Jeremiah 9:17–21

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^9:17The Lord who rules over all⁴⁴ told me to say to this people,⁴⁵

“Take note of what I say.⁴⁶

Call for the women who mourn for the dead!

Summon those who are the most skilled at it!”⁴⁷

^9:18I said, “Indeed,⁴⁸ let them come quickly and sing a song of mourning for us.

Let them wail loudly until tears stream from our own eyes

and our eyelids overflow with water.

^9:19For the sound of wailing is soon to be heard in Zion.

They will wail,⁴⁹ ‘We are utterly ruined!⁵⁰ We are completely disgraced!

For our houses have been torn down

and we must leave our land.’ ”⁵¹

^9:20I said,⁵²

“So now,⁵³ you wailing women, hear what the Lord says.⁵⁴

Open your ears to the words from his mouth.

Teach your daughters this mournful song,

and each of you teach your neighbor⁵⁵ this lament.

^9:21‘Death has climbed in⁵⁶ through our windows.

It has entered into our fortified houses.

It has taken away our children who play in the streets.

It has taken away our young men who gather in the city squares.’

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Footnotes

44 Heb “Yahweh of armies.” For the significance of this title see the notes at and .
45 Heb “Thus says Yahweh of armies.” However, without some addition it is not clear to whom the command is addressed. The words are supplied in the translation for clarity and to help resolve a rather confusing issue of who is speaking throughout vv. 16–21. As has been evident throughout the translation, the speaker is not always indicated. Sometimes it is not even clear who the speaker is. In general the translation and the notes have reflected the general consensus in identifying who it is. Here, however, there is a good deal of confusion about who is speaking in vv. 18, 20–21. The Greek translation has the Lord speaking throughout with second plural pronouns in vv. 18, 21 and the absence of the first line in v. 22. It would be hard to explain how the arose if it were the original text. Critical commentators such as J. Bright, W. Holladay, and W. McKane resolve the issue by dropping out the introductory formula in v. 17 and the first line of v. 22 and assigning the whole lament to Jeremiah. It seems obvious from the first plural pronouns and the content of v. 18 (and probably v. 21 as well) and the fact that the Lord is referred to in other than the first person in v. 20 that he is not the speaker of those verses. I have attempted to resolve the issue by having Jeremiah report the Lord’s command in v. 17 and have the rest of the speech be essentially that of Jeremiah. It should be admitted, however, that the issue is far from resolved. Most English versions simply ignore the problem. The (= ) is a rare exception.
46 Heb “Consider!”
47 Heb “Call for the mourning women that they may come and send for the wise/skilled women that they may come.” The verbs here are masculine plural, addressed to the people.
48 The words “And I said, ‘Indeed” are not in the text. They have been supplied in the translation to try and help clarify who the speaker is who identifies with the lament of the people.
49 The words “They will wail” are not in the text. They are supplied in the translation to make clear that this is the wailing that will be heard. The destruction is still in the future, but it is presented graphically as though it had already taken place.
50 Heb “How we are ruined!”
51 The order of these two lines has been reversed for English stylistic reasons. The text reads in Hebrew “because we have left our land because they have thrown down our dwellings.” The two clauses offer parallel reasons for the cries “How ruined we are! [How] we are greatly disgraced!” But the first line must contain a prophetic perfect (because the lament comes from Jerusalem) and the second a perfect referring to a destruction that is itself future. This seems the only way to render the verse that would not be misleading.
52 The words “I said” are not in the text. The text merely has “Indeed, yes.” The words are supplied in the translation to indicate that the speaker is still Jeremiah though he now is not talking about the mourning woman but is talking to them. See the notes on for further explanation.
53 It is a little difficult to explain how the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is functioning here. W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:) may be correct in seeing it as introducing the contents of what those who call for the mourning women are to say. In this case, Jeremiah picks up the task as representative of the people.
54 Heb “Listen to the word of the Lord.” In this context the “word of the Lord” that they are to listen for is the word of the lament that they are to teach their daughters and neighbors.
55 Heb “Teach … mournful song, and each woman her neighbor lady …”
56 Here Death is personified (treated as though it were a person). Some have seen as possible background to this lament an allusion to Mesopotamian mythology where the demon Lamastu climbs in through the windows of houses and over their walls to kill children and babies.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;

send for the skillful women to come;

let them make haste and raise a wailing over us,

that our eyes may run down with tears

and our eyelids flow with water.

For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:

‘How we are ruined!

We are utterly shamed,

because we have left the land,

because they have cast down our dwellings.’ ”

Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,

and let your ear receive the word of his mouth;

teach to your daughters a lament,

and each to her neighbor a dirge.

For death has come up into our windows;

it has entered our palaces,

cutting off the children from the streets

and the young men from the squares.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come;

send for the most skillful of them.

Let them come quickly

and wail over us

till our eyes overflow with tears

and water streams from our eyelids.

The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:

‘How ruined we are!

How great is our shame!

We must leave our land

because our houses are in ruins.’ ”

Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;

open your ears to the words of his mouth.

Teach your daughters how to wail;

teach one another a lament.

Death has climbed in through our windows

and has entered our fortresses;

it has removed the children from the streets

and the young men from the public squares.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

This is what the Lord of Armies says:

Consider, and summon the women who mourn;

send for the skillful women.

Let them come quickly to raise a lament over us

so that our eyes may overflow with tears,

our eyelids be soaked with weeping.

For a sound of lamentation is heard from Zion:

How devastated we are.

We are greatly ashamed,

for we have abandoned the land;

our dwellings have been torn down.

Now hear the word of the Lord, you women.

Pay attention to the words from his mouth.

Teach your daughters a lament

and one another a dirge,

for Death has climbed through our windows;

it has entered our fortresses,

cutting off children from the streets,

young men from the squares.

NLTNew Living Translation

This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:

“Consider all this, and call for the mourners.

Send for the women who mourn at funerals.

Quick! Begin your weeping!

Let the tears flow from your eyes.

Hear the people of Jerusalem crying in despair,

‘We are ruined! We are completely humiliated!

We must leave our land,

because our homes have been torn down.’ ”

Listen, you women, to the words of the Lord;

open your ears to what he has to say.

Teach your daughters to wail;

teach one another how to lament.

For death has crept in through our windows

and has entered our mansions.

It has killed off the flower of our youth:

Children no longer play in the streets,

and young men no longer gather in the squares.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Thus says Yahweh of hosts:

“Consider closely, and call for the wailing women, so that they come,

and send for the skillful women, so that they come.

And let them hasten,

and let them lift up wailing over us,

so that our eyes may melt with tears,

and our eyelids may flow with water.

For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion,

‘How we are devastated!

We are very ashamed because we have left the land,

because they have overthrown our dwelling places.’

For hear, O women, the word of Yahweh,

and let your ear receive the word of his mouth,

and teach your daughters a lamentation,

and each woman her neighbor a lament.

For death has come into our windows,

it has entered into our fortresses,

to cut off the children from the streets,

the young men from the public squares.

KJV 1900King James Version

Thus saith the Lord of hosts,

Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come;

And send for cunning women, that they may come:

And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us,

That our eyes may run down with tears,

And our eyelids gush out with waters.

For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled!

We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land,

Because our dwellings have cast us out.

Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women,

And let your ear receive the word of his mouth,

And teach your daughters wailing,

And every one her neighbour lamentation.

For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces,

To cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.

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