New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures — With References (Rbi8, en_US, 1984)

¹ O that my head were waters, and that my eyes were a source of tears! Then I could weep day and night for the slain ones of the daughter of my people.^*1

² O that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of travelers! Then I would leave my people and go away from them, for all of them are adulterers,^*1 a solemn assembly of treacherous dealers;

³ and they bend their tongue as their bow in falsehood; but not for faithfulness have they proved mighty in the land.^*1 “For from badness to badness they went forth, and they ignored even me,” is the utterance of Jehovah.

⁴ “Guard yourselves each one against his own companion, and put YOUR trust in no brother at all. For even every brother would positively supplant, and every companion himself would walk around as a mere slanderer,

⁵ and they keep trifling each one with his companion; and they speak no truth at all. They have taught their tongue to speak falsehood. They have tired themselves out merely in doing wrong.

⁶ “Your sitting is in the midst of deception. Through deception they have refused to know me,” is the utterance of Jehovah.

⁷ Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies has said: “Here I am smelting them, and I have to examine them, because how otherwise shall I act on account of the daughter of my people?

⁸ Their tongue is a slaughtering arrow.^*1 Deception is what it has spoken. With his mouth, peace is what [a person] keeps speaking with his own companion; but within himself he sets his ambush.”

⁹ “Because of these things should I not hold an accounting with them?” is the utterance of Jehovah. “Or upon a nation that is like this should not my soul avenge itself?

¹⁰ Over the mountains I shall raise a weeping and lamentation, and over the pasture grounds of the wilderness a dirge; for they will have been burned so that there is no man passing through and people actually will not hear the sound of livestock. Both the flying creature of the heavens and the beast will have fled; they will have gone.

¹¹ And I will make Jerusalem piles of stones, the lair of jackals; and the cities of Judah I shall make a desolate waste, without an inhabitant.

¹² “Who is the man that is wise, that he may understand this, even the one to whom the mouth of Jehovah has spoken, that he may tell it? On what account should the land actually perish, be actually burned like the wilderness without anyone passing through?”

¹³ And Jehovah proceeded to say: “On account of their leaving my law that I gave [to be] before them, and [because] they have not obeyed my voice and have not walked in it,^*1

¹⁴ but they kept on walking after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baʹal images,^*1 about which their fathers had taught them;

¹⁵ therefore this is what Jehovah of armies, the God^*1 of Israel, has said, ‘Here I am making them, that is, this people, eat wormwood, and I will make them drink poisoned water;

¹⁶ and I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send after them the sword until I shall have exterminated them.’

¹⁷ “This is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘Behave with understanding, YOU people, and call the dirge-chanting women, that they may come; and send even to the skilled^*1 women, that they may come,

¹⁸ and that they may hurry and raise up over us a lamentation. And may our eyes run down with tears and our own beaming eyes trickle with waters.

¹⁹ For the voice of lamentation is what has been heard from Zion: “How we have been despoiled! How much we have felt shame! For we have left the land; for they^*1 have thrown away our residences.”^*2

²⁰ But hear, O YOU women, the word of Jehovah, and may YOUR ear take the word of his mouth. Then teach YOUR daughters a lamentation, and each woman her companion a dirge.

²¹ For death has come up through our windows; it has come into our dwelling towers, in order to cut off the child from the street, the young men from the public squares.’

²² “Speak, ‘This is what the utterance of Jehovah is: “The dead bodies of mankind^*1 must also fall like manure upon the face of the field and like a row of newly cut grain after the reaper, with no one to do the gathering up.”’”

²³ This is what Jehovah has said: “Let not the wise man brag about himself because of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man brag about himself because of his mightiness. Let not the rich man brag about himself because of his riches.”

²⁴ “But let the one bragging about himself brag about himself because of this very thing, the having of insight and the having of knowledge of me, that I am Jehovah, the One exercising loving-kindness, justice^*1 and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I do take delight,” is the utterance of Jehovah.

²⁵ “Look! Days are coming,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “and I will hold an accounting with everyone circumcised [but still] in uncircumcision,^*1

²⁶ upon Egypt and upon Judah and upon Eʹdom and upon the sons of Amʹmon and upon Moʹab and upon all those with hair clipped at the temples who are dwelling in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.”

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