισκέψομαι ἐπὶ πάντας περιτετμημένους ἀκροβυστίας αὐτῶν.

25 Ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἰδουμαίαν, καὶ ἐπὶ Ἐδὼμ, καὶ ἐπὶ υἱοὺς Ἀμμὼν, καὶ ἐπὶ υἱοὺς Μωὰβ, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα περικειρόμενον τὰ κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἀπερίτμητα σαρκὶ, καὶ πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ ἀπερίτμητοι καρδίας αὐτῶν.

1 Who would give me a most distant lodge in the wilderness, that I might leave my people, and depart from them? for they all commit adultery, an assembly of treacherous men.

2 And they have bent their tongue like a bow: falsehood and not faithfulness has prevailed upon the earth; for they have gone on from evil to evil, and have not known me, saith the Lord.

3 Beware ye each of his neighbour, and trust ye not in your brethren: for every one will surely supplant, and every friend will walk craftily.

4 Every one will mock his friend; they will not speak truth: their tongue has learned to speak falsehoods; they have committed iniquity, they ceased not, so as to return.

5 There is usury upon usury, and deceit upon deceit: they would not know me, saith the Lord.

6 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will try them with fire, and prove them; for I will do thus because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people.

7 Their tongue is a wounding arrow; the words of their mouth are deceitful: one speaks peaceably to his neighbour, but in himself retains enmity.

8 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a people as this?

9 Take up a lamentation for the mountains, and a mournful dirge for the paths of the wilderness, for they are desolate for want of men; they heard not the sound of life from the birds of the sky, nor the cattle: they were amazed, they are gone.

10 And I will remove the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and make it a dwelling-place of dragons; and I will utterly waste the cities of Juda, so that they shall not be inhabited.

11 Who is the wise man, that he may understand this? and he that has the word of the mouth of the Lord addressed to him, let him tell you wherefore the land has been destroyed, has been ravaged by fire like a desert, so that no one passes through it.

12 And the Lord said to me, Because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them, and have not hearkened to my voice;

13 but went after the lusts of their evil heart, and after the idols which their fathers taught them to worship :

14 therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them with trouble and will cause them to drink water of gall:

15 and I will scatter them among the nations, to them whom neither they nor their fathers knew; and I will send a sword upon them, until I have consumed them with it.

16 Thus saith the Lord, Call ye the mourning women, and let them come; and send to the wise women, and let them utter their voice;

17 and let them take up a lamentation for you, and let your eyes pour down tears, and your eyelids drop water.

18 For a voice of lamentation has been heard in Sion, How are we become wretched! we are greatly ashamed, for we have forsaken the land, and have abandoned our tabernacles!

19 Hear now, ye women, the word of God, and let your ears receive the words of his mouth, and teach your daughters lamentation, and every woman her neighbour a dirge.

20 For death has come up through your windows, it has entered into our land, to destroy the infants without, and the young men from the streets.

21 And the carcases of the men shall be for an example on the face of the field of your land, like grass after the mower, and there shall be none to gather them .

22 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the strong man boast in his strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth;

23 but let him that boasts boast in this, the understanding and knowing that I am the Lord that exercise mercy, and judgment, and righteousness, upon the earth; for in these things is my pleasure, saith the Lord.

24 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will visit upon all the circumcised their uncircumcision;

25 on Egypt, and on Idumea, and on Edom, and on the children of Ammon, and on the children of Moab, and on every one that shaves his face round about, even them that dwell in the wilderness; for all the Gentiles are uncircumcised in flesh, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in their hearts.