Jeremiah 9:4-12 - A Nation Characterized By Deceit

⁴ Yea, one must keep himself from another; no man may safely trust his own brother. For one brother undermineth another, and one neighbour begileth another. ⁵ Yea, one dissesembleth with another, and they deal with no truth. They have practiced their tongues to lie, and taken great pains to do mischief. ⁶ They have set their stole in the midst of deceit, and for very dissembling falsity they will not know me, sayeth the LORD.

⁷ Therefore thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, "Behold, I will melt them, and try them, for what should I else do to my people? ⁸ Their tongues are like sharp arrows, to speak deceit. With their mouth they speak peaceably to their neighbour, but privily they lay wait for him. ⁹ Should I not punish them for these things, sayeth the LORD? Or should I not be avenged of any such people as this?

¹⁰ "Upon the mountains will I take up a lamentation and sorrowful cry, and a mourning upon the fair plains of the wilderness: Namely, how they are so burnt up, that no man goeth there any more. Yea, a man shall not hear one beast cry there. Birds and cattle are all gone from thence. ¹¹ I will make Jerusalem also a heap of stones, and a den of venomous worms. And I will make the cities of Judah so waste, that no man shall dwell therein."

¹² What man is so wise, as to understand this? Or to whom hath the LORD spoken by mouth, that he may show this, and say, "O thou land, why perishest thou so? Wherefore art thou so burnt up, and like a wilderness that no man goeth through?"