1 Kaut man būtu ceļinieka miteklis dziļi tuksnesī, tad es atstātu savu tautu un aizietu no tās! Jo tās locekļi visi ir laulības pārkāpēji, krāpnieku pūlis. 2 "Viņi sasprindzina savu mēli kā stopu, ar meliem, ne ar patiesību viņi kļuvuši vareni un valda kā kungi pār zemi, jo tie dodas no ļaunuma uz ļaunumu, bet Mani tie nepazīst!" saka Tas Kungs. 3 "Sargaities ikviens no sava drauga un nepaļaujieties uz brāļiem! Jo katrs brālis krāpj un māna, un katrs draugs aprunā un apmelo. 4 Tie apkrāpj cits citu un nerunā patiesību; viņu mēle pieradusi pie meliem, un viņi nopūlas rīkoties netaisni, viņi pat citādi nevar. 5 Varmācība kraujas uz varmācību, roku rokā iet viltība un liekulība. Tie negrib Mani pazīt!" - tā saka Tas Kungs. 6 Tādēļ Tas Kungs Cebaots arī saka: "Redzi, Es tos kausēšu un dzidrināšu! Jo ko Es citu lai daru ar Savas tautas meitu? 7 Viņu mēle ir nāvīga bulta, viņu mutes vārdi ir viltus. Ar savu tuvāku tie runā miermīlīgi, bet savā sirdī tam izliek valgus. 8 Vai tad Es to lai nesodītu, saka Tas Kungs, jeb vai Es lai neatriebtos tādai tautai kā šī?" 9 Man jāraud un jāskumst par kalniem, jādzied sēru dziesma par tuksneša ganībām, jo tās ir par kailatnēm kļuvušas, neviens tur vairs nestaigā; ganāmpulka balss tur nav dzirdama; putni ir aizskrējuši; lopi tās atstājuši, aizgājuši! 10 "Arī Jeruzālemi Es darīšu par drupu kaudzi, šakāļiem par mājokli, un Jūdas ciemus un pilsētas Es pārvērtīšu par tuksnešainām nomalēm, kur neviens nedzīvo!" 11 Kas ir tik gudrs, ka to var saprast, un kam Tā Kunga mute sacījusi, ka tas varētu paskaidrot, kādēļ zeme gājusi bojā un stāv izkaltusi un kaila kā tuksnesis, kur neviens nestaigā? 12 Tas Kungs ir sacījis: "Tādēļ ka tie atmeta Manus baušļus, ko Es tiem devu, un neklausīja Manu balsi un nedzīvoja pēc tās, 13 bet turējās pie savas nepakļāvīgās sirds un kalpoja baaliem, kā tie to mācījušies no saviem tēviem, 14 tādēļ, saka Tas Kungs Cebaots, Israēla Dievs, Es ēdināšu šo tautu ar vērmelēm un dzirdināšu to ar indīgu dzērienu, 15 un Es izklīdināšu tos citu tautu starpā, ko nedz tie, nedz viņu tēvi nepazina, un likšu, lai tiem pa pēdām seko vajātājs zobens, kamēr Es tos nebūšu iznīcinājis!" 16 Tā saka Tas Kungs Cebaots: "Ņemiet to vērā un aiciniet žēlotājas raudu sievas, lai tās nāk, pasauciet gudrās sievas, lai arī tās atnāk 17 un steigšus uzsāk par mums žēlabu pilnu sēru dziesmu, ka mūsu acis un skropstas izplūst asarās un mūsu acu vāki pildās bagātīgi ar mitrumu!" 18 Klau! Sēru dziesmas atskan no Ciānas: "Ak, kā mēs esam izpostīti, kādas varmācības esam pārcietuši un cik dziļā kauna pilnā pazemojumā esam krituši! Jo mums jāatstāj šī zeme; mūsu mitekļus mums nolīdzināja līdz ar zemi!" 19 Klausaities, sievas, Tā Kunga vārdu, un lai jūsu ausis uzņem Viņa mutes vārdu! Mācait savām meitām žēlabu pilnu sēru dziesmu un cita citai kapa dziesmu: 20 "Nāve ir iekāpusi pa mūsu logiem, tā ir ielauzusies mūsu skaistajos namos, ir aizrāvusi bērnus no ielām un jaunekļus no tirgus laukumiem!" 21 Sludini: "Tā saka Tas Kungs: līķi gulēs kā mēsli tīrumā un kā kūļi aiz pļāvēja, un neviens tos nepacels!" 22 Tā saka Tas Kungs: "Gudrais lai nelielās ar savu gudrību, stiprais lai nelielās ar savu spēku, bagātais lai nelielās ar savu bagātību! 23 Bet, kas grib lielīties, lai lielās ar savu atziņu, ka viņš Mani pazīst un zina, ka Es esmu Tas Kungs, kas uztur virs zemes žēlastību, patiesību un taisnību; jo uz tādiem Man ir labs prāts, saka Tas Kungs. 24 Redzi, nāks dienas, saka Tas Kungs, kad Es saukšu pie atbildības visus, kas apgraizīti, un arī neapgraizītos: 25 Ēģipti un Jūdu, Edomu, Amona bērnus un Moābu, un visus, kam ap deniņiem apcirpti mati, kas dzīvo tuksnesī. Jo visas citas tautas ir neapgraizītas, bet visam Israēla namam ir neapgraizīta sirds!"
