1“Oh that I were in the wilderness, in a lodging-place of wayfaring men, that I might leave my people, and go from them! For they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. 2And they bend their tongue, their bow of falsehood; and they are grown mighty in the land, but not for truth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and Me they know not”, says יהוה . “Take3 heed every one of his neighbor, and trust not in any brother; for every brother acts subtly, and every neighbor goes about with slanders. 4And they deceive every one his neighbor, and truth they do not speak; they have taught their tongue to speak lies, they weary themselves to commit iniquity. 5Your habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me”, says יהוה . “Therefore6 thus says יהוה Tzeva’ot, ‘Behold, I will smelt them, and try them; for how else should I do, because of the daughter of My people?’ 7Their tongue is a sharpened arrow, it speaks deceit; one speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart he lies in wait for him. 8Shall I not punish them for these things,” says יהוה ; “shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this? 9For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the pastures of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none passes through. And they hear not the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled, and gone. 10And I will make Yerushalayim heaps, a lair of jackals; and I will make the cities of Yehudah a desolation, without an inhabitant. 11Who is the wise man, that he may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of יהוה has spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land perished and laid waste like a wilderness, so that none passes through? 12And יהוה says, ‘Because they have forsaken My Torah which I set before them, and have not hearkened to My voice, neither walked therein, 13but have walked after the stubbornness of their own heart, and after the Ba’alim, which their fathers taught them’.”
14“Therefore, thus says יהוה Tzeva’ot, Elohei Yisra’el, ‘Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them שater of gall to drink. 15I will scatter them also among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them’.”
16“Thus says יהוה Tzeva’ot, ‘Consider, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for the wise women, that they may come; 17and 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. 18For a voice of wailing is heard out of Tzion, ‘How are we undone! We are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out’. 19Yes, hear the D’var יהוה , O you women, and let your ear receive the D’var of His mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor a lamentation: 20‘For Mavet is come up into our windows, it is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from the street, and the young men from the broad places’.’ 21Speak, ‘Thus says יהוה , ‘And the carcasses of men fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, which none gathers’. Tzav (2) 22Thus says יהוה , ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; 23but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands, and knows Me, that I am יהוה who exercises compassion, justice, and tzedaka, in the earth; for in these things I delight’,” says יהוה . end Tzav (2) “Behold24, the days come”, says יהוה , “that I will punish all them that are circumcised in their uncircumcision: 25Mitzrayim, and Yehudah, and Edom, and the children of Amon, and Mo’av, and all that have the corners of their hair polled, that dwell in the wilderness; for all the nations are uncircumcised, but all Beit Yisra’el are uncircumcised in the heart.”
