Jeremiah 9:2–9

²I wish I had a place in the desert—

a house where travelers spend the night—

so I could leave my people.

I could go away from them,

because they are all unfaithful to God;

they are all turning against him.

Judah’s Failures

³“They use their tongues like a bow,

shooting lies from their mouths like arrows.

Lies, not truth,

have grown strong in the land.

They go from one evil thing to another.

They do not know who I am,” says the Lord.

⁴“Watch out for your friends,

and don’t trust your own relatives,

because every relative is a cheater,

and every friend tells lies about you.

⁵Everyone lies to his friend,

and no one speaks the truth.

The people of Judah have taught their tongues to lie.

They have become tired from sinning.

⁶Jeremiah, you live in the middle of lies.

With their lies the people refuse to know me,” says the Lord.

⁷So this is what the Lord All-Powerful says:

“I will test the people of Judah as a person tests metal in a fire.

I have no other choice,

because my people have sinned.

⁸Their tongues are like sharp arrows.

Their mouths speak lies.

Everyone speaks nicely to his neighbor,

but he is secretly planning to attack him.

⁹Shouldn’t I punish the people for doing this?” says the Lord.

“Shouldn’t I give a nation like this the punishment it deserves?”