Jeremiah 9:2–9

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 that?”

announces the Lord.

“Shouldn’t I pay back the nation

that does those things?”