Jeremiah 9

1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people.

1 يَا لَيْتَ رَأْسِي فَيْضُ مِيَاهٍ، وَعَيْنَيَّ يَنْبُوعُ دُمُوعٍ، فَأَبْكِيَ نَهَاراً وَلَيْلاً قَتْلَى بِنْتِ شَعْبِي

2 If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.

2 يَا لَيْتَ لِي فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ مَبِيتَ عَابِرِ سَبِيلٍ، فَأَهْجُرَ شَعْبِي وَأَنْطَلِقَ بَعِيداً عَنْهُمْ، لأَنَّهُمْ جَمِيعاً زُنَاةٌ وَجَمَاعَةُ خَوَنَةٍ.

3 “They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.

3 «قَدْ وَتَّرُوا أَلْسِنَتَهُمْ كَقِسِيٍّ جَاهِزَةٍ لِيُطْلِقُوا الأَكَاذِيبَ الَّتِي تَقَوَّلُوا بِها فِي الأَرْضِ مِنْ دُونِ الْحَقِّ، إِذْ أَنَّهُمُ انْتَهَوْا مِنْ شَرٍّ إِلَى شَرٍّ، وَإِيَّايَ لَمْ يَعْرِفُوا» يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ.

4 “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.

4 «لِيَحْتَرِسْ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ جَارِهِ، وَلا يَثِقْ بِأَحَدٍ مِنْ أَقْرِبَائِهِ، لأَنَّ كُلَّ قَرِيبٍ مُخَادِعٌ، وَكُلَّ صَاحِبٍ وَاشٍ.

5 Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity.

5 كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ يَخْدَعُ جَارَهُ وَلا يَنْطِقُونَ بِالصِّدْقِ. دَرَّبُوا أَلْسِنَتَهُمْ عَلَى قَوْلِ الْكَذِبِ، وَأَرْهَقُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فِي ارْتِكَابِ الإِثْمِ.

6 You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.

6 يَجْمَعُونَ ظُلْماً فَوْقَ ظُلْمٍ، وَخِدَاعاً عَلَى خِدَاعٍ، وَأَبَوْا أَنْ يَعْرِفُونِي».

7 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of the daughter of My people?

7 لِذَلِكَ يُعْلِنُ الرَّبُّ الْقَدِيرُ: «هَا أَنَا أُمَحِّصُهُمْ وَأَمْتَحِنُهُمْ، إِذْ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ آخَرَ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ أَفْعَلَهُ عِقَاباً لِخَطَايَا أُورُشَلِيمَ؟

8 Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

8 لِسَانُهُمْ كَسَهْمٍ قَاتِلٍ يَتَفَوَّهُ بِالْكَذِبِ. وَبِفَمِهِ يُخَاطِبُ جَارَهُ بِحَدِيثِ السَّلامِ، أَمَّا فِي قَلْبِهِ فَيَنْصِبُ لَهُ كَمِيناً.

9 Should I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”

9 أَلا أُعَاقِبُهُمْ عَلَى هَذِهِ الأُمُورِ؟» يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ. «أَلا أَنْتَقِمُ لِنَفْسِي مِنْ أُمَّةٍ كَهَذِهِ؟»

10 I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.

10 سَأَنْتَحِبُ وَأَنُوحُ عَلَى الْجِبَالِ وَأَنْدُبُ عَلَى مَرَاعِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ لأَنَّهَا احْتَرَقَتْ وَأَوْحَشَتْ، فَلا يَجْتَازُ بِها عَابِرٌ وَلا يَتَرَدَّدُ فِيهَا صَوْتُ الْقُطْعَانِ، وَقَدْ هَجَرَتْهَا طُيُورُ السَّمَاءِ وَالْوُحُوشُ.

11 “And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”

11 «سَأَجْعَلُ أُورُشَلِيمَ رُجْمَةَ خَرَابٍ، وَمَأْوَى لِبَنَاتِ آوَى، وَأُحَوِّلُ مُدُنَ يَهُوذَا إِلَى قَفْرٍ مَهْجُورٍ».

12 Who is the man wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a desert, so no one can pass through it?

12 مَنْ هُوَ الإِنْسَانُ الْحَكِيمُ حَتَّى يَفْهَمَ هَذَا؟ وَمَنْ خَاطَبَهُ فَمُ الرَّبِّ حَتَّى يُعْلِنَهَا؟ لِمَاذَا خَرِبَتِ الأَرْضُ، وَأَوْحَشَتْ كَالْبَرِّيَّةِ فَلا يَقْطَعُهَا عَابِرٌ؟

13 And the LORD answered, “It is because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them; they have not walked in it or obeyed My voice.

13 وَيَقُولُ الرَّبُّ: «لأَنَّهُمْ نَبَذُوا شَرِيعَتِي الَّتِي وَضَعْتُهَا أَمَامَهُمْ، وَلَمْ يُطِيعُوا صَوْتِي أَوْ يَسْلُكُوا بِمُقْتَضَاهَا،

14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.”