אמִי יִתְּנֵנִי בַמִּדְבָּר מְלוֹן אֹרְחִים וְאֶעֶזְבָה אֶת עַמִּי וְאֵלְכָה מֵאִתָּם: כִּי כֻלָּם מְנָאֲפִים עֲצֶרֶת בֹּגְדִים. בוַיַּדְרְכוּ אֶת לְשׁוֹנָם קַשְׁתָּם שֶׁקֶר וְלֹא לֶאֱמוּנָה גָּבְרוּ בָאָרֶץ: כִּי מֵרָעָה אֶל רָעָה יָצָאוּ וְאֹתִי לֹא יָדָעוּ נְאֻם יהוה . גאִישׁ מֵרֵעֵהוּ הִשָּׁמֵרוּ וְעַל כָּל אָח אַל תִּבְטָחוּ: כִּי כָל אָח עָקוֹב יַעְקֹב וְכָל רֵעַ רָכִיל יַהֲלֹךְ. דוְאִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ יְהָתֵלּוּ וֶאֱמֶת לֹא יְדַבֵּרוּ; לִמְּדוּ לְשׁוֹנָם דַּבֶּר שֶׁקֶר הַעֲוֵה נִלְאוּ. השִׁבְתְּךָ בְּתוֹךְ מִרְמָה; בְּמִרְמָה מֵאֲנוּ דַעַת אוֹתִי נְאֻם יהוה . ולָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יהוה צְבָאוֹת הִנְנִי צוֹרְפָם וּבְחַנְתִּים: כִּי אֵיךְ אֶעֱשֶׂה מִפְּנֵי בַּת עַמִּי. זחֵץ שוחט (שָׁחוּט) לְשׁוֹנָם מִרְמָה דִבֵּר; בְּפִיו שָׁלוֹם אֶת רֵעֵהוּ יְדַבֵּר וּבְקִרְבּוֹ יָשִׂים אָרְבּוֹ. חהַעַל אֵלֶּה לֹא אֶפְקָד בָּם נְאֻם יהוה ; אִם בְּגוֹי אֲשֶׁר כָּזֶה לֹא תִתְנַקֵּם נַפְשִׁי. טעַל הֶהָרִים אֶשָּׂא בְכִי וָנֶהִי וְעַל נְאוֹת מִדְבָּר קִינָה כִּי נִצְּתוּ מִבְּלִי אִישׁ עֹבֵר וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ קוֹל מִקְנֶה; מֵעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וְעַד בְּהֵמָה נָדְדוּ הָלָכוּ. יוְנָתַתִּי אֶת יְרוּשָׁלִַם לְגַלִּים מְעוֹן תַּנִּים; וְאֶת עָרֵי יְהוּדָה אֶתֵּן שְׁמָמָה מִבְּלִי יוֹשֵׁב. יאמִי הָאִישׁ הֶחָכָם וְיָבֵן אֶת זֹאת וַאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר פִּי יהוה אֵלָיו וְיַגִּדָהּ; עַל מָה אָבְדָה הָאָרֶץ נִצְּתָה כַמִּדְבָּר מִבְּלִי עֹבֵר. יבוַיֹּאמֶר יהוה עַל עָזְבָם אֶת תּוֹרָתִי אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִפְנֵיהֶם; וְלֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְקוֹלִי וְלֹא הָלְכוּ בָהּ. יגוַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרֵי שְׁרִרוּת לִבָּם וְאַחֲרֵי הַבְּעָלִים אֲשֶׁר לִמְּדוּם אֲבוֹתָם.
ידלָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יהוה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי מַאֲכִילָם אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה לַעֲנָה; וְהִשְׁקִיתִים מֵי רֹאשׁ. טווַהֲפִצוֹתִים בַּגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ הֵמָּה וַאֲבוֹתָם; וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אַחֲרֵיהֶם אֶת הַחֶרֶב עַד כַּלּוֹתִי אוֹתָם.
טזכֹּה אָמַר יהוה צְבָאוֹת הִתְבּוֹנְנוּ וְקִרְאוּ לַמְקוֹנְנוֹת וּתְבוֹאֶינָה; וְאֶל הַחֲכָמוֹת שִׁלְחוּ וְתָבוֹאנָה. יזוּתְמַהֵרְנָה וְתִשֶּׂנָה עָלֵינוּ נֶהִי; וְתֵרַדְנָה עֵינֵינוּ דִּמְעָה וְעַפְעַפֵּינוּ יִזְּלוּ מָיִם. יחכִּי קוֹל נְהִי נִשְׁמַע מִצִּיּוֹן אֵיךְ שֻׁדָּדְנוּ; בֹּשְׁנוּ מְאֹד כִּי עָזַבְנוּ אָרֶץ כִּי הִשְׁלִיכוּ מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֵינוּ. יטכִּי שְׁמַעְנָה נָשִׁים דְּבַר יהוה וְתִקַּח אָזְנְכֶם דְּבַר פִּיו; וְלַמֵּדְנָה בְנוֹתֵיכֶם נֶהִי וְאִשָּׁה רְעוּתָהּ קִינָה. ככִּי עָלָה מָוֶת בְּחַלּוֹנֵינוּ בָּא בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵינוּ לְהַכְרִית עוֹלָל מִחוּץ בַּחוּרִים מֵרְחֹבוֹת. כאדַּבֵּר כֹּה נְאֻם יהוה וְנָפְלָה נִבְלַת הָאָדָם כְּדֹמֶן עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה; וּכְעָמִיר מֵאַחֲרֵי הַקֹּצֵר וְאֵין מְאַסֵּף. כבכֹּה אָמַר יהוה אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חָכָם בְּחָכְמָתוֹ וְאַל יִתְהַלֵּל הַגִּבּוֹר בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ; אַל יִתְהַלֵּל עָשִׁיר בְּעָשְׁרוֹ. כגכִּי אִם בְּזֹאת יִתְהַלֵּל הַמִּתְהַלֵּל הַשְׂכֵּל וְיָדֹעַ אוֹתִי כִּי אֲנִי יהוה עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה בָּאָרֶץ: כִּי בְאֵלֶּה חָפַצְתִּי נְאֻם יהוה . כדהִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם יהוה וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל כָּל מוּל בְּעָרְלָה. כהעַל מִצְרַיִם וְעַל יְהוּדָה וְעַל אֱדוֹם וְעַל בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וְעַל מוֹאָב וְעַל כָּל קְצוּצֵי פֵאָה הַיֹּשְׁבִים בַּמִּדְבָּר כִּי כָל הַגּוֹיִם עֲרֵלִים וְכָל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל עַרְלֵי לֵב.