1О, кад би ми глава била вода,
а моје око врело суза,
па да оплакујем и дању и ноћу
изгинуле од ћерки мога народа!
2О, кад бих у пустињи имао
преноћиште за путнике,
могао бих да напустим свој народ
и да одем од њих.
Јер, сви су прељубници
и сабор неверника.
3„Као свој лук они запињу језик лажима.
Али нису због истине
постали јаки у земљи,
јер хрле од зла до зла
и мене не познају
– говори Господ.
4Свако нек се пази од свога ближњег
и не верујте ниједном брату.
Јер сваки брат упорно вара
и сваки ближњи клевеће.
5И свако вара свога ближњег
и не говоре истину.
Свој су језик научили да говори лажно.
Изнурени су од грешења.
6Ти живиш усред преваре,
а баш због преваре они одбијају да ме знају
– говори Господ.“
7Зато овако каже Господ над војскама:
„Ево, претопићу их и опробаћу их.
Јер, како да поступим
са ћерком свог народа?
8Њихов је језик стрела што убија
и говори превару.
Својим устима о миру са својим ближњим човек говори,
али у себи кује сплетку.
9Зар због тога да их не казним?
– говори Господ.
Над народом попут овог
зар да се не освети моја душа?“
10Над брдима ћу да вапим,
нарицаћу нарицаљку над пустињским пашњацима
јер су опустошени. Нико туда не пролази,
и не чује се рика стоке.
Од птица па до животиња,
све је побегло и нестало.
11„Од Јерусалима ћу да учиним гомилу камења
и брлог шакала.
Од Јудиних градова ћу да направим
пустош у којој нико не живи.“
12Ко је мудар човек да разуме ово и коме су уста Господња говорила да то растумачи? Због чега је земља настрадала и као пустиња опустошена да кроз њу нико не пролази?
13И Господ рече: „Зато што су оставили мој Закон који сам пред њих поставио, и зато што нису слушали мој глас ни по њему ишли.
14Него су ишли по самовољи свог срца за Валима, како су их њихови преци научили.“ 15Зато овако каже Господ над војскама, Бог Израиљев: „Ево, ја ћу да нахраним овај народ пеленом и напојим га затрованом водом. 16Расућу их међу народе које нису знали, ни они, ни њихови преци. Послаћу за њима мач док их не докрајчим.“
17И ово каже Господ над војскама:
„Размотрите, па сазовите нарикаче нека дођу.
Али пошаљи по оне које су веште, нека дођу.
18Али нека пожуре,
нека наричу над нама,
па да нам очи сузама роне
и да нам капци буду уплакани.
19Ево, чује се нарицање са Сиона:
’О, како смо пропали!
Страховито смо осрамоћени,
јер смо напустили своју земљу
и домови су нам порушени.’“
20Чујте, жене, реч Господњу.
Нека ваше ухо прими реч његових уста.
Научите своје ћерке да наричу
и свака жена своју сусетку да лелече.
21Смрт се успузала на наше прозоре.
Дошла је у наше дворове,
истребила децу са улица
и младиће са тргова.
22Реци: „Говори Господ:
’Лешеви ће људи по тлу попадати
као гнојиво по пољу,
као сноп за жетеоцем,
а неће имати ко да га сакупи.’“
23Овако каже Господ:
„Нека се мудрац не хвали својом мудрошћу,
нека се јунак не хвали својим јунаштвом,
и богаташ нека се богатством својим не хвали.
24А ко хоће да се хвали,
нека се хвали тиме што мене познаје,
што прониче да сам ја Господ који чини милост,
правду и праведност на земљи,
и да у томе уживам –
овако каже Господ.
25Ево, долазе дани – говори Господ – када ћу казнити све оне само по телу обрезане: 26Египат и Јуду, Едом заједно са Амонцима и Моавцима; који избријавају зулуфе и који живе у пустињи. Јер сви су ти народи необрезани и сав је Израиљев дом необрезаног срца.“
1I wish my head were a spring of water!
