“They (A)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (B)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (C)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
“Let everyone (D)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (E)do not trust any brother;
Because every (F)brother utterly [a]betrays,
And every neighbor (G)goes about as a slanderer.
Everyone (H)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (I)weary themselves committing wrongdoing.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:4 I.e., like Jacob (a play on words)

“They make ready their tongue
    like a bow, to shoot lies;(A)
it is not by truth
    that they triumph[a] in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
    they do not acknowledge(B) me,”
declares the Lord.
“Beware of your friends;(C)
    do not trust anyone in your clan.(D)
For every one of them is a deceiver,[b](E)
    and every friend a slanderer.(F)
Friend deceives friend,(G)
    and no one speaks the truth.(H)
They have taught their tongues to lie;(I)
    they weary themselves with sinning.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 9:3 Or lies; / they are not valiant for truth
  2. Jeremiah 9:4 Or a deceiving Jacob