14 بَلْ ضَلُّوا وَرَاءَ عِنَادِ قُلُوبِهِمْ، وَانْسَاقُوا خَلْفَ آلِهَةِ الْبَعْلِيمِ الَّتِي لَقَّنَهُمْ آبَاؤُهُمْ عِبَادَتَهَا.

15 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.

15 لِذَلِكَ هَا أَنَا أُطْعِمُ هَذَا الشَّعْبَ طَعَاماً مُرّاً، وَأَسْقِيهِمْ مَاءً مَسْمُوماً،

16 I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.”

16 وَأُشَتِّتُهُمْ بَيْنَ الأُمَمِ الَّتِي لَمْ يَعْرِفُوهَا هُمْ وَلا آبَاؤُهُمْ، وَأَجْعَلُ سَيْفَ الدَّمَارِ يَتَعَقَّبُهُمْ حَتَّى أُفْنِيَهُمْ».

17 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.

17 وَهَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ الْقَدِيرُ: «تَأَمَّلُوا وَاسْتَدْعُوا النَّادِبَاتِ لِيَأْتِينَ، وَأَرْسِلُوا إِلَى الْحَكِيمَاتِ فَيُقْبِلْنَ.

18 Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water.

18 لِيُسْرِعْنَ حَتَّى يُطْلِقْنَ أَصْوَاتَهُنَّ عَلَيْنَا بِالنَّدْبِ فَتَذْرِفَ عُيُونُنَا دُمُوعاً، وَتَفِيضَ أَجْفَانُنَا مَاءً.

19 For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! How great is our shame! For we have abandoned the land because our dwellings have been torn down.’”

19 هَا صَوْتُ رِثَاءٍ قَدْ تَجَاوَبَ فِي صِهْيَوْنَ: مَا أَشَدَّ دَمَارَنَا، وَمَا أَعْظَمَ عَارَنَا، لأَنَّنَا قَدْ فَارَقْنَا أَرْضَنَا، وَلأَنَّهُمْ قَدْ هَدَمُوا مَسَاكِنَنَا!»

20 Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD. Open your ears to the word of His mouth. Teach your daughters to wail, and one another to lament.

20 فَاسْمَعْنَ أَيَّتُهَا النِّسَاءُ قَضَاءَ الرَّبِّ، وَلْتَفْهَمْ آذَانُكُنَّ كَلِمَةَ فَمِهِ: لَقِّنَّ بَنَاتِكُنَّ الرِّثَاءَ، وَلْتُعَلِّمْ كُلٌّ مِنْهُنَّ صَاحِبَتَهَا النَّدْبَ،

21 For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares.

21 فَإِنَّ الْمَوْتَ قَدْ تَسَلَّقَ إِلَى كُوَانَا وَتَسَلَّلَ إِلَى قُصُورِنَا، فَاسْتَأْصَلَ الأَطْفَالَ مِنَ الشَّوَارِعِ وَالشُّبَّانَ مِنَ السَّاحَاتِ.

22 Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”

22 وَهَذَا مَا يُعْلِنُهُ الرَّبُّ: «سَتَتَهَاوَى جُثَثُ النَّاسِ مِثْلَ نُفَايَةٍ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْحَقْلِ، وَتَتَسَاقَطُ كَقَبَضَاتٍ وَرَاءَ الْحَاصِدِ، وَلَيْسَ مَنْ يَجْمَعُهَا».

23 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.

23 «فَلا يَفْتَخِرَنَّ الْحَكِيمُ بِحِكْمَتِهِ، وَلا يَزْهُوَنَّ الْجَبَّارُ بِجَبَرُوتِهِ، وَلا الْغَنِيُّ بِثَرْوَتِهِ.

24 But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.

24 بَلْ لِيَفْتَخِرِ الْمُفْتَخِرُ بِأَنَّهُ يُدْرِكُ وَيَعْرِفُنِي أَنِّي أَنَا الرَّبُّ الَّذِي يُمَارِسُ الرَّحْمَةَ وَالْعَدْلَ وَالْبِرَّ فِي الأَرْضِ لأَنِّي أُسَرُّ بِها».

25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—

25 «هَا أَيَّامٌ مُقْبِلَةٌ»، يَقُولُ الرَّبُّ، «أُعَاقِبُ فِيهَا كُلَّ مَخْتُونٍ وَأَغْلَفَ

26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”

26 أَهْلَ مِصْرَ وَيَهُوذَا وَأَدُومَ وَبَنِي عَمُّونَ وَمُوآبَ، وَسَائِرَ الْمُقِيمِينَ فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ مِمَّنْ يَقُصُّونَ شَعْرَ أَصْدَاغِهِمْ، لأَنَّ جَمِيعَ الشُّعُوبِ غُلْفٌ، أَمَّا كُلُّ بَيْتِ إِسْرَائِيلَ فَإِنَّهُمْ ذَوُو قُلُوبٍ غَلْفَاءَ».