I wish my eyes were a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
for my people who have been killed.
2I wish I had somewhere to go in the desert
where a traveler could stay!
Then I could leave my people.
I could get away from them.
All of them commit adultery by worshiping other gods.
They aren’t faithful to the Lord.
3“They get ready to use
their tongues like bows,”
announces the Lord.
“Their mouths shoot out lies like arrows.
They tell lies to gain power in the land.
They go from one sin to another.
They do not pay any attention to me.
4Be on guard against your friends.
Do not trust the members of your own family.
Every one of them cheats.
Every friend tells lies.
5One friend cheats another.
No one tells the truth.
They have taught their tongues how to lie.
They wear themselves out sinning.
6Jeremiah, you live among people who tell lies.
When they lie, they refuse to pay any attention to me,”
announces the Lord.
7So the Lord who rules over all says,
“I will put them through the fire to test them.
What else can I do?
My people are so sinful!
8Their tongues are like deadly arrows.
They tell lies.
With their mouths all of them speak kindly to their neighbors.
But in their hearts they set traps for them.
9Shouldn’t I punish them for this?”
announces the Lord.
“Shouldn’t I pay back the nation
that does these things?”
10I will cry and mourn over the mountains.
I will sing a song of sadness about the desert grasslands.
They are dry and empty. No one travels through them.
The mooing of cattle isn’t heard there.
The birds have flown away.
All the animals are gone.
11The Lord says, “I will knock down all of Jerusalem’s buildings.
I will make it a home for wild dogs.
The towns of Judah will be completely destroyed.
No one will be able to live in them.”
12Who is wise enough to understand these things? Who has been taught by the Lord? Who can explain them? Why has the land been destroyed so completely? Why has it become like a desert that no one can go across?
13The Lord answered me, “Because my people have turned away from my law. I gave it to them. But they have not kept it. They have not obeyed me. 14Instead, they have done what their stubborn hearts wanted them to do. They have worshiped the gods that are named Baal. They have done what their people have taught them to do through the years.” 15So now the Lord who rules over all speaks. He is the God of Israel. He says, “I will make these people eat bitter food. I will make them drink poisoned water. 16I will scatter them among the nations. They and their people before them didn’t know about these nations. With swords I will chase these people. I will hunt them down until I have destroyed them.”
17The Lord rules over all. He says,
“Here is something I want you to think about.
Send for the women who mourn for the dead.
Send for the most skilled among them.”
18Let them come quickly
and weep for us.
Let them cry until tears flow from our eyes.
Let them weep until water pours out of our eyes.
19People are heard weeping in Zion.
They are saying, “We are destroyed!
We are filled with shame!
We must leave our land.
Our houses have been torn down.”
20You women, hear the Lord’s message.
Listen to what he’s saying.
Teach your daughters how to mourn for the dead.
Teach one another a song of sadness.
21Death has climbed in through our windows.
It has entered our forts.
Death has removed the children from the streets.
It has taken the young men out of the market.
22Say, “The Lord announces,
“ ‘Dead bodies will be like human waste
lying in the open fields.
They will lie there like grain
that is cut down at harvest time.
No one will gather them up.’ ”
23The Lord says,
“Do not let wise people brag about how wise they are.
Do not let strong people boast about how strong they are.
Do not let rich people brag about how rich they are.
24But here is what the one who brags should boast about.
They should brag that they have the understanding to know me.
I want them to know that I am the Lord.
No matter what I do on earth, I am always kind, fair and right.
And I take delight in this,”
announces the Lord.
25“The days are coming when I will judge people,” announces the Lord. “I will punish all those who are circumcised only in their bodies. 26That includes the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon and Moab. It also includes all those who live in the desert in places far away. None of the people in these nations is really circumcised. And not even the people of Israel are circumcised in their hearts.”
