Jeremiah 9:4-12 - A Nation Characterized By Deceit
4 Watch ye each from his neighbor, and to any brother ye shall not trust, for every brother deceiving, will deceive, and every neighbor will go tale-bearing. 5 And they will mock, a man upon his neighbor, and they will not speak the truth: they taught their tongue to speak falsehood, they wearied themselves to sin. 6 Thy dwelling is in the midst of deceit; by deceit they refused to know me, says Jehovah.
7 For this, thus said Jehovah of armies, Behold me melting them, and I tried them; for how shall I do for the face of the daughter of my people? 8 Their tongue a deadly arrow, speaking deceit; in his mouth he will speak peace to his neighbor, and be will lay his wait in his midst 9 For these things, shall I not review upon them? says Jehovah; or shall not my soul be avenged upon a nation such as this?
10 For the mountains I will lift up weeping and lamentation, and for the seats of the desert, a song of mourning, for they were burnt, from not a man passing through; and they heard not the voice of cattle: from the bird of the heavens and even to the cattle, they fled away, they departed. 11 And I gave Jerusalem for heaps and a dwelling of jackals; and the cities of Judah I will give a desolation from none inhabiting.
12 Who the wise man and he will understand this? and which the mouth of Jehovah spake to him, and he will announce it, for what the land perished it was burnt as the desert, from not being passed through.