Jeremiah 9:3–8
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;m
it is not by truth
that they triumphb in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledgen me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;o
do not trust anyone in your clan.p
For every one of them is a deceiver,c q
and every friend a slanderer.r
5 Friend deceives friend,s
and no one speaks the truth.t
They have taught their tongues to lie;u
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 Youd live in the midst of deception;v
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refinew and testx them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tonguey is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,z