rd

Jeremiah 9

1 The complaint of the Prophet for the malice of the people. 24 In the knowledge of God oght we onely to reioyce. 26 The Vncircumciſion of the heart.
1.OH, that mine head were ful of water and mine eyes a fountaine of teares, that I might wepe day and night for the ſlaine of the daughter of my people.
2.Oh, that I had in the wildernes a cottage of way faring men, that I might leaue my people, & go from them: for thei be all adulterers & an aſſemblie of rebels,
3.And they bend their tongues like their bowes for lies: but they haue no courage for the trueth vpon ye earth: for thei pro cede from euil to worſe, and they haue not knowen me, ſaith the Lord.
4.Let euerie one take hede of his neighbour, & truſt you not in anie brother: for euerie brother wil vſe deceit, and euerie friend wil deale deceitfully,
5.And euerie one wil deceiue his friend, & wil not ſpeake the trueth: for they haue taught their tongues to ſpeake lies, and take great paines to do wickedly.
6.Thine habitation is in the middes of deceiuers: becauſe of their deceit they refuſe to knowe me, ſaith the Lord.
7.Therefore thus ſaith the Lord of hoſtes, Beholde, I wil melt them, & trye thē: for what ſhulde I els do for the daughter of my people?
8.Their tongue is as an arrowe ſhot out, & ſpeaketh deceit: one ſpeaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in his heart he layeth waite for him.
9.Shal I not viſit thē for theſe things, ſaith the Lord? or ſhal not my ſoule be aduenged on ſuche a nation as this?
10.Vpon the mountaines wil I take vp a weping and a lamentacion, and vpon the faire places of the wildernes a mourning, becauſe they are burnt vp: ſo that none cā paſſe through them, nether can men heare the voyce of the flocke: bothe the foule of ye aire, & the beaſt are fled away & gone.
11.And I wil make Ieruſalém an heape, & a den of dragons, & I wil make the cities of Iudáh waſte, without an inhabitant.
12.Who is wiſe, to vnderſtand this, and to whome ye mouth of the Lord hathe ſpokē, euē he ſhal declare it. Why doeth ye land periſh, & is burnt vp like a wildernes, that none paſſeth through?
13.And the Lord ſaith, Becauſe they haue forſaken my Law, which I ſet before them, & haue not obeied my voice, nether walked there after,
14.But haue walked after the ſtubbernes of their owne heart, and after Baalims, which their fathers taught them,
15.Therefore thus ſaith the Lord of hoſtes, the God of Iſraél, Beholde, I wil fede this people with wormewodde, and giue them waters of gall to drinke:
16.I wil ſcatre them alſo among the heathē, whome nether they nor their fathers haue knowen, and I wil ſend a ſworde after thē, til I haue conſumed them.
17.Thus ſaith the Lord of hoſtes, Take hede, & call for the mourning women, yt thei may come, & ſend for ſkilful womē that thei may come,
18.And let thē make haſte, & let thē take vp a lamētation for vs, yt our eyes may caſt out teares & our eye liddes guſh out of water.
19.For a lamentable noyſe is heard out of Zión, How are we deſtroyed, and vtterly confounded for we haue forſaken the land, and our dwellings haue caſt vs out.
20.Therefore heare the worde of ye Lord, ô ye womẽ, and let your eares regarde the wordes of his mouth, and teache your daughters to mourne, and euerie one her neighbour to lament.
21.For death is come vp into our windowes, & is entred into our palaces, to deſtroye ye children without, and the yong men in the ſtretes.
22.Speake, thus ſaith the Lord, The carkeiſes of men ſhal lie, euen as the dung vpon the field, & as the hãdful after the mower, and none ſhal gather them.
23.Thus ſaith the Lord, Let not the wiſe man glorie in his wiſdome, nor the ſtrong man glorie in his ſtrength, nether the riche man glorie in his riches.
24.But let him that glorieth, glorie in this, that he vnderſtandeth, and knoweth me: for I am the Lord, which ſhewe mercie, iudgement, and righteouſnes in the earth: for in theſe things I delite, ſaith the Lord.
25.Beholde, the dayes come, ſaith the Lord, that I wil viſit all them, which are circũciſed with the vncircumciſed:
26.Egypt and Iudáh, and Edóm, and the children of Ammón, and Moáb, & all the vtmoſt corners of them that dwell in the wildernes: for all theſe nations are vncircumciſed, & all the houſe of Iſraél are vncircumciſed in the heart.

Notes

1:a.
The Prophet ſheweth ye great cōpaſsiō that he had toward this people, ſeing, that he colde neuer ſufficiently lamēt the deſtructiō that he ſaw to hāg ouer them.
2:b.
Which is a ſpecial note to diſcerne the true paſtours from the hirelīgs, read chap. 4.19.
2:c.
He ſheweth that this were more quietnes, & greater ſafety for him to owell among the wilde beaſtes then among this wicked people, ſaue that God hathe inioyned him this charge.
3:d.
Vtterly turned from God.
4:e.
Meaning, ye all were corrupt and none colde finde an honeſt man.
5:f.
They haue ſo practiſed deceit yt thei cannot forſake it.
6:g.
They had rather forſake God, then leaue their wicked trade.
7:h.
With the fyre of afflictoin.
8:*.
Pſal. 28.3. & 120.4.
10:i.
Signifying that all ye places about Ieruſalém ſhulde be deſtroyed.
12:k.
Meaning, yt they are all without ſenſe, and vnderſtäding, and that God hathe taken his Spirite from them.
14:l.
He ſheweth that the children can not excuſe themſelues by their fathers: for bothe father, & childe if they be wicked, ſhal periſh.
15:m.
Read Chap. 8.14
17:o.
Seing you cā not lament your owne ſinnes, call for thoſe fooliſh women, whome of a ſuperſtition you haue to lament for the dead, yt they by their fained teares may prouoke you to ſome ſorow.
19:p.
As thogh thei were wearie of vs, becauſe of our iniquities, Leu. 18,28, & 20,22.
20:q.
He derideth the ſuperſtitiõ of the women, which made an arte of mourning, & taught to wepe with fained teares.
21:r.
Signifying, that there is no meanes to deliuer ye wicked frõ Gods iudgemẽts: but whẽ thei thinke to be moſte ſure, and moſte farre of, then are they ſoneſt taken.
23:s.
Foraſmuche as none cã ſaue him ſelf by his owne labour or anie worldlie meanes, he ſheweth yt it is in vaine to put our truſt therein, but yt we truſt in the Lord, & reioyce in him, who onely can deliuer vs, 1. Cor. 1,31. 2. cor. 10,17.
24:t.
Theſe thre pointes are neceſſarie to knowe aright: his mercie wherein conſiſteth our ſaluation: his iudgement, wc he executeth cõtinually againſt the wiked, and his iuſtice, whereby he defendeth, and mainteineth the faithful.
25:u.
Meaning, bothe Iewes and Gentiles, as in the next verſe he ſheweth the cauſe, read Chap. 4,4.