1 I wish my head were a well of water,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
so that I could cry day and night
for my people who have been killed.
2 I wish I had a place to stay in the desert
where I could get away from my people.
They are all unfaithful,
a mob of traitors.
3 They are always ready to tell lies;
dishonesty instead of truth rules the land.
The Lord says,
“My people do one evil thing after another
and do not acknowledge me as their God.”
4 Everyone must be on guard against their friends,
and no one can trust their relatives;
for all relatives are as deceitful as Jacob,
and everyone slanders their friends.
5-6 They all mislead their friends,
and no one tells the truth;
they have taught their tongues to lie
and will not give up their sinning.
They do one violent thing after another,
and one deceitful act follows another.
The Lord says that his people reject him.
7 Because of this the Lord Almighty says,
“I will refine my people like metal
and put them to the test.
My people have done evil—
what else can I do with them?
8 Their tongues are like deadly arrows;
they always tell lies.
Everyone speaks friendly words to their neighbors,
but they are really setting a trap for them.
9 Will I not punish them for these things?
Will I not take revenge on a nation like this?
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
10 I said, “I will mourn for the mountains
and weep for the pastures,
because they have dried up,
and no one travels through them.
The sound of livestock is no longer heard;
birds and wild animals have fled and gone.”
11 The Lord says, “I will make Jerusalem a pile of ruins,
a place where jackals live;
the cities of Judah will become a desert,
a place where no one lives.”
12 I asked, “Lord, why is the land devastated and dry as a desert, so that no one travels through it? Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom have you explained it so that they can tell others?”
13 The Lord answered, “This has happened because my people have abandoned the teaching that I gave them. They have not obeyed me or done what I told them. 14 Instead, they have been stubborn and have worshiped the idols of Baal as their ancestors taught them to do. 15 So then, listen to what I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, will do: I will give my people bitter plants to eat and poison to drink. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have heard about, and I will send armies against them until I have completely destroyed them.”
The People of Jerusalem Cry Out for Help
17 The Lord Almighty said,
“Think about what is happening!
Call for the mourners to come,
for the women who sing funeral songs.”
18 The people said,
“Tell them to hurry and sing a funeral song for us,
until our eyes fill with tears,
and our eyelids are wet from crying.”
19 Listen to the sound of crying in Zion:
“We are ruined!
We are completely disgraced!
We must leave our land;
our homes have been torn down.”
20 I said,
“Listen to the Lord, you women,
and pay attention to his words.
Teach your daughters how to mourn,
and your friends how to sing a funeral song.
21 Death has come in through our windows
and entered our palaces;
it has cut down the children in the streets
and the young men in the marketplaces.
22 Dead bodies are scattered everywhere,
like piles of manure on the fields,
like grain cut and left behind by the reapers,
grain that no one gathers.
This is what the Lord has told me to say.”
23 The Lord says,
“The wise should not boast of their wisdom,
nor the strong of their strength,
nor the rich of their wealth.
24 If any want to boast,
they should boast that they know and understand me,
because my love is constant,
and I do what is just and right.
These are the things that please me.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
25-26 The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will punish the people of Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and the desert people, who have their hair cut short. All these people are circumcised, but have not kept the covenant it symbolizes. None of these people and none of the people of Israel have kept my covenant